Is there a better way to inject a dose of humour and fun into a workday like a lunch date with your lady pal? Not a chance!

The other day, I grabbed my girl Leslie and we headed to the nearest Wendy’s to try the latest chef-inspired salads. In addition to existing menu items we love, you can now choose between Asian Cashew Chicken Salad, BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad, and Taco Supreme Salad.  Or, if you’re indecisive like us, get a couple and share!

One of my favourite lunch buddies, Leslie works as a flight attendant, so when she’s not up in the air, cracking Morpheus jokes to Laurence Fishburne (true story), we’re probably lunching. This lunch however was dominated by real talk, and solidifying plans for our pre-summer gym routine. Now that the winter is over, it’s time to turn over a new leaf…of lettuce of course.

After all, nothing goes better with reassessing fitness goals than a healthy, yummy salad, right? Wendy’s turned out to be a great call. Leslie ordered the Taco Supreme Salad while I was in the mood for something with a BBQ twist (hellloooo Spring!), so I went with the BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad in a full sized portion (you can also order a half-portion if you want a snack or side vs. a meal).

Fun fact: Wendy’s is a salad trailblazer. They were the first to bring a salad bar to quick service over 30 years ago. So it’s no surprise that they’re still winning the salad game. They not only update their dressings and flavours on the regular, and prepare their salads daily using the freshest veggies, but also incorporate culinary ingredients like edamame and cashews.

We were also thrilled to learn that their three newest salads have received a healthy makeover, and are now:

–        50% lower in fat grams

–        29% lower in sodium

–        61% lower in saturated fat

Leslie’s Taco Sumpreme opened with tasty chilly on top of diced tomatoes, loads of shredded cheddar and fresh lettuce, garnished with crunchy taco chips, sour cream and salsa. Nice mix.

My BBQ Ranch Chicken was off the hook, stuffed with fire-roasted corn and applewood smoked bacon. I couldn’t get enough of the BBQ Ranch dressing, and spent a good portion of our meal wondering if it would be in bad taste to ask for a couple extras to bring home (IS IT?). The flavour had a bold, smoky taste achieved by a medley of buttermilk, Parmesan cheese, chili peppers, honey and brown sugar. SOOO GOOOOD!

The only problem we had was deciding when to trade, they were both so deliciously in tune. We eventually figured it out and our taste buds couldn’t be happier. We will definitely be coming back to Wendy’s for our next lunch date and we urge you to do the same, dahlings!

To learn more about the yummy salads, head over to the Wendy’s Youtube Channel to watch episodes of “Girlfriends at Wendy’s Eating Salads and Talking about Stuff.”

Disclosure: Although this post has been generously sponsored by Wendy’s, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Wendy’s.