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

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

Chicken Caesar Salad

DAY 8: ALONTI MARKET & CAFÉ

I had big plans for lunch today. I was going to pick up a salad from a unique spot in the Loop. (That's what we Chicagoans call the downtown area that's inside the L tracks that cut through the city, forming a giant loop.)  But it’s a bit of a walk from my office, and I ended up needing extra time to prepare for a meeting, so I had to make a different plan on the fly.



Alonti's Chicken Caesar Salad

I decided on a Chicken Caesar Salad* from Alonti, which is very close to my building. In addition to Chicago, they operate locations in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Orange County, CA. Alonti isn’t fancy, but the selection is diverse. You can make your own lunch at the salad and soup bar or the hot buffet; grab something that’s pre-made; or stand in line for a made-to-order sandwich, hot entrée plate or salad. The Caesar, which is fairly reliable, is on the made-to-order menu, so I ordered from the counter.

If you go there during the lunch rush, the lines can be deep, but the staff moves fast. Consequently, the counter can be a little bit of a mess, with ingredients from one container spilled into another, food on the counter, food on the floor…you get the picture. They’re always trying to clean up, but it’s kind of crazy. Later in the day, it’s usually more orderly. Of course, I went during the rush and it was a little manic. 

But my salad was made quickly, and the staffer, as always, was courteous. No complaints.

Back at my desk, I unpacked my salad. Alonti salads come in plastic bowls with clear lids. My salad was as big as it could be, with the typical ingredients: romaine, parmesan cheese, homemade croutons and homemade Caesar dressing.

Since so many people are trying to be health conscious about their ingredients and portions, the staff at Alonti always asks if you want one or two scoops of dressing. I appreciate that. Given the size of the salad, I always find that one scoop is plenty. Once scoop appears to be 2 tbs., which is a solid amount.

For me, one downside to eating here is that the ingredient measurements are not consistent from one order to the next. One day they’re generous, the next day they’re skimpy. That means I usually have no idea how many calories are in my food.


This is what went in the trash

Unfortunately, today’s salad was heavy on croutons and cheese, which are two ingredients that can throw a salad’s calorie count above 500. I knew I’d be in trouble if I cleaned my bowl, so I pecked and picked to get at the chicken and lettuce.

The quality of the salad ingredients is average. The romaine is fresh, but not uniformly cut into manageable pieces. You will probably need a knife to eat this one. The roasted chicken is fine, but sometimes not trimmed very well. Today, for example, I had a piece that was really gristly. That ended up in a napkin. The parmesan cheese is of the store-bought shredded variety. Certainly edible and not offensive, but not special. The croutons are homemade, but I won’t rave about them. They don’t have enough crunch or flavor to be memorable. The salad is dressed with a homemade Caesar dressing that’s creamy and heavy on garlic. It adds a lot of flavor, and I like it. But I’ll tell you what: make sure you have some gum or mints on hand after you eat this one or you'll be ostracized for a bit.

I wasn’t crazy about this lunch. I wish I could have swapped some of the cheese and croutons for lettuce, or at least for chicken. I ended up throwing away a fair amount of food. But it's not a budget buster, I didn't get hungry as the afternoon went on—and my meeting went really well.

Oh, and tomorrow is Friday. The sun is shining, and it looks like it's going to stick aroud for at least one more day.

As I said before, no complaints.

*Alonti's cafe menu isn't online (at least not that I could find), so I linked to the catering menu. It's the same food, just larger portions.

EATERY
Alonti Market & Café, 300 South Riverside Plaza #150, Chicago, IL 60606

ITEM
Chicken Caesar Salad

MENU DESCRIPTION
Roasted chicken, parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, Caesar dressing.

CALORIES
740 (if you eat the whole thing)

COST
$6.19 before sales tax

RECOMMEND?
In a Pinch

Samantha Salad

DAY 5: SOPRAFFINA MARKETCAFFÉ

Sopraffina Marketcaffé (or simply Sopraffina) is a small Chicago chain serving fast-casual Italian food. The menu is diverse, including quite a few salads, and everything is made to order. I haven't been here in a couple of years, but I was in the mood to venture off the beaten path today. So to Sopraffina I went.

I didn't look at the nutrition information online before I left the office, which was a bad move because the menu board at the café doesn't include calorie counts. I crossed my fingers and hoped that I could choose a salad that fell within my 500-calorie limit. Luckily, I was on target with my selection, the Samantha Salad, which has 485 calories, including the low-fat honey mustard dressing.


Sopraffina's Samantha Salad

The Samantha is very simple, with a mix of romaine lettuce, antibiotic-free chicken breast, sliced roma tomatoes, fresh parmesan, strips of red, yellow and green bell pepper, and croutons. Dressing is measured and tossed into the salad, but you can request it on the side if you'd like. I had mine tossed.

This is a wonderfully bright salad that will probably please vegetable lovers who appreciate bell peppers. The lettuce, which is practically all romaine, is plentiful and super crisp, as are the peppers, which are slightly sweet and very crunchy. The thinly sliced roma tomatoes are deep red and juicy.



The chicken, which is rather sparse but cut into good-sized chunks, adds substance to the veggies. Unlike some salad chicken that seems processed and blah, this chicken is fresh from the bone, very nicely seasoned and tastes like it's been rotisserie roasted. It's delicious.

The shredded parmesan compliments the vegetables with a nutty, salty flavor, and the dense homemade croutons add a substantial crunch.

The menu pairs this salad with low-fat honey mustard dressing. Although I don't usually choose honey-mustard, I decided to go with it here since it was recommended and low in fat. I was glad that I did. The mustard has a little kick along with sweetness that adds some excitement to an otherwise mild salad.

I wouldn't put this on my list of OMG salads, but I'd definitely order it again if dining at Sopraffina in the summer. It's filling and fresh but won't weigh you down. If you aren't looking for something complex or unique—and if you like peppers—give it a try.

ITEM

Samantha Salad

EATERY

Sopraffina Marketcaffé, 222 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL  60606

MENU DESCRIPTION

Mixed greens with sliced chicken breast, roma tomatoes, vegetables, fresh parmesan, croutons, fat free honey mustard dressing.

CALORIES

485

COST

$8.72 with tax

RECOMMEND?

Definitely, unless you don't like bell peppers

Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad

DAY 2: PANERA BREAD

Image courtesy of Panera Bread

With a coupon for $2 off any salad, I chose Panera Bread for lunch today.

I’ll warn you right now. I’m a huge Panera fan. I'm impressed by the company’s approach to food preparation, commitment to healthy choices, and dedication to corporate responsibility through the application of conscious capitalism principles. I enjoy the food even more now that I'm familiar with the story behind the brand.

Panera offers seasonal menu selections, including a fruit-laden Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad. I don’t always appreciate fruit in my salad, but this one is a hit with me, and it's my choice for Day 2.

Like all Panera salads, it's made to order and available in half-sized portions. The halves are great for lighter appetites and for salad/soup, salad/sandwich and salad/pasta combos. I plan on covering some of the combos here this summer.

I ordered the entrée-sized portion without any customization. Even though it was noon and the café was busy, I didn’t wait long for my order to come up.

This is a pretty salad. Inside a cardboard container with a clear top, bite-sized pieces of crisp romaine sit beneath a generous top layer of strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, thinly sliced grilled chicken breast and pecans.

Strawberries get lead billing in the name of this salad, but the portions of the other fruits are probably equal or nearly equal. There’s plenty of everything here. And the fruit is nicely chilled, which is especially refreshing on a warm summer day.

The quality of the ingredients is definitely above average. Unlike the strawberries I’ve been seeing at the big-name grocery stores lately, the berries in today's salad were unblemished and perfectly ripe. Same for the other fruit—although truth be told, I’m not crazy about oranges so I pushed most of them aside. And the chicken is perfect.

Side note: I didn't know until I did my research for this blog post that Panera sources its chicken from family farmers. I definitely applaud that.

The fat-free poppyseed salad dressing is split between two separate containers. (If you order a half salad, you get one container.) This is handy if you're trying to minimize the amount you use. But this dressing barely impacts the calorie count, which is a nice benefit considering how much flavor it adds to the salad. It’s primarily sweet, but there’s a little tangy saltiness there, too. You can order a different dressing if you'd like, but I prefer to follow the menu here. Poppyseed dressing is frequently paired with fruit salads, and there's a reason why: it's just darn good.

Every Panera salad comes with a choice of baguette chunk, apple or chips. I chose the baguette. It's the kind of bread that can stand alone without butter—deliciously crunchy on the outside, and wonderfully chewy on the inside. And since the bread and pastries are baked onsite daily, it's often served fresh from the oven. Today's baguette was no exception. It was warm and uber delicious.

I was really satisfied with this lunch. With a plentiful portion of sweet, juicy fruit, I think it's a great alternative to the savory salads I typically gravitate towards.

The verdict? It's a winner. That's two winners in two days. So far, so good.

ITEM
Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad

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

MENU DESCRIPTION
All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, romaine, fresh strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and Mandarin oranges, pecans and fatfree poppyseed dressing.

CALORIES
350

COST
$7.63 after $2-off coupon and sales tax

RECOMMEND?

Definitely