Grilled Chicken Southwest Salad

This salad looks pretty good. Doesn't it? On Monday, I was out and about on appointments with clients when lunchtime hit, and I felt like I was starving. I don't make good decisions when I'm starving.  I debated about what I could make at home that would be healthy. However, I knew that by the time I got home I would be too hungry to make a healthy choice. So I did something unthinkable. I stopped at McDonald's....for a SALAD! 

I have written about salads at McDonald's in my book, but I never actually eat them from there. I think I had a salad from McDonald's about 10 years ago and was disgusted wasn't impressed. Since I wrote about McDonald's salads as a better choice in my book, I thought I should really give one a try. I knew it would at least be low-calorie. I decided on the Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken. 

As I sat down to my meal, I prepared to be unimpressed. While I wouldn't say that I was blown away, I did actually like it. The greens were actually fresh and crisp. There was a bit of spinach in the mix. The protein from the chicken and the fiber from the black beans made it filling. I guess the biggest seal of approval is that I would order it again. Here's the skinny on the nutrition facts:

Southwest Salad

330 Calories
32g Protein
11g Fat
26g Carbs
890mg Sodium

I used half the packet of Newman's Own Creamy Southwest Dressing (60 calories).  The whole packet is 120 calories. I found half the packet to be plenty, because the salad came with a fresh lime wedge. The squeeze of lime added some freshness and acidity that brightened everything up (and added vitamin C).

Southwest Dressing

120 Calories
1g Protein
8g Fat
11g Carbs
300mg Sodium

The Moral of The Story

When you are starving sometimes you can order fast food without blowing your calories for the day. Don't prolong a blood sugar crash. Get something to eat!

Speaking of McDonald's...

One of the blogs that I follow, Snack Girl, just posted that McDonald's is offering Kale in Toronto, Canada. What is the world coming to? Lol. I never thought I would see the day that I have the willpower to go to McDonald's without ordering a cheeseburger. Who knew?

Make good choices!

Fit > skinny,

Sara Moser
Choices Coach