Product Review: Trader Joe’s Mango, Red Quinoa and Chicken Salad

Here’s something new for the blog: product reviews!

While I was at Trader Joe’s today I decided to pick up something for lunch. After perusing the case of ready-made foods I decided on the Mango, Red Quinoa and Chicken Salad. Quinoa is one of those foods that I always intend to eat more of, but never quite get around to doing so. According to Wikipedia, quinoa is a grain-like food that originated in South America that you cook similarly to rice. What is different about quinoa is that unlike rice, it is very high in protein.

Here’s what you get: a plastic bowl with a good amount of baby spinach leaves in it, pieces of yellow curry chicken breast, chopped red onion sprinkled with a good bit of quinoa. You also get a separate container of chopped fresh mango and another container of coconut chili dressing. I tossed in the mango and the dressing and got eating. Everything was very fresh. It had a Thai flavor to it and the dressing was quite spicy, which I liked. It reminded me of Thai coconut curry. The quinoa was really good on the salad, adding some crunch without any particular taste, which was a good thing since the mango and dressing had a lot of flavor. Definitely a winner.

Nutritionally, this salad is also a winner. 240 calories, 19g protein, 10g fat and lots of Vitamins A & C, calcium and iron. When paired with a navel orange and a handful of whole-grain crackers, it kept me feeling full all afternoon. This salad is a great choice if you are looking for a quick, tasty and healthy lunch.