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Do you make home lunch for your kids? See how Smart & Final helps me make a quick, healthy, and Easy No Fuss Quinoa Salad Recipe.
Whew, We made it through our first back to school week! Surprisingly, the summer to back to school transition went well and so far, there haven’t been any major hiccups.
Two of the major reasons the transition has been going well is that I’ve gotten better at simplifying my kids’ lunches and started using Smart & Final’s Sun Harvest product line, which makes it so easy to #ChooseSmart.
I can easily find organic or all-natural with no hormones added products all over Smart & Final. I had everything I needed for my Easy No Fuss Quinoa Salad Recipe with a quick spin through the produce, meat, and a few of the aisles. There are even Sun Harvest natural cleaning products that are earth-friendly and biodegradable too!
And for select SF Bay Area and Los Angles customers that can’t or don’t have time to visit the store, Smart & Final is offering a $5 off coupon for signing up and utilizing the new . Enter SMART5 to get $5 off at checkout and have groceries delivered to you! Just check your zip code with to see delivery areas.
Instacart is part of Smart & Final’s new rebranding, which puts emphasis on the “&” in the company’s 144-year-old name. “Smart & Final has a rich history and commitment of inclusion. The ampersand signifies many different components of our company including the partnership between our founders Mr. Smart & Mr. Final, treating our customers like friends & neighbors and serving as a warehouse & market,” said Smart & Final Chief Marketing Officer, Eleanor Hong. Sounds great, right?!
I don’t have the Instacart feature in my area, but there are several stores in my neighborhood that make getting what I need easy. See all my Sun Harvest goodies in my shopping basket? It’s everything I needed to make a quick and healthy salad.
Don’t have a Smart & Final in your area? There are 16 more Smart & Final Extra! stores scheduled to be opened by the end of 2015, so be on the lookout for a store near you!
Once I had what I needed, it was time to start making the salad. The great thing about this salad is that the chicken, boiled eggs, and quinoa can be made the day before for a quick salad assembly. To start, I boiled the chicken in salted and seasoned water. Then, I removed the cooked chicken and used some of the seasoned broth to cook the quinoa. In a separate pot, I also boiled some eggs. While the quinoa and eggs were cooking, I removed the skins from the chicken and shredded it. Next, I let everything cool and placed both the quinoa, eggs, and shredded chicken in separate containers in the refrigerator.
Sometimes, if I have room in the refrigerator, I can pre-assemble the Sun Harvest fruit and green salad in the kid’s lunch boxes to make lunch prep even quicker.
If I don’t have room in the refrigerator, assembly for this lunch takes about 15 minutes from start to finish in the morning. Really. It’s that fast! Mainly because all the cooking is done the day before and there is no “cook” time for the remaining ingredients. I literally just have to open containers and cans to finish the salad assembly.
Easy No Fuss Quinoa Salad Assembly Instructions:
- Place the Sun Harvest tripled washed mixed greens into the lunch box.
- Open a can of corn and garbanzo beans. Add a scoop or more of each on top of the salad greens.
- Add two scoops or more of quinoa on top of the salad.
- Peel and slice a boiled egg. Place on top of salad.
- Optional – add shredded chicken on top of salad. My kids chose to just have boiled eggs.
- Sprinkle feta over the top of the salad.
- Pack your favorite Sun Harvest salad dressing in a separate leak proof container. My kids love the Low Fat Asian dressing.
Addtional lunch box items:
- Wash Sun Harvest grapes and add to the lunch box.
- Add any additional lunch box items.
Thanks to Smart & Final’s Sun Harvest products, I can quickly make an Easy No Fuss Quinoa Salad that I can feel good about my kids eating. Plus, once the kids are off to school, I have enough to make myself a salad for lunch too!
Visit the Smart & Final community page to learn more about Smart & Final. Then tell me something new or exciting that you found on the pages in the comments below. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised at all the great recipes, coupons, ideas, and Smart & Final you can find.
Easy No Fuss Quinoa Salad Recipe
Make ahead quinoa salad for easy grab and go meals.
Ingredients
CHICKEN - DAY BEFORE PREP
- 1 - 4pc. tray Sun Harvest chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3-4 cups water
QUINOA - DAY BEFORE PREP
- 1 bag Sun Harvest red and white quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth (can use the seasoned chicken water)
EGGS - DAY BEFORE PREP
- Large eggs, boiled (one per salad)
- water
Salad
- 1 container Sun Harvest half and half salad mix
- 1 can Sun Harvest corn
- 1 can Sun Harvest garbanzo beans
- 1 container Sun Harvest Feta
- 1 bottle Sun Harvest salad dressing (I use Asian Dressing)
Instructions
Chicken - day before prep
Step 1. Add 3-4 cups of water into a pot large enough to boil the chicken. Add in the seasonings to the water. Stir and taste to ensure the water is seasoned to your liking. If not, add more seasoning. Add chicken to the pot and turn heat to medium and add in chicken. Boil for 30 - 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Set aside to cool. Once cool, remove skin and shred. Place in a covered container and store in the refrigerator for later.
Quinoa - day before prep
Step 2. Follow the cooking instructions on the quinoa package, but use the seasoned chicken broth from the boiled chicken. Cool quinoa. Place in a covered container and store in the refrigerator for later.
Eggs - day before prep
Step 3. Place eggs in a pot of water with at least an inch of water above the eggs. Place heat on high and bring to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat. Let eggs sit for 15 minutes. Place eggs in a container and store in the refrigerator for later.
Salad
Step 4. Salad assembly - Place salad greens into your bowl/container. Add corn, garbanzo beans, shredded chicken, eggs, quinoa, and feta on top of the salad greens. Serve with your favorite dressing.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 524mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 11g
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We Happen to LOVE quinoa!! We eat it at least twice a week, sometimes even every day.
This is an easy and wonderful salad for my husband (I’m a vegetarian)
I’m forever looking for new ways to use quinoa. I don’t have to pack school lunches these days, but this would be great for my own lunch. Looks yummy!
I’ve been to a few restaurants that add quinoa to their salads and I really love it. I think I might make a batch for home and just add it to all my meals during the week. It’s such a great addition. #client
I love the slightly crunchy texture that quinoa gives a salad. My youngest dd just made another batch to use in her snack salads.