Paradise Bakery Mediterranean Salmon Salad - A Weight Watchers Friendly Lunch Option with 9 PointsPlus

Paradise Bakery Mediterranean Salmon Salad

Image Source: My Panera

Rod called Monday afternoon and asked if I wanted to go to Paradise Bakery for lunch.  I love when that happens 🙂

Paradise Bakery is one of my favorite lunch spots. The food is fresh and tasty, the service is quick and friendly and there's one conveniently located close to the house.

To stay on the Weight Watchers Freestyle Program when eating out always takes a little pre-planning. For me, it's all about taking the time to figure out what works and then sticking with it.

I tend to be a creature of habit, so nine times out of ten when having lunch at Paradise Bakery, I order one of the half-salads, which is plenty large enough to satisfy me without weighing me down. If I'm feeling really hungry, I'll add a cup of vegetable or chicken noodle soup for another 2 PointsPlus.

And ordering a half salad is a great way to avoid having a huge freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, which weighs in with a hefty 440 calories and 12 PointsPlus each, show up with your order, like it does with a sandwich. (The best way to succeed with temptation is to avoid it!)

For some reason, Paradise Bakery doesn't post nutritional information on it's website, but they have the same exact menu as Panera Bread, so I just head to Panera's website for nutritional information whenever I need a reality check.

So what did I have for lunch on this most recent visit?

Half a Mediterranean salmon salad - a small cold salmon filet on a bed of  fresh romaine and field greens, tossed with Kalamata olives, Mandarin oranges, feta crumbles, sliced almonds, onions & honey tangerine vinaigrette - for a respectable 9 PointsPlus.

The fish was a little dry, so I broke it up into little bits and stirred it around with the salad and dressing, which worked well. With a large iced tea, it was a quick and tasty lunch that left me satisfied for hours.

I'm making a conscious effort to eat more fish this year, especially salmon, since it's packed with healthy Omega-3 fats that are good for your heart and brain.  This isn't really a sacrifice. I grew up eating fish regularly, having been raised by parents who hail from the coast of Maine.

Did you know that back under the original 1960s Weight Watchers Program, you were required to eat fish 5 times a week at a minimum? I remember Mom eating lots and lots of tuna fish back in the 1970s when she did the plan.

What is your favorite Panera Bread/Paradise Bakery WW friendly lunch?

Related Posts

A Paradise Bakery Lunch for 6 PointsPlus

Does Chili's Have Weight Watchers Friendly Options?

Healthy Lunch ideas for Weight Loss

How many Weight Watchers PointsPlus in a Bruegger's Bagel?

This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!