Pret Protein Packed Superbowl

Expensive as it is, I do like to treat myself to a Pret now and then and like the fact they are first with new trends and offer genuinely healthy lunches on the go. The new protein packed superbowl caught my eye today as I was in need of a less carby lunch following a carb heavy breakfast and this ticked the box nicely.

It's all simple real food. Chargrilled chicken and egg form the protein basis and it's on a bed of lentils and quinoa - both pulses known for being good vegetarian protein as well as low GI. Chuck in some healthy fats from avocado, superfood spinach and then parsley, peas and lemon juice for flavour and a seed mix for crunch and extra protein and you've got a rock solid nutritional lunch right there.

Is it the most exciting taste ever? No, it is as you expect simple wholefoods but they do all taste great and complement each other nicely if not setting your taste buds nicely. What I like about Pret is that it tastes fresh. The avocado is firm but ripe and very creamy rather than mushy, the leaves aren't wilted but perky and crisp and the chicken in particular is very flavoursome and tender rather than the nasty stuff you get in cheap pre-packed salads.

It's just a good tasting healthy lunch and it really kept me going. I also bought a bag of kale crisps from there and this tided me over until dinner time with no need to snack. I can't afford to spend £5 on a salad every day but it was a good fit for me today.

Price: £4.99

Bought at: Pret A Manger

Nutrition per bowl: 411 calories, 16.9g fat, 3.9g sat fat, 3.6g sugars, 32.7g protein, 1.3g salt

Score: 7.3

Pret Super Greens and Reds Review

I adore Pret but don't go there that often as I cannot justify spending that much on lunch every day but every now and then I feel I deserve a treat. I also love how they have such a fantastic range of vegetarian and vegan options and not just your run of the mill combos but really interesting and innovative ones. Made fresh every day it's also nice buying something made from real ingredients using tasty, fresh produce.

This super green and red sandwich was fairly reasonable at £2.99 and offered a nice vegan sandwich with lots of frsh veggie goodness. It's avocado slices, covered in a tapenade made from red peppers and tomatoes with more red pepper slices, lots of fresh kale, toasted almond flakes and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Even before opening it looked great - just look at all the vibrant fresh colours - certainly plenty of green here! It's also clearly filled with filling as well rather than skimping on the good stuff and being padded out with bread.

Biting in, it's a nice mix of textures and flavours. The avocado was perfectly ripe, creamy and soft that contrasted nicely against the crunch of kale and crunchy bites of almonds. It was perhaps a little lacking in flavour overall as most the veg is quite neutral tasting. The tapenade is delicious but not quite enough for my liking as I would have liked it in every bite as it complements the veg well adding deep roasted pepper flavours and acting as a lubriant.

Overall it's great to have such healthy options out and about and every one should be doing more of this kind of stuff. It's not perfect as it needs something to add a bit more wow but it was tasty and nourishing and also filling, which is everything I want from lunch

Price: £2.99
Bought at: Pret A Manger

Score: 7.5/10

Marks and Spencer Crayfish, Mango and Rice Salad

Never one to pass a yellow sticker by in Marks and Spencer I bought this crayfish, mango and rice salad as a quick, easy and fairly healthy lunch. Now that it’s summer (well kind of) I crave tropical, fresh and vibrant food and this looked to fit the bill. It’s a mix of different rices, crayfish, mango chunks and peashoots and comes with a coconut and chilli dressing.

It looks very appetizing and colourful – anything with yellow in always appeals to me food wise and with yellow rice and golden mango it promises a taste of sunshine. There were a good amount of crayfish and M+S never usually skimp on the quantity of their ingredients. The crayfish is also part of the ‘Forever fish’ pledge about sourcing seafood sustainably. The peashoots looked fresh and light and overall you can’t knock the aesthetics.

The coconut and chilli dressing was absolutely delicious – slightly creamy but mostly light, spicy, zingy and just very vibrant. It paired beautifully well with the mango and especially the peashoots for a really light and refreshing tasting lunch. My main criticism was around the rice – it’s cooked well and adds need bulk and filling to the salad but it was slightly bland. I know M+S can do flavoured rice well so was a little disappointed that this was a little monotonous. The dressing wasn’t enough to soak into all of the rice and bar the odd burst of flavour from the dressing it wasn’t all that exciting.

Although not the tastiest salad M+S do, I would buy it again. It’s uplifting and light and nutritionally pretty good.

Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Nutrition per pack : 446 calories, 14.4g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 9.7g sugars, 1.45g salt

Score: 7/10

Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Quinoa, Brazil Nut and Avocado

Another one from the M+S salad range and the new Spirit of Summer – I can’t recommend these salad pots enough. They’re just a nice easy, simple, healthy lunch that is light, full of flavour and with lots going on. This quinoa, avocado and brazil nut salad pot was my latest lunch from the range and again there’s so much going on in this.

It’s just so colourful and vibrant and fresh looking with so many different ingredients for different tastes and textures. As well as the title ingredients there’s spelt, kale, sweetcorn, coriander, raisins plus a whole host of things I can’t remember! This one comes with a mango and Amarillo chilli dressing, which is deliciously. Slightly sweet with a good burst of chilli, it is a very summery feeling burst of flavour.

Everything about this worked for me – with so many different flavours and textures, each mouthful just was packed full of flavour and it just tastes healthy and good for you. Another winner from the Spirit of Summer salads!

Price: £1.99

Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Nutrition: 126 calories per half pack

Score: 8/10

Marks and Spencer Rice, Aduki Bean, Mango and Coconut Salad Review (Spirit of Summer)

There is no question for me that M&S are the best place for packaged salads. They are just so much more tantalising, innovative and use tasty, fresh combos. Even the most salad dodging carnivore couldn't help but like their little £2.00 pots that are on a 2 for £3 mix and match. They make an ideal work lunch as they're self contained, healthy and uttetrly delicious. Though that's not to say they aren't also great spooned onto a plate as an accompaniment to all sorts of things.

Just the name and the beautifu vibrant colours of this rice, aduki bean, mango and coconut salad was enough to tempt me. So many contrasting colours and textures with nutty rice, wholesome beans, the sweetness of mango and the exoticness of on trend mango.

Frankly there isn't much more to say than this was perfect for me. I cam't fault it (except maybe a little more in there to make it a bit more filling and to justify the price tag). Everything just worked. The rice was sticky and creamy and soft through being infused with coconut cream, the beans had a melt in the mouth texture. The mango was soft and juicy and the little slivers of coconut added another hit of the summer in every moutthful. The little pot of zesty orange dressing complemented each element, tying it all together for a fresh, light and healthy feeling lunch.

I keep going back to this now that I've tried it. There's loads of other really interesting salad pots in the Spirit of Summer range but this is just so good, it's hard to not pick it every time!

Price: £2
Bought at: Marks and Spencer
Nutrition: 127 calories per half a pack

Score: 10/10!

Boots Roasted Beetroot, Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad Review

I’m a pretty big fan of Boots for their meal deal and options. Whilst Sainsbueys and Tesco seem to force you into buying crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks, Boots offers genuinely healthy and more interesting and fresh options. I picked up this cauliflower,  beetroot and quinoa salad as part of their meal deal and reading the ingredients list I was pleased to see how clean it was. There was nothing I didn’t recognize and there was no added sugar or weird ingredients.

Cauliflower, quinoa and beetroot are all pretty on trend ingredients and all worked with the goat’s cheese dressing that came with it. Containing crème fraiche it had a nice tangy punch which livens up the cauliflower and particularly works well the sweetness of the beetroot. Goat’s cheese and beetroot always make perfect bedfellows. If I had one criticism I think there is too much garlic in the dressing – it’s quite overwhelming and is so strong it overtakes the goat’s cheese which is pushed into the background.

It would also be nice if there was a bit more substance to the salad. With just quinoa and veg, it’s not hugely substantial and at 104 calories isn’t a lunch by itself. A few nuts, houmous or something like some cauliflower falafel would bulk it up a bit.

However, it’s great to see genuinely clean and healthy on the go options on the market especially as vegetarians are usually so undercatered for. Containing 2 of your 5 a day, it left me feeling uplifted and not weighed down.

Bought at: Boots

Score: 7.5/10