One of the many things I appreciate about my job is the company's liberal work from home (WFH) policy. While I commute to the office on most days, I try to take one day a week to catch up on writing and editing in the peace and quiet of my home office, where I can focus without people wandering in and interrupting my flow.
Today was one of those WFH days.
I don't usually take much of a lunch break when I WFM. But we had decent weather today, so I ventured down the street and picked up a salad from a local grocer, Foodstuffs.
Foodstuffs has several locations scattered among the northern suburbs of Chicago. They have an extensive selection of prepared foods, baked goods, cheese, fresh seafood, wine and more. They also have lots of specialty items, like salad dressings and marinades made by local restaurants, gourmet potato chips and crisps, pricey pasta and sauces imported from Italy, specialty chocolates spiced with curry powder and other exotic ingredients...it's a fun place to shop if you're in the mood to splurge a bit.
In the back of the store is a counter where you can order salads and sandwiches. Everything is made fresh, and although there are several salads to choose from, customization and even complete deviation from the menu is encouraged.
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| Foodstuffs Diana's Salad |
Foodstuffs salads are priced by weight at $8.99/lb., so they will be happy to add more of the ingredients that you really like, or go easy on those that might be a bit indulgent. They'll chop your salad for you and dress it if you like, too, which I do.
My salad weighed in at a hefty 1.1 lbs. even though there was still room in the bowl for more ingredients. Most every salad I've had from Foodstuffs has come in around this weight, so if you go there and want something lighter, you'll have to coach them accordingly. A pound really is a lot of salad, but that meant that I had some left over to nibble when the pre-dinner hunger started to hit.
Speaking of hit, my salad hit the spot. In this arrangement, the fresh, deep-green baby spinach serves as a mild background for the sweet, chewy cranberries and crunchy sugared nuts. The creamy goat cheese delivers smooth saltiness and red onion contributes a sharp bite. The edamame adds a bit of earthy girth. And the grilled chicken provides substance that balances the delicateness of the spinach leaves—although the chicken doesn't seem to be seasoned much or at all. That would be the one thing I'd change, especially after eating chicken yesterday that was so fantastically flavored. But the rich flavor of the homemade balsamic vinaigrette makes up for the lack of pop in the protein department.
Overall, this is a very satisfying lunch even though it pushes past my $10 limit when tax is added. It might push past my 500 calorie limit, too, which I can't confirm with certainty because Foodstuffs doesn't publish calorie counts with their menu. Guessing on portions and using a caloiries calculator, I'd estimate this comes closer to 600 calories. But since I saved some of it to eat later in the day, I think that's ok.
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| Glencoe Beach on Lake Michigan, about 20 miles north of Chicago |
ITEM
Diana's Salad
EATERY
Foodstuffs, 338 Park Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022
MENU DESCRIPTION
Baby spinach, edamame, onions, marinated mushrooms, goat cheese, sugared walnuts, dried cranberries and Foodstuffs balsamic vinaigrette. [Note I customized this by eliminating the marinated mushrooms and adding grilled chicken.]
CALORIES
Not listed; estimating >500
COST
$9.89 without tax
RECOMMEND?
Definitely
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