Greek Salad

DAY 15: PANERA BREAD

Greek Salad from Panera

One of the many things I love about Panera is the customer loyalty program, MyPanera. When you sign up, you'll start receiving email offers. Mine come every week or two and have included free smoothies, free beverages and coupons for discounts on salads. 

Today I had a coupon for $2 off a salad that was set to expire, so I headed to Panera for one of my favorites, the Greek Salad. Like all Panera salads, it's made to order with fresh, chilled ingredients and served with a hunk of fresh baguette.

Panera's Greek is very traditional. A generous bed of cold, fresh romaine lettuce is covered with sliced red onion, chunks of deep red tomato, pitted kalamata olives, several whole peperoncini and a liberal sprinkling of feta cheese.

Served with a flavorful, thick vinaigrette, it's a simple salad. But the way the ingredients combine together really satisfies me. The crisp lettuce, ripe but firm tomato, sharp onion, briny kalamata olives, spicy peperoncini and creamy feta work well with the rich, acidic dressing.

Although the dressing is thicker and creamier than most Greek vinaigrettes, it's salty and hints of oregano, just like the homemade salad dressing you might get down in the heart of Chicago's Greektown on Halsted Street—or better yet, on the island of Santorini. With a generous size and lots of flavor, it feels like much more than 350 calories.

In addition to wonderful taste and healthy ingredients, this salad has a reasonable price, only $5.99 without tax. It's one of Panera's café salads, which are vegetarian and on the lower end of the price scale. Like all Panera salads, you can add chicken or shrimp, but I'm always satisfied without adding protein.

With my $2-off coupon, Panera's Greek Salad was one of the better buys I've had since embarking on this adventure. I can't wait to see what reward MyPanera gives me next.

ITEM
Greek Salad

EATERY
Panera Bread at 250 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606

MENU DESCRIPTION
Romaine lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes, feta cheese, peperoncini, red onions, Kalamata olives, pepper & our Greek dressing.

CALORIES
380

COST
$3.99 before tax with $2-off coupon

RECOMMEND
Definitely

Steak Roti Salad

DAY 14: ROTI MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

I try not to go back to the same place in any given month, but sometimes the reason to return is too great to ignore. Like today, for example. The nice folks from Roti recently deposited an extra 100 bonus points in my rewards account, which meant I had acquired the 300 points required to cash in on the June Free Salad special. So to Roti I went.

Steak Roti Salad from Roti

I decided to make a Steak Roti Salad featuring Roti's signature steak, which I'd actually never tried before despite having eaten at Roti very regularly for several years. It's an aged choice sirloin that's been marinated in a very flavorful blend of spices. To that, I added cous-cous, hummus, roasted vegetables, tomato and cucumber salad, and feta, which is one of my most loved salad cheeses. Roti's homemade roasted pepper aoli, which is my favorite Roti sauce, served as the dressing. And I had a piece of pita bread on the side.

Like the Chicken Kabob Salad that I had last week, this salad explodes with flavor. The generous heap of spiced steak is very tender, and the rich red pepper aoli compliments the meat with a nice kick. The roasted vegetables, which include carrots, green peppers, broccoli and onions, also add a lot of flavor due, I'm guessing, to a marinade. The cous-cous dotted with currants adds a layer of mild sweetness, while the chilled tomato and cucumber salad cools the heat from the aoli and provides some crunch. The smooth, creamy, garlic-laden hummus rounds out this salad. You can eat it with the meat and other ingredients, or eat it with the warm pita bread. I did a little of each.

The only downside to this salad is that the steak contains 213 calories compared to the chicken kabob, which only contains 127. In an effort to stick close to my 500 calorie maximum, I trimmed out the kalamata olives, which I usually add to my Roti salads, and I didn't clean my plate. I didn't feel the need to, though. It was a lot of food, and it was very satisfying. It tied me over until a picnic dinner, which didn't get served until after 7pm.



Roti's online nutrition calculator

Now I'm already thinking about my next Roti concoction. Will it be the chicken roti with vinaigrette dressing? Or maybe a vegetarian felafel salad with tahini? Stay tuned. For sure, I'll be back soon enough.

ITEM
Chicken Kabob Salad

EATERY
Roti Mediterranean Grill, 10 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606

MENU DESCRIPTION
Make your own salad with house-baked pita. Choose one: naturally raised FreeBird chicken roti, aged choice sirloin steak roti (add $1), naturally raised FreeBird chicken breast chicken kabob, felafel made with organic chickpeas or marinated, fresh roasted vegetables. Add unlimited sides and toppings: tomato & cucumber salad, cous-cous, red cabbage slaw, Spanish eggplant, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, olives and sumac onions. Pick your sauce(s): dill/yogurt/cucumber (mild), tahini (mild), red pepper aoli (medium), s’hug (spicy) or Roti vinaigrette.

CALORIES
668 (565 for salad + 103 for pita)

COST

FREE!

RECOMMEND

Definitely

Salad Trio

DAY 13: CORNER BAKERY

Trio Salad from Corner Bakery

If you live in Chicago, chances are you know Corner Bakery. In some areas of the city, this chain is nearly as ubiquitous as Starbucks. For example, in my building alone, there are two locations.

Corner Bakery has a diverse menu that includes several entree salads as well as side salads. If you're in the mood for variety, you can can choose three side salads and build a Salad Trio. Choices vary but might include tuna salad, chicken salad, pasta salad, caesar salad and fruit salad.

I went for a Trio today. I chose the cavatapi pasta salad, the mozzarella tomato arugula salad and the seasonal fruit medley. With that came a garnish of mixed greens dressed with vinaigrette plus a foccacia roll.

Altogether, my choices added up to 410 calories. With another 100 calories for the fresh, chewy, salty foccacia roll, this lunch was 10 calories over my 500 calorie limit. I let the overage slide. After all I’m sure I burned at least 10 calories when I walked a couple of blocks to eat my lunch in the park.

Focaccia roll from Corner Bakery

I’ve been eating Trios for a long time. When I started more than ten years ago, the salads and greens were all piled together in a plastic container. That was fine if everything had a similar flavor profile, but it didn’t work if you had three distinctly different salads.

Now, the salads are separated. In my situation, the greens and pasta salad were put directly into a square plastic container, but the mozzarella tomato arugula salad and fruit salad were put in separate cups. Having had vinaigrette bleed into my fruit, I actually appreciate the care that goes into this method of packaging.

Being a sucker for pasta salad, I started with the cavatapi salad. I was not disappointed. The pasta is cooked al dente and dressed with a super flavorful white balsamic vinaigrette. Roasted garlic, diced asiago cheese, roasted tomatoes, basil and arugula round out this dish. The garlic makes a strong statement, which I appreciate. There are only a few pieces of deliciously roasted tomato, but they’re large enough to cut up and stretch into many bites. Although the asiago is diced into very small pieces, it’s plentiful and its mild, nutty flavor is persistent. Finally, the sweet basil and peppery arugula add greenery and compliment the other ingredients. Frankly I could have had a big bowl of this salad and been really, really happy.

But I didn’t. I moved on to the mozzarella tomato arugula salad. It’s delicious and bright, but with much less flavor than the pasta salad. In retrospect, I should have started with this milder dish. Equal parts of sliced marinated cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and arugula are accented with fresh basil and a lemon garlic dressing. With the creamy cheese, cold tomatoes and zippy greens, I think this is a great albeit light summer salad.

From there I moved to the greens. The menu says they’re a garnish, and that’s accurate. I counted ten pieces of lettuce. But with the sweet and spicy vinaigrette, it’s definitely fresh and tasty.

I finished with the fruit. It contains all of my favorites—pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apples and cantelope. All of the fruit is perfectly ripe and in beautiful shape. It’s cold and sweet, the way a good fruit salad should be. It makes a great dessert.

But I actually ate my foccacia roll as dessert. I saved it for last because I wanted to see if the salads alone would satisfy me. But frankly, the portions in the Trio are not very big, and I wasn’t entirely satisfied, so I dove into the delicious bread.

Although I really enjoyed the variety and tastes of these salads, the combination didn’t quite fill me up. About halfway through the afternoon, I started feeling hungry. I ended up eating a Kind bar to hold myself over until dinner.

I suspect this is my own fault, though, because I concocted a carb-heavy lunch. Next time I order a Trio, I’ll pay as much attention to the protein as I do to the calories, and hopefully I’ll end up with something that fills me enough to keep me from snacking before dinner. I'm already studying the nutritional information and plotting my next visit.

ITEM
Trio Salad

EATERY
Corner Bakery Cafe, 444 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60606

MENU DESCRIPTION
Cavatapi pasta salad: Roasted tomatoes, Asiago cheese, basil, roasted garlic and arugula in white balsamic dressing.
Mozzarella tomato arugula: Marinated tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, arugula and basil with lemon garlic dressing.
Seasonal fruit medley: A delicious assortment of the season's freshest fruits.
Mixed greens salad (garnish): Field greens tossed in our sweet and spicy house vinaigrette.

CALORIES
510 (Cavatapi pasta salad = 150, mozzarella tomato arugula =160, seasonal fruit medley = 70, mixed greens salad = 30 + focaccia roll = 100)

COST
$8.27 with tax

RECOMMEND
Definitely, unless you like big portions

Chicken Kabob Salad

DAY 12: ROTI MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

Chicken Kabob Salad from Roti

A bit of Mediterranean blood flows through my veins, so it’s no surprise that I really love Mediterranean food.

When Roti Mediterranean Grill opened its first location a stone’s throw from my office, I was ecstatic. Their fresh approach to food and flavor had me hooked. There’s one near my house, too. I’ll admit there have been weeks when I’ve eaten Roti multiple times. It’s that good.

The Roti concept is pretty simple. They offer a selection of fire-roasted meats plus felafel and roasted veggies that form the base for sandwiches (in a pita pocket or a laffa wrap), salads or plates. You order your meat/veggie, then walk through the assembly line as your meal is made on the other side to choose your sides, toppings and homemade sauces. It’s a lot like one of my other favorite spots, Chipotle, in that regard.

On this particular visit, I ordered a Chicken Kabob Salad and added hummus, cous-cous, cucumber-tomato salad, feta and olives with red pepper aoli and a slice of warm pita on the side. The meal was assembled quickly, and the staff could not have been more pleasant. I was in and out the door in just a few minutes.

My favorite thing about this salad is the flavor. Marinated kabobs, sweet cous-cous, garlicky hummus, briny kalamata olives, cool cucumber-tomato salad, salty feta and spicy red pepper aoli combine to go *P*O*W* on the tongue. It’s so flavorful and substantial, it hardly feels like a salad. The textures are great, too, with meaty chicken, smooth hummus, creamy cheese, crisp cucumbers and tomatoes, chewy olives and soft cous-cous. And of course there are mixed greens under it all to add bit of fresh garden flavor. The combination makes a really satisfying lunch.

The pita served on the side is a nice touch. It’s light and chewy, which I really like. As someone who counts calories and doesn’t want to pack a ton of carbs into a meal, I appreciate that Roti’s pita is thinner than most other pita. Plus they make it in house right behind the cash register, which means you’ll probably get a piece that’s just rolled out of the oven. I like using the pita to scoop up the hummus.

The only thing to be careful of is calories. Although the individual ingredients on their own are super healthy, Roti’s generous “add what you want” approach makes it easy to be greedy. If you choose a higher-calorie meat or felafel and then pack on toppings, sides and sauces, you'll end up with a high-calorie meal. But it’s a healthy mix of ingredients, not fat-laden fried junk food—and some people actually can afford or need to eat those extra calories.

Roti's online nutrition calculator

Whichever camp you’re in, Roti’s online nutrition calculator will help you figure out the best ingredients to choose for your diet plan. I took a screenshot* after I calculated the calories in my meal so you can see how it added up my choices. I overshot my calorie target by 118 calories primarily because I added the pita, which contains 103 calories. But it was worth the splurge, and it kept me full until dinner, which wasn’t until after 7pm. [*A note about the screenshot: Roti recently changed their pita, reducing calories from 205 to 103. When I used the nutrition calculator to add up my calories, the calorie count for the pita hadn’t been updated yet, so it shows 721 calories instead of 619.]

One other thing to love about Roti is the loyalty program. You download an app to your phone and use it to photograph and upload your receipts. I was a little skeptical because I didn’t want a bunch of spam and alerts, but I’ve never had a problem with this app. It’s super easy to use and nicely designed. You get points for every purchase, and can trade the points for free items and discounts. For example, during June, you can get a salad for only 300 points instead of the usual 900. 

I plan on going back before July starts to cash in 300 of my points for a free salad. I’m already looking at the nutrition calculator and planning my next meal. I'll let you know what I decide.

ITEM

Chicken Kabob Salad

EATERY

Roti Mediterranean Grill, 10 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606

MENU DESCRIPTION

Make your own salad with house-baked pita. Choose one:naturally raised FreeBird chicken roti, aged choice sirloin steak roti (add $1), naturally raised FreeBird Chicken breast chicken kabob, felafel made with organic chickpeas or marinated, fresh roasted vegetables. Add unlimited sides and toppings: tomato & cucumber salad, cous-cous, red cabbage slaw, Spanish eggplant, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, olives and sumac onions. Pick your sauce(s): dill/yogurt/cucumber (mild), tahini (mild), red pepper aoli (medium), s’hug (spicy) or Roti vinaigrette.

CALORIES

619 (516 for salad + 103 for pita)

COST

$8.78 with tax

RECOMMEND

Definitely

Pret's Cobb Salad

DAY 11: PRET A MANGER

Since Pret opened a new location that's a stone's throw from my office, I've been a rather frequent patron. Their grab-and-go salads are fresh, convenient and healthy, especially when paired with Pret's Skinny Vinaigrette Dressing. When I'm pressed for time in between meetings, I often run over to Pret. The new location hasn't seemed to have caught on yet, so there's never been a line. You can read more about Pret in my first Pret-centric post about the Chicken & Avocado Salad.

Today was another of those hectic days, with little time available for lunch, so to Pret I went. I decided on Pret's Cobb Salad, which I'd never had before.

Pret's Cobb Salad from Pret A Manger

It's not a typical cobb, that's for sure. The cobb I've come to know and crave includes hardboiled egg, avocado, tomato, chicken, onion, bacon and blue cheese. How can I rattle off those ingredients? I use the mnemonic EAT COBB. Clever, eh?

But you can't use this mnemonic to remember the ingredients in Pret's Cobb Salad. Pret eliminates the egg, avocado, onion and bacon and adds apple, cranberries and walnuts. Fair trade? Not so much, I say.

Like everything else at Pret, all of the ingredients were extremely fresh and beautifully arranged, but the combination just didn't do it for me. I really wanted creamy avocado with crisp, salty bacon. I missed the zing provided by onions and the distinctive taste and texture of cold, hardboiled egg. I couldn't have cared less about the fruit, even though I ordinarily love cranberries in my salad. Not this time.

Maybe if I'd gone with a different dressing, like blue cheese, I would have been more enthusiastic about this selection. Pret's version registers 190 calories and would have boosted my lunch tally beyond my 500 calories maximum to 610 calories. With all the other tasty lunchtime salad options that come in under 500, I wouldn't make an exception.

I still love Pret, just not Pret's Cobb Salad.

ITEM
Pret's Cobb Salad

EATERY:
Pret A Manger, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606

MENU DESCRIPTION
Grilled chicken (antibiotic free), blue cheese, apple, mesclun, grape tomatoes, cranberries, walnuts.

CALORIES
420 calories

COST
$8.28 with tax

RECOMMEND
Not so much

Buffalo Salad

DAY 10: PROTEIN BAR

Protein Bar is one of my favorite places to grab a quick, super-healthy lunch. The original location of this small but growing Chicago-based chain opened a few years ago near the Willis Tower (which I stubbornly still refer to as the Sears Tower). It’s a sleek, modern, urban space designed to get busy people in and out during the lunch rush.

Protein Bar's Buffalo Salad

I love Protein Bar's story. After growing up overweight and losing his dad to a heart attack, the founder made a conscious decision to change his lifestyle. He adopted a high-protein diet and an exercise regimen, which led to a 50-pound weight loss. With a fit body and a new healthy lifestyle under his (smaller) belt, he was frustrated by the lack of healthy food options in the city, so he left his job and opened the first Protein Bar. Now there are several locations in Chicago, and the chain is expanding into other cities, including Washington, DC.

Meals are made to order at Protein Bar. You order and pay at one end of the counter, then pick up your food at at the other. Bottles of Cholula and Sriracha sauce are set out at the end of the counter for customers who want to kick up the spice of their meal, which is a nice touch. The line is usually really long, but it moves fast and the food is made quickly. I think it’s worth the 5-10 minute wait.

Protein Bar's menu includes their signature bar-ritos, bowls, salads, chili and smoothies. Organic all-natural ingredients and healthy choices flood the menu, starting with organic quinoa. This high-protein grain is in almost every dish. There are also lots of healthy sides and snacks like Skinny Pop popcorn, Kind bars, fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs, Chobani Greek yogurt, nuts and more.

The Buffalo Bowl is my favorite entree. Warm quinoa is mixed with all-natural white meat chicken, cucumbers, celery, carrots, blue cheese and Protein Bar's homemade (and healthy) vegan buffalo sauce. I love it.

There’s also the Buffalo Salad. It combines the quinoa, chicken, blue cheese and buffalo sauce from the bowl with Protein Bar's “Super 6 Salad Mix” of romaine, spinach, broccoli, carrots, kale and purple cabbage. The menu says the mix “was specifically designed to capture the maximum amount of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants and pack a hearty crunch!" Sounds good to me. Since I'm committed to salads this summer, I ordered the Buffalo Salad.

My view at lunch: The Sears/Willis Tower

The original Protein Bar location, which is where I like to go, is pretty tiny. There are a few tables for eat-in patrons, but most people take their lunch elsewhere. I took mine to a grassy park just across the street from the Sears/Willis Tower and soaked up some Vitamin D along with my protein.

Surprisingly, I love the Buffalo Salad as much as I love the Buffalo Bowl. There's plenty of tender chicken and creamy, salty cheese to make this salad substantial without being unhealthy. The chewy quinoa is sprinkled throughout the salad, enough so that it's in every bite but pretty much indistinguishable. The homemade buffalo sauce serves as salad dressing. It adds loads of wonderfully acidic flavor with a little heat, which I amplify with a liberal application of Mexican Cholula hot sauce.

Knowing how much I love the Buffalo Bowl, I was a little reluctant to order the salad. But I'm so glad that I did. With only a few more calories and lots more nutrients, the salad is a smart choice. It contains 409 calories compared to the bowl, which has 387 calories. The only downside is that it's a few dollars more than the bowl. But the quality and quantity of the added ingredients, in my opinion, justifies the added price.

Given the success of the today's adventure, I'm really looking forward to trying more Protein Bar salads this summer. Bring on the quinoa.

EATERY
Protein Bar, 235 South Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60606

ITEM
Buffalo Salad

MENU DESCRIPTION
All-natural chicken, organic quinoa, blue cheese, and our house-made vegan buffalo sauce over our Super 6 Salad Mix.

CALORIES
409

COST
$9.49 before sales tax

RECOMMEND
Definitely

Cajun Pollo alla Oregano

DAY 9: VENICE CAFE

So Friday was my off day. I had a lunch meeting and ate what was served to the group, which was a turkey sandwich. Good thing I stuck to salads Monday through Friday.


Venice Cafe's Cajun Pollo alla Oregano

Today I was in the mood for something other than a green salad. I wanted to switch it up a bit. I ended up at Venice Cafe, which is an independent fast-casual lunch spot known for fresh pasta and other traditional Italian dishes. It's the kind of place where the menu lists the pastas and sauce separately. Pick one of each, and you have lunch.

When you walk into Venice Cafe, you get in line at the counter to order. Most dishes are not preassembled, but the line moves fast. My favorite pasta dish is angel hair with bolognese sauce, but there's no way I can talk myself or anyone else into believing that could count as salad. So I chose the Cajun Pollo alla Oregano, which is a fancy way of saying Cajun Chicken Pasta Salad.

Realistically speaking, this probably doesn't count as salad either. It's light on veggies and heavy on carbs. But it's tr-color rotini, which includes spinach rotini. That counts as a green, right? And the menu says that organic and local produce is used when possible, so it's health conscious. Obviously I didn't have too much trouble rationalizing myself into thinking this was ok.

The salads here are premade and displayed behind the counter in giant bowls. You pick the one you want and someone will scoop out a portion for you.

They're available in two sizes, medium and large, and come with a wonderfully big, delicious, homemade herb garlic roll. Especially with the roll, the medium-sized portion is generous enough for me.

As the name suggests, this salad is heavy on pasta. It's cooked al dente, which is what I prefer. Mixed in with the rotini are small cubes of tasty Cajun spiced chicken along with diced red pepper and thinly sliced celery. The vegetables are crunchy and compliment the noodles. A creamy Cajun dressing is premixed into the salad. It's tangy with a hint of spice and doesn't overpower—nor does it drip off the rotini, which is great because it's probably not low-cal. Just enough is used to flavor every bite.

The medium salad along with the roll was more than I needed. I ate a little over half the salad and took the rest home to eat with dinner: grilled pork chops with homemade spicy barbecue sauce and some veggies.

It was a super affordable lunch, totaling under $5.00 with tax.

Calories aren't posted online or in the restaurant, but I could guesstimate my caloric intake. I ate about a cup or less of pasta plus the roll. With the veggies of little significance, I'm fairly confident that I stayed under the 500 calorie limit.

This salad delivered a lot of flavor and satisfaction. At under $5.00 and under 500 calories, I'd say my week is off to a great start.

EATERY
Venice Cafe, 500 West Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60661

ITEM
Cajun Pollo alla Oregano

MENU DESCRIPTION
Colored pasta Rotini, fresh Cajun-style chicken breast, celery and red peppers in a creamy cajun dressing .

CALORIES
Guessing <500

COST
$4.25 before sales tax

RECOMMEND
Definitely