Wendy’s Berry Almond Salad Review & $25 Wendy’s Giveaway

ByJen

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This past weekend was Memorial Day and what better time for a picnic, right?!  The weather didn’t fully cooperate as it was still pretty chilly, but we bundled up & had a blast hanging out with several other Northwest bloggers for some yummy food from Wendy’s and then a picnic at a local park.  I’d never been to Wapato Park in Tacoma, but we are definitely heading back there this summer – what a fun park with a lake where you can go fishing, a nice playground area for the kids & just  an overall scenic area with lots of big, grassy areas (just watch the goose,  uh…droppings -eww!)

Wendy’s had given us the opportunity to get together to try out the new Berry Almond Chicken Salad.  I am not normally a huge salad eater, especially at a fast food restaurant, but I’ve been trying to eat healthier & watch my calories more lately.  So I’ve been trying more of the salad options at various restaurants and I was curious to see how Wendy’s new Berry Almond Chicken Salad would compare to the other restaurant salads I’ve had recently.

Hands down, this was probably the best salad I’ve had at a fast food restaurant & it rivaled the salads I’ve eaten at the nicer restaurants as well. I had ordered the full size salad & it was huge and so filling for a complete meal. I just loved the unique combination of large grilled chicken pieces, strawberries, blueberries, shaved Asiago cheese (soo good!), and 11 different kinds of lettuce.  They also had shaved almonds you could add as well as a fat-free berry dressing.

If you’re watching your calories, you can find all the nutritional information on the Wendy’s website. I tracked it using the Weight Watchers Points Plus system & the full size salad is 12 points but if you take off the almonds & berry dressing, it’s only 7 points for the large size. I personally think the half-size would have been a very filling lunch, too and that’s only 3 points! So, this is a great option for those of you who are looking to cut your calories.

Here are a few pictures from our fun picnic outing:

Our family minus my older daughter who stayed home with grandma due to a tummy bug. This was a rare moment when my 2 year old was actually sitting down, too, being stationed right next to the playground.

Sia from Centsible in Seattle and her family

Angela from The Coupon Project with her kids & friends

Danielle from Miss Mouthy & her family

Giveaway –  $25 Wendy’s Gift Card

Wendy’s is offering a $25 gift card to one lucky Thrifty NW Mom reader so that you can have a chance to try out this yummy salad, too, and see what you think about it.

This giveaway will end on Friday June 3rd at 9pm pst.

The winner will be drawn using “And the Winner Is” plugin and announced on the blog.  I will also email the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be drawn. US residents only & you must be 18 yrs or older to enter the giveaway.

Here’s how to enter this giveaway::

Giveaway Entry: Tell us your favorite place to picnic with your family.

*All entries must be made on this blog post – just click on “Comments” and leave a comment along with a valid email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.  Facebook and email entries will not be counted.

Disclosure: I was compensated by Wendy’s and the Motherhood for participating in this event. I was also provided with a Wendy’s gift card in addition to a gift card to be given away to a Thrifty NW Mom reader randomly chosen.  All opinions are 100% mine. See my disclosure statement for more details.

197 Comments

  1. My favorite place to picnic is Chapman point in Cannon Beach, OR. Great waves, and places by sand dunes make a lovely backdrop.

  3. Lincoln Park in West Seattle…I grew up going there and love being near the water!

  4. Our family loves to picnic in Morton, WA near the Tilton River. Fishing, family, fun!

  5. Our favorite place to go on family picnics is down by the Dash Point lighthouse. It’s especially nice because the beach is close so our daughter can play and it’s close to us, too.

  6. We do are family picnics in are living room. We call it snack plates and its nothing but junk food but the kids love it. We get all kinds of finger foods, candy, etc we lay out a blanket and sit on the floor. We either watch a movie or just talk.

  9. We don’t do too many picnics but we love to go to go camping! When we do picnic it is usually at Capiol Lake in Olympia.

  10. Our back yard, We have a huge back yard and a pasture. the kids get a kick out of having a picnic out back.

  12. My favorite place to picnic with my family is honestly, our backyard!! Our kids love to spread a blanket out and eat BBQ’d hotdogs on paper plates!! :-)

  14. M favorite place to go on a picnic with my family is one of the many hills around our town. We hike to the top and have a nice view of the town and I watch the kids run around crazy. :)

  15. Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a picnic. We used to go to Angle Lake in SeaTac.

  16. I would say right here at Owens beach in north Tacoma went there this weekend it was amazing and will definitely be going there lots this summer

  17. Our favorite place to picnic is our backyard! If we run out of food or drinks, we just run back inside :) Bathroom is nearby and if it rains we can finish the picnic inside!

  19. My favorite place to picnic is Wildwood Recreation Site near Welches, Oregon (Mt Hood). It’s such a beautiful serene place to hike along the river, to explore natural streams and wetlands from boardwalks and interpretive trails, and just relax while having a picnic!
    Sunnie
    [email protected]

  20. We like to picnic in our front yard with all the neighbor kids. My son’s love to sit under the tree with their friends and eat their lunch.

  21. My family loves to drive up Chuckanut Drive, a windy scenic road here in western Washington. We love to stop along the way and picnic at the little pull offs over looking the water. It’s so beautiful. Great for family memories!

  23. We had a great time picnicing and bonfiring at the beach at Semiahmoo in Birch Bay, WA. When you look across the water, you see White Rock, B.C. = = = BEEEutiful!

  24. My favorite place to picnic is up on the North Fork of the Coeur d’ Alene River. A lot of times my husband and I will grab something quick for dinner (sandwiches or chicken) and go up so he can fish and I can enjoy a book.

  25. We love to pack up a picnic (and a few sweaters) and head up to Mt St Helens Johnson Ridge Observitory! Good times:p

  26. Country village in bothell. (Train ride,playground,ducks to feed and tons of great shops)

    Willis tucker in mill creek (splash pad,sport fields,playgrounds,sand box)

    Jennings park in marysville (trails, garden, trout pond,playgrounds )

  27. I love to picnic by the river, any river, or up by Waha Lake outside Lewiston, ID. The water is very peaceful.

  28. I’ll picnic anywhere with a picnic table…my kids prefer the playhouse in our backyard.

  29. My favorite place to picnic is Tumwater Falls Park in Tumwater, Wa. Very pretty, we enjoy going on walk around the park.

  31. I love going to boulevard park in bellingham, wa. It’s right by the water, has a playground, lots of picnic tables and lots of grass to run around! It’s a great place to go on a sunny day! :)

  33. I have to be honest and say I’m not much of a picnicker but the most picnic’s I’ve ever had were probably at Owen’s Beach at Point Defiance. That’s also where and what my hubby and I did on our first date.

  34. Usually when we picnic, It’s in our back yard. The kids have a nice playground to play on and I love the convenience of grilling for my family. Silver Creek Falls near Salem, OR is also a beautiful place to picnic.

  36. Me and my girls like to drive to the top of Spencers Butte in Eugene Oregon and hike down. By the time we get down we are pretty hungry so we sit at the tables next to the river. Then we hike back up! We’ve done it for a few weekends now and its just fun!!!! (of course I am the one who hikes all the food down!!)

  37. My favorite spot to picnic is Bradley lake in Puyallup. We are able to enjoy lunch, than take a stroll around the lake.

  38. I’d love to try this salad. Is it wrong to eat a salad and then a giant frosty? :)

  39. I got so excited about the frosty I forgot to say our favorite place to picnic is a beach in sequim. Sandy and pretty.

  41. We love to picnic in the Gorge along the old historic Columbia river hwy! It’s so pretty and lots of hiking!

  42. We love to picnic at the local park when they have the free concerts during the summer.

  43. We have a really nice park near our house that I found not too long ago, and I’m looking forward to taking a picnic there one of these days!

  44. My favorite place to picnic is Deception Pass near Oak Harbor. Absolutely beautiful!

  45. Our favorite place to picnic is at River Front Park..My grandparents took us there when we were kids and now we get to take our kids…hope it continues to be a family tradition :)

  51. We love to picnic in the backyard. Last year after VBS one day a bunch of friends brought their lunch over and we ate outside and played on the play set and jumpy house while the mommies had fun chatting. After that we made snow-cones for everyone. We’re hoping to do the same thing this year!

  53. We just spontaneously picnicked for dinner at Cama Beach State Park, near us on Camano Island. Beautiful views, beach combing, history and nature all around us.

  54. We love to picnic at Meadow Lakes picnic area near our home. It is right next to the river and there are always deer there.

  55. We love to picnic at Deception Pass. It’s always gorgeous and we see something new every time we go!

  56. our favorite place to picnic would be our backyard…we have enough toys, etc in backyard to feel like a park and we dont have to drive too far ;] and living in washington, we have to be quick to compromise to picnic indoors, which we love too! thanks for the giveaway!

  59. Our fave local place is… Wapato! No joke! We live right down the street from there so it’s a frequent picnic walk for us. (or after dinner stroll.) Thx!

  60. We love to picnic in the woods where no one is around! We do picnic in our backyard a lot during the summer though!

  62. We like to enjoy Mukilteo lighthouse/ferry landing park followed by a walk through the driftwood or frisbee in the field…

  64. We live near Warren G Magnuson park so we picnic there often. It’s so nice right on Lake Washington!

  65. We choose to picnic at Bradley Park in Puyallup. The playground has been updated and it has a huge grassy area for volleyball or just throwing a ball.

  66. My family and I like to go to Washington Park in Portland once the roses bloom…very beautiful and lots of room to let our two yr old twins play.
    Christina

  68. I love to picnic on the Edmonds waterfront. Great views, ferry horns and trains!

  69. My favorite place to picnic is at the beach – there’s nothing like a little sprinkling of sand to make peanut butter and jelly more exciting!

  71. We love to picnic in the backyard. Since the weather has been pretty on and off, once the sun comes out, so do our plates! We also enjoy picnicing at many of the local beaches here in the NW. The scenery in the NW is so beautiful; there is nothing like it!

  72. My Hubby, daughter, and I love to picnic at golden gardens in Seattle. It’s the most beautiful beach and my hubby and i have gone there for picnics ever since we started dating when I was 16. I am now almost 23 and we love going there every chance we get!

  73. I live in the Tri-Cities and I like to go down to Columbia Park to picnic!

  74. We love to picnic at the beach, as long as we can keep the sand out of our sandwiches! :)

  75. We love to picnic on the beach or any nearby park with shade and a play structure for the kids!

  76. we picnic alot in the yard. it’s my favorite place because there’s less stress and the boys (4,2, and almost 9 mo) love it because they’ve got more freedom to run around :)

  78. My family loves going to Champoeg Park. I started going there as a child. Bike and hike trails along the Willamette River, ball fields, frisbee golf, and an Oregon history museum- it’s the perfect place for a picnic and bbq.

  79. I love to picnic at the beach. Our family does not have a particular favorite, any beach will do and we are blessed to have so many nearby!

  80. We are blessed to live on the Oregon Coast, so my favorite place to picnic is our backyard!

  82. We love to picnic at Laurelhurst Park in Portland. It is so nice to find a shady area on a warm summer day and watch the ducks swim in the pond.

  85. My family loves to picnic with my mother in Ocean Shores. It isn’t the place that is so important as much as the fact that we’re all together.

  86. We don’t do much picnicing. . .probably in our backyard for the most part but growing up we went to Capitol Peek outside of Olympia alot. . .

  87. The kids and I had a blast last summer picnicking at a new park every week!
    Our favorite was Browns point lighthouse! Large open green lawn, Cool boathouse with historical society volunteers giving tours, great skipping rocks

  88. Our family is not big on picnics (of the outdoor variety) – too many bugs! But a carpet picnic is always popular!

  89. We love picnicing at the beach. My folks have a little double wide vacation home in Long Beach and we love going there, walking down a short trail to the beach, pulling out a blanket, some snacks, and having a good ol’ time!!

  90. I love to picnic in our yard or just take a drive for a quick getaway. Don’t know where we are going when we start out just keep going and make a turn when you feel like it you end up in some nice spots.

  91. I love to picnic in Red River, NM! They have a small river that goes by the place we stay at and it is amazing to sit out in the quiet and just eat and watch the wild life all around! It’s amazing!

  94. About a block away from my house is a park. It is surrounded on all sides by houses. It is huge, and is at least a block in itself. No one except those in the neighborhood ever use it, and it is really nice. We love to have picnics there.
    [email protected]

  95. We love to go to a park about 15 minutes away from our house. We love feeding the ducks, and relaxing there.

  96. We love to go to kyak point and have picnic/bbq/birthdays you name it! There is beach, playground, grass, and a big rock wall the kids love to climb. We have spotted whales there and taken amazing pictures! For SURE a family favorite. A close second would be deception pass park, also super fun!

  97. My very favorite spot to picnic with the family is Silver Creek Falls. We haven’t gone in a couple of years but we have lots of plans to do so this summer! If we aren’t going far, we like the Gibson Hill park in Albany. My girls call this the “Green Park” and they ask about it all the time! It has both large and small structures so it’s great since we have a toddler and a 6 year old.

  99. We love to go to the beach right before sundown and have a picnic dinner.
    tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

  100. Our favorite place to picnic is at Esther Short park in downtown Vancouver, WA. They have a huge play area and fountains to play in in the summer. They also hold FREE events in the summer that include free concerts in the park at noon and kids crafts and science activities. All for free!

  103. There is a sweet little park just a few blocks from our house where the grand kids can fish and feed the ducks and geese. There is a picnic area and a pretty gazebo.

  104. Our neighborhood park, a close walk from the house and always kids to play with.

  105. Our favorite place to picnic is at the pond beside our house. Comes equipped with tables and swings and our puppies can swim too! And the best part is that’s where we got married so we’ll always have good memories there!

  106. Fairhaven park or the beach at Fairhaven in Bellingham :) It’s heaven there!

  107. I love to picnic at the ocean, any ocean I just like hearing the sound of the waves as we eat.

  108. We love to have picnics at a pond near by where we go to feed the ducks and walk the paved path around the pond and play at both playgrounds on each side!

  110. We haven’t found a “favorite” picnic spot just yet. As long as wer’e all together, sibling arguements and all, are all our favorites.

  115. I love spalding park just outside of lewiston idaho.Its so green and beautiful with sooo mani trees. Its also a historical park and is close to the Nez Perce museum .Its a great educational/fun family outing.In the park there are walking trails that take you to the creek and river.Also lots og rolling green grass hills that the kids love!

  116. My kids love to picnic anywhere. Whether it be on a blanket on my kitchen floor, the trampoline, or a park. Just call it a picnic and they are there! Thanks!

  117. Love, love, love Wendys!! We like to picnic at the Basket Slough National Refuge area outside of Dallas, OR.

  121. Picnicing at the Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR is always a fun time with my girls! Where else can you sit and eat and hear the lions eating too?!

  123. We picnic in our backyard! Our daughter is not quite potty trained and we can let her roam “free” this way. :)

  124. We love to picnic in our own backyard. It’s as big as a park so no need to leave home.

  126. There’s a free summer concerts series at a local park – great place to picnic

  128. We enjoy having a picnic at Rocky Point Beach in Oak Harbor. It is beautiful and our 2 Golden Retrievers go with us and they love it! (Bonus only 5 minute drive from our house)

  132. We love to picnic at our local park. Nice tables and a playground for the kids.
    jenhedger at hotmail dot com

  134. My kids love to picnic anywhere! It just has to be different than the ol’ standard kitchen table. The backyard, the park, or at the zoo would be our top favorites. Thanks!

  135. A picnic is fun no matter where you are – from a blanket on the living room floor to Tumwater Falls Park in Tumwater there is no wrong way to do a great picnic.

  136. I love to picnic on a blanket in the middle of our living room on a rainy day!

    Sunny days … poolside!

  137. We love to picnic out in the woods up by Lake Keechelus. You can drive to some gorgeous vantage points way above the lake.

  140. Our screened in back porch is our favorite summer dining choice. Thanks for the review. I was considering trying this salad, but they are usually so expensive, I hate to try something that I might not like.

  142. We love to picnic at O.O. Denny Park on Finn Hill, just a little NW of Juanita on the shores of Lake Washington.

  143. Any park where my very active 16 month old can run! We were recently at Three Rivers Crossing outside of Twin Falls and it was beautiful there.

  144. Our favorite place to have a family picnic is Howarth Park in Everett (near Mukilteo).

  146. Our favorite place to picnic is Newcastle Beach or Coulon Beach, both on Lake Washington.

  147. 5-mile lake in Federal Way is so close to our house. For a drive we love going to Mt. Rainier National Park!

  148. My favorite place for a picnic with my family is right here in my own backyard. We don’t often take the time to just enjoy each others company and relax at home. So, those treasured slow down times are the best!

  150. Our favorite place for our family to picnic is at the park outside of Point Defiance Zoo!

  151. We love to picnic @ Manchester State Park. And after there are lots of neat wooded trails!

  153. We love to head out to any beach area even our own neighborhood on Bainbridge Island! That often means picnicing on a boat deck as well. I have a 3 hour commute from the island to the school where I teach in Kirkland so that doesn’t give much time for cooking before collapsing in bed with a good book and maybe a cookie crmb or two. This means more fast food eating than I like to admit to! Wendys is a mile or less from my school so there are days when we’ve just had enough and slip out at lunch to grab a bite up there. Their salads are usually excellent. Tried to get one in Port Angeles over the weekend but they didn’t start until the 31st and they weren’t in Victoria yet either so that’s next on my list! We’re very involved in Sea Scouting – co-ed maritime division of Boy Scouting – in Tacoma and this would be a perfectly delightful meal to grab if on our way down if we’re on duty that night as captain and female protector :) Check out this picnic venue site shown above for a charter picnic sail – she’s 90 feet long – don’t you want to be a Sea Scout?

  154. Our favorite is to picnic right in our own yard, but if we are out and about we love the parks here in Canby, Or!

  155. Our family’s favorite place to picnic is in our backyard. We usually spread out a blanket on the grass (in the shade of the trees if it’s hot out, in the sun if it’s not) and we always have a blast!

  156. Our backyard is the best place for a picnic right now…but other than that, there is a park about 3 minutes away that is nice, too!

  161. We love to picnic in our own back yard. The kids always get a kick out of it! :)

  163. we like to walk to the kids elem. school and picnic at the playground

  164. Our family’s favorite place to picnic is Birch Bay. We love to search for seashells when we’re done. :)

  168. Willis Tucker Park near Mill Creek. Especially on warm days when the spray park is running.

  169. I like to pack a little lunch and have a picnic at the zoo. The kiddos love it!

  170. We live out in the country, and we all love to pack up and head straight up the mountain!!

  171. My absolute favorite picnic is a tradition I married into. Every Christmas Eve, my father-in-law starts a fire in the fireplace, and my mother-in-law lays down checkered tablecloths (used to be one, now 2 or 3 since grandkids started arriving), and we all sit down on the living room floor around the cloths/food and have a picnic. It’s a wonderful tradition, and it’s her way of serving an easy dinner before gearing up for the big Christmas Day dinner the next day. :)

  173. at leslie groves park, it’s very close to our house and the columbia river =]

  174. We tried Gasworks Park for a picnic the other day. And while it was windy, it was a fantastic view of the city and great fun to watch all the kites!

  175. My family and I like to picnic at the park in our neighborhood or at Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley.

  177. We love Farrell McWirther Park and Farm in Redmond, WA. Great place for a picnic!

  178. Picnic on the back deck which is right next to a large greenbelt with lots of trees.

  180. We love to picnic at the local park/lake and then when we are done eating- we walk off some of our calories by taking a walk around the lake!

  181. We love to picnic in our yard. During the summer I watch my nieces and nephew. Along with my 2 girls we love to drag out a bunch of blankets, lay out our food, and picnic while playing in the yard.

  182. WELL, WE AREN’T TRAVELERS LIKE SO MANY ARE. WE PICNIC HERE IN TOWN AT ONE OF OUR WONDERFUL PARKS! WE HAVE BEEN HAVING OUR FAMILY REUNIONS AT THE MILLERSBURG PARK HERE IN MILLERSBURG, OREGON FOR MANY MANY YEARS.

  184. My family and I love to picnic, there is nothing better than a day at a park and a picnic lunch. My ultimate place for a picnic is in Libby MT at Kootenai Falls, after our hike to the falls and across the cable bridge we have a nice relaxing picnic and then we hike back out. My boys love this and we have family time which is a win win situation. Plus I learn all about my kids and whats important to them without asking a million questions. There is something about a picnic that relaxes everybody. Even my pre teen lets his guard down and we all have fun!

  187. We love to eat outside on our front steps, epecailly when the sun is shining :) I think some french fries would go great with that salad!!! haha.

  188. Our fav place to picnic is hovander park! lots of room to run, animals, Hovander house museum and barn! Beautiful photo ops too! right here in Ferndale Wa
    Teresa

  189. Occasionally we get the chance to surprise my husband at his jobsite. He is a logger, and it is quite a treat to have lunch delivered, let alone have lunch that is HOT! So that is our favorite place to picnic, the views from their yarder landing are always SPECTACULAR!! Otherwise, our local park here in Creswell, OR is great!!!

  190. We like to picnic at Happy Valley Park in Happy Valley, Or. It’s the best in summer because there is a great splash pad for the kids! You can sit right next to in on the grass and watch the kids play. There are lots of other Moms there too. It’s nice to be able to meet other Moms while the kids are having fun! Also, there is a playground a little walk away if the kids like that instead! :) Hope to see you there!

  194. Live.to picnic at the “battlefield ” when at home in Virginia. Location of both battle of bull run in civil war.

  195. We love to picnic at our local park on Lake Washington, Chism Beach. We also love Wendy’s!

  196. I love Wright park in Tacoma. It’s always cool to check out the conservatory.

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