Summer Salads

It's that time in the summer (or should I say it's that "temp") where my nutrition clients are protesting. They're refusing to turn on their ovens or eat anything warm. We're all craving cold food and refreshing drinks and Energy Kitchen is here to help. For the month of July, all salads are $2 off and there are two brand new salads on the menu.

There's the protein-loaded Chicken Blue Cheese & Strawberry Salad. This salad is great for a long work day or post workout as it packs in 39 grams of protein though it's still under 500 calories. I cannot decide between that and the Very Veggie. This veggie-rich salad has guacamole, edamame and broccoli in it. It's the highest fiber EK salad with nine grams or almost half your fiber for the day. Very Veggie is only 270 calories. Salads with similar ingredients, at salad-only chains, have 200-300 calories more.

Although none of us should be fat phobic, fat does have double the calories of carbs or protein. I love salads with fish and EK's Seared Tuna salad is delicious. The fat in this salad is lower than tuna salads at other restaurants. This has a lot to do with the sashimi-grade, unadulterated tuna used. It also has to do with portion. The Mediterranean or Greek-ish salad on Energy Kitchen's menu is 261 calories with 15 grams of fat. The similar salad from other chains hover in the 30 gram range.

EK's dressings are all non fat. You can request fresh lemon wedges as well. Whether dressing is fat-free or full fat, use sparingly. No salad should be overdressed. After all, why would you want anything overdressed in this heat?