I have been focused on eating more salads this summer. It's part of my effort to eat better and incorporate more vegetables into my diet. Recently I teamed up with Wendy's to learn about their salads - and I was seriously impressed. It's easy to be skeptical of salads from a fast food restaurant, but these salads are made with the same ingredients I use at home: fresh green lettuce, sliced vegetables, cheese, nuts, grilled chicken, and delicious Marzetti salad dressings.
Last week I went to Wendy's with my friend Shaheen and we got a behind the scenes look at how Wendy's salads are made. The staff at Wendy's showed us how they hand wash and hand chop the lettuce, fruits, and vegetables each morning. The salads are actually prepped twice a day, in the morning before lunch, and in the afternoon before dinner. Shaheen and I even learned a better way to wash strawberries - they place them in a container with water and lightly shake the container to remove the dirt. It is far more effective than just sticking the container of strawberries under running water, which had been the technique we both used at home.
After some quick training, we got to try our hand at making our own Strawberry Mango Chicken Salads.
First, we put a few handfuls of fresh mixed lettuce in a bowl, and then we added crumbled feta cheese, diced mango, and sliced strawberries.
We added warm sliced grilled chicken on top, crispy honey roasted sunflower seeds, and a Honey Citrus Vinaigrette. The portion of the salad is big enough to be a full meal, and the Strawberry Mango Chicken Salad is only 470 calories.
The Fresh Mozzarella Chicken Salad and the Strawberry Mango Chicken Salad are both seasonal salads that are available this summer. The Fresh Mozzarella Chicken Salad tastes just like a salad that I make at home because Wendy's uses the same ingredients that I would buy at the grocery store. Wendy's uses fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts and the same brand of salad dressings that I keep in my fridge.
In addition to the seasonal salads, Wendy's has a full roster of salads that are on the menu year-round, including Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad, Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad, and a Taco Salad. They are a faster, easier, and less expensive alternative to making my own salad at home.
I especially enjoyed the Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad made with spicy breaded chicken breasts, a blend of asiago, parmesan, and romano cheeses, grape tomatoes, croutons, and Caesar salad dressing. The combination of spicy chicken with the creamy cheese and dressing with fresh lettuce was a perfect lunch.
Have you tried Wendy's salads? They have changed the way that I look at fast food salads.
This post was sponsored by Wendy's, the opinions expressed are my own.
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