Fast food salads

Seanb_us
Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
Am just too busy. So, a couple of times a week I buy lunch. I found I like McDonald's Southwest Salad with grilled chicken for about 450 cals and D'Angelos cobb salad with chicken, 530 cals (both cals include dressing).

I found the chicken from McD's slimy and salty, so find I eat half. For both, I use half the dressing or less. And, the D'Angelo's is yummy.

There are pizza shops around with various salads, but those are difficult to figure out nutrition.

So, any thoughts about eating sensibly at fast food joints? Subway excepted, what other fast food salads are there worth trying?

Cheers,

Sean
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Replies

  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
    Jimmy John's isn't bad if you skip the mayo and add dijon. :) Depends on the sandwich, of course. They're online calorie info seems to be pretty thorough.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    I find most fast food salads totally gross. Would rather have a burrito bowl at Chipotle or even a small burger with no fries at a burger joint. A regular McDonalds cheeseburger is 290 calories. A Quarter Pounder with Cheese is 520. I don't advocate eating at McDonalds from an overall health perspective, but in terms of calories if you make good choices they can fit within your goals.
  • Seanb_us
    Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
    Good points.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    I find most fast food salads totally gross. Would rather have a burrito bowl at Chipotle or even a small burger with no fries at a burger joint.

    Yup.
    Make a salad the night before or visit a grocery store salad bar.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited July 2015
    It's going to depend upon the chain and the turnover on each type of salad.

    Example: Wendy's Strawberry Fields...I had it for the first time this season....yum. Fresh....because it's very popular (at my nearest Wendy's right now). SAME Wendy's....I tried their Chicken, Apple, Pecan something...never again. The salad was not fresh. Apparently it hadn't been popular enough in the past few days, so I got an "old" one.

    I grill a bunch of chicken breast....portion into zip-lock bags & freeze. Then I buy bagged romaine lettuce. I eat 1/2 a bag day one and 1/2 a bag day 2.

    When I want an Asian chicken salad I pack a snack cup of mandarin oranges, throw some chow mien noodles in a snack bag, and some snap peas in another. Newman's Sesame Ginger dressing....yum.

    I like chicken Cesar, South West Chicken, Spinach-Strawberry, a Harvest Salad with tangy apples

    Look up mason jar salads. Salads are quick to fix. Unless you really have no place to store them....your freshest salads will be the ones you bring from home.

  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
    edited July 2015
    I :heart::heart::heart: Arby's Roast Turkey Farmhouse Salad. It's so good I eat it without dressing.

    Also do you consider Panera to be fast food? They have a lot of great salads, like the Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad
  • harg311
    harg311 Posts: 4 Member
    edited July 2015
    Panera Bread has some pretty good salads and are low in Calories. Power Kale Chicken Ceaser and Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken are two of my favs. They are between 350-520.
    https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu-categories/salads.html

    I also like Chipotle Salads as well and their website is great. You can build your meal and it will tell you all the details on calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc. My salad there is usually under 500 if I skip the Brown rice. I do add black beans and cheese as well, so not bad. I do skip the Salad dressing and use salsa instead since the dressing is 270 calories alone.
    http://chipotle.com/nutrition-calculator#/category/4

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Your local grocery store will sell salad "kits." Just add a protein (usually) and you're good. Look for one with the dressing packet included.

    www.google.com/search?q=salad+kits&biw=1278&bih=610&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQsARqFQoTCOuU5prR78YCFdcXkgod3XMK6g
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    edited July 2015
    you have 10 minutes a day to go to a fast food joint and wait on a line to get a salad, but you don't have 10 minutes at home to make yourself a week's worth of salads??
  • Seanb_us
    Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
    There's no grocery store salad bar option here. Making salads the day before is an option, but they go wilt-y too often. Panrea -- there's not one close, but I think of them as carb-y and calorie-y. Good thoughts, though!
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    wendys has good salads. I like the strawberry chicken and the asian one. I also really like the salads at panera bread
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    If I'm going to eat fast food, I'm not doing a salad. I usually just go for smaller portions.

  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
    Seanb_us wrote: »
    There's no grocery store salad bar option here. Making salads the day before is an option, but they go wilt-y too often. Panrea -- there's not one close, but I think of them as carb-y and calorie-y. Good thoughts, though!

    Yes, there's "bread" in the name, but I've found it's one of the few places that I can eat a low calorie meal and be full for the rest of the day. The soups and salads are great.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    It's a couple of times a week, eat what you like on the move that fits into your calorie goal. Don't settle for something you won't enjoy because it fits into some preconceived notion of 'healthy' food.
  • mzkat17
    mzkat17 Posts: 2 Member
    our wal-mart has pre-made salads that are good and there are diff kinds to choose from includes dressing and utensil in package
  • MsJulesRenee
    MsJulesRenee Posts: 1,180 Member
    edited July 2015
    Seanb_us wrote: »
    There's no grocery store salad bar option here. Making salads the day before is an option, but they go wilt-y too often. Panrea -- there's not one close, but I think of them as carb-y and calorie-y. Good thoughts, though!

    I heard from a lot of people if you put a single sheet of paper towel in with the salad it'll stay crisp for a lot longer in the fridge. It sucks up the extra moisture. Probably have to switch out the paper towel every once in awhile.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Seanb_us wrote: »
    There's no grocery store salad bar option here. Making salads the day before is an option, but they go wilt-y too often. Panrea -- there's not one close, but I think of them as carb-y and calorie-y. Good thoughts, though!


    http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-to-making-a-weeks-worth-of-salads-on-sunday-tips-from-the-kitchn-113949
  • MichiganGirl67
    MichiganGirl67 Posts: 16 Member
    Look for other options that you can keep on hand for these "too Busy" times. One of my favorites is Starkist 2.5 oz. Lemon Pepper Tuna packet mixed with Dijon mustard on rice crackers. Great protein fill up and no need to refrigerate. Freeze yogurt, buy the time your ready to snack on it later in the day it's thawed, just give it a stir and it's ready to eat. Frozen Grapes and Cherries are also good and will keep in your lunch bag for awhile.
  • bob108819
    bob108819 Posts: 267 Member
    Chick-fil-a has good salads, I always ask for grilled nuggets on them, which come hot and marinated, otherwise its cold chicken strips (or fried). I prefer the asian, but the cobb and marketfresh are good too. I like the asian at Wendy's with grilled chicken, and I agree with whoever said walmart, their prepackaged salads are usually pretty good.
  • bob108819
    bob108819 Posts: 267 Member
    I have access to a refrigerator at work, so I typically keep it stocked with the bags of salad, dressing, grape tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, bacon bits, etc and make salads at my desk everyday. Very convenient for me.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Seanb_us wrote: »
    There's no grocery store salad bar option here. Making salads the day before is an option, but they go wilt-y too often. Panrea -- there's not one close, but I think of them as carb-y and calorie-y. Good thoughts, though!

    Salads you make at home go "wilty".....but the salad made a day or 2 ago at a fast food joint is fresh?

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10213266/how-to-keep-my-salad-fresh#latest

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/820452/salad-in-a-jar#latest
  • kvansteen
    kvansteen Posts: 82 Member
    Make the salad part the night before and pack the dressing separate. Newman's Own olive oil and vinegar doesn't require refrigeration. Add nuts and seeds to your salad for crunch and extra protein.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    If there is a sweetgreen near you it is so awesome! All salads all good and super healthy fresh local everything made in store.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/on-the-go/healthy-fast-foods/

    Here are some low cal fast food offerings, some of which are salads. Personally, Chipotle makes the best salad.

    Romaine (salad), Sofritas, Fajita Veggies, pinto beans, cheese, vinaigrette: 650 calories,
    Romaine (salad), Sofritas, Fajita Veggies, pinto beans, tomato salsa, sour cream: 515 calories
  • Seanb_us
    Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
    All great feedback, thanks!
  • _cdaley
    _cdaley Posts: 79 Member
    Corner Bakery Cafe Size Chopped Salad- 460 cals and SO yummy. Comes with a little roll that is 100 cals, according to their nutrition information.
  • 9thwardchick
    9thwardchick Posts: 73 Member
    Fast food salads are prepackaged. They just charge you more because they add processed chicken. You can go to the supermarket and buy salad kits and add your own chicken. Much more affordable and probably better for you. Easy to do the night before. Just try it and see how you feel.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    Your local grocery store will sell salad "kits." Just add a protein (usually) and you're good. Look for one with the dressing packet included.

    www.google.com/search?q=salad+kits&biw=1278&bih=610&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQsARqFQoTCOuU5prR78YCFdcXkgod3XMK6g

    That is what I do.
    My Publix comes with protein in some of their container salads in the produce section -- usually turkey or ham.

  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    Chic fil a

    Cool wrap and the salads are all good

    I get a grilled chicken slamwhich and take to top off

    My go to road fast food
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I use a mix of romaine/mesclun/baby spinach and make sure to pack my dressing in a small container and it usually can stay in my fridge for 2 days without wilting. Mason jar salads last too.
    If I'm on the road and have to buy, panera and au bon pain have great salads (and soups). I also love the southwest salad from McDonald's, but typically ask for no chicken because it's that weird texture.
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