Lunch Suggestion: Low Calorie, High Protein, Low Fat and Trader Joe's. What's Not To Like?

I LOVE Trader Joe's. I mean really, really, really love it. What's not to love, really? There's amazing produce, fabulous frozen food, terrific tapenades, lovely smelling lavender dish soap, and a great selection of wine and beers. Oh, and my dogs are big fans of the dog biscuits too. Everyone wears Hawaiian themed shirts, is super duper friendly, and they often pipe eighties music into the aisles (that alone would win me over, seriously). And on top of it all the sunshiny checkers not only send you on your way with a smile but they also ORGANIZE all of your purchases when they pack them - i.e., when you get home you find the frozen things together, the herbs and produce together, the canned good together, etc., etc. It just makes sense and lends an ease to unpacking, quickly allowing you to place all of your items in your cupboards, the freezer, and wine rack(s) without having to dig through the bags and reorganize the contents while you stretch out all over your kitchen trying to place things in the proper area.
But I digress.

One of my favorite lunches at work or quick dinners at home is the Trader Joe's Egg White Salad With Chives. This little delight is found in the refrigerated section near the prepared salads and has the perfect amount of chives, celery and spices set off with a bit of vinegar and mustard and, of course, egg whites. And, get this, an entire container is only 100 calories. Yes, it's true. With 4 grams of fat, 4 of carbs and FOURTEEN grams of protein I think the $2.69, while slightly on the pricey side, is well worth it. One of my favorite ways to eat it is to pile a whole container (hey, splurge - it's only 100 cals) into a spelt or whole wheat tortilla (you could even go for a carb cutting tortilla made of whole grains), add arugula or spinach or lettuce or micro-greens, some small cherry tomatoes of you like, and roll it all up for a very filling and healthy wrap. Eat with a side of fruit and/or carrots and you have a satisfying lunch that is around 300 calories total. Hard to beat that. I often leave a bag of tortillas in the fridge at work so they're there when I want them, and bring in my container of egg salad and a little Ziploc of my greens and tomatoes (leaving the tomatoes uncut so they don't wilt the leafies). The result? in a quick minute you have a very easy lunch to pack, and one that you can eat without guilt while sitting on your derriere at your desk surfing the web or working away. Plus, it's also good for a snack straight out of the container.

Trader Joe's also makes the salad in a spicy "ranchero" style (I'm not a fan) and "Santorini" style utilizing spinach, feta and parmesan (tasty!). That one packs a little more calories (deep breath now - a whole 140 cals for the whole container) and a bit more fat (7 grams), 4 grams of carbs and SIXTEEN grams of protein. (See the Footnote at the end of the entry.) There's also an "eggless egg salad" (presumably with tofu). I haven't sampled this one so I can't comment, but I'm sure it is worth a try.

Of course you could get egg whites and probably come up with something similar yourself, but really, if you're already a victim to mornings and can't seem to pack your lunch as often as you'd like as it is, who are you fooling? Just pick up a couple of these containers and you're set for the week!

Footnote: Don't ask why I had to put "sixteen" written out and in caps and yet typed the other numbers. I am trying to suppress the urge to make everything consistent so I will not go back and change it. I will not. I will not. I will also not check for spacing errors or other inconsistencies that do not matter. Writing a blog is supposed to be fun and not another outlet for OCD. And for all of you readers who also obsess over formatting issues and font size and if a comma is accidentally italicized (I know who you are), use this space for therapy as well and please keep those critiques to yourself. Do feel free to let me know of any spelling errors, however!