Spinach Power Salad with Mandarin Vinaigrette - $8.97 a serving
Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 4 pantry staples excluded. 1 match is flagged for you to check rather than silently swapped. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.
| The recipe says | We found | Package | Uses | Costs | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Juice from 1 snack-size cup of mandarin oranges in natural juice (reserve oranges) | Kroger® Canned Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup · 15 oz | $1.99 | 1 | $0.61 | $1.38 |
| 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar | Simple Truth Organic® Raw and Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar · 16 fl oz | $3.29 | 30 ml | $0.21 | $3.08 |
| 1/4 cup olive oil | Simple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · 16.9 fl oz | $8.49 | 60 ml | $1.02 | $7.47 |
| 1/4 cup pure cane sugar | Imperial Pure Granulated Cane Sugar · 2 lb | $3.19 | 50 g | $0.18 | $3.01 |
| 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped | Jumbo Yellow Onions · 1 lb | $1.19 | 1 | $0.29 | $0.90 |
| 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard | Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard · 12 oz | $1.99 | 15 g | $0.09 | $1.90 |
| 1 tablespoon yellow mustard | Kroger Original Yellow Mustard · 8 oz | $0.99 | 15 g | $0.07 | $0.92 |
| 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast | Heritage Farm® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts · 1 lb | $2.89 | 227 g | $1.45 | $1.44 |
| 5 ounces baby spinach | Kroger® Tender Baby Spinach Bag Salad · 10 oz | $2.19 | 142 g | $1.10 | $1.09 |
| 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded | Carrots · 1 lb | $1.69 | 1 | $0.22 | $1.47 |
| 24 red seedless grapes | Fresh California Seedless Red Grapes · 1 lbSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED | $1.99 | 24 | $1.99 | - |
| 1 1/2 ounces shelled walnuts, chopped coarselyCHECK THIS | Simple Truth® Halves & Pieces Walnuts · 9 oz | $5.99 | 43 g | $1.01 | $4.98 |
olive oil drives this basket at $8.49, 24% of the total. The next biggest lines are shelled walnuts ($5.99) and apple cider vinegar ($3.29). $27.66 of the basket - 77% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.
- Simple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · about 440 ml left, $7.47 of value
- Simple Truth® Halves & Pieces Walnuts · about 212 g left, $4.98 of value
- Simple Truth Organic® Raw and Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar · about 443 ml left, $3.08 of value
- Imperial Pure Granulated Cane Sugar · about 857 g left, $3.01 of value
- Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard · about 325 g left, $1.90 of value
- Carrots · about 394 g left, $1.47 of value
“I was inspired to make this salad because a couple weeks ago my dad made a spinach salad that was really good,” says Emilie. “I decided that I wanted to make my own spinach salad with homemade dressing. I chose spinach because it is a high source of iron, fiber, and vitamin C. I also think kids would like to eat this salad because of its fun colors.”
- 1 Juice from 1 snack-size cup of mandarin oranges in natural juice (reserve oranges)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
- 24 red seedless grapes
- 1 1/2 ounces shelled walnuts, chopped coarsely
- Salt and pepper to taste
This recipe is credited to a partner program (The 2015 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook), so we don't reprint its directions - read them on the archived original.
- Turkey Salad with Orange Vinaigrette · $8.98 a serving
- Chicken Cheeseball Kabobs on Veggie Spaghetti · $8.92 a serving
- Eggplant "Obama"san · $9.03 a serving
- Grilled Lamb Salad · $9.05 a serving
- Turkey Sloppy Joes · $9.05 a serving