How to snag your Whole Foods salad without dropping $20 at the weigh-your-own bar

Raise your hand if this scenario sounds familiar: You walk into Whole Foods to buy lunch, only to come face-to-face with the cornucopia of turmeric roasted chickpeas, goat cheese and pickled beet salad, saffron couscous, and other healthy delicacies available at the magical WF salad bar. You load up your box in a delirious daze. A few minutes later, you emerge from your fugue state and hear the cashier say: “That’ll be $18, please.” WTF.

I’ve fallen for the enticing “serve yourself!” invitation so many times. But I’m happy to report that I’ve finally found a solution to my total lack of weighing willpower: The Whole Foods Chopped & Topped Salad station, which will whip you up a combo of greens and four toppings of your choice for $7 (plus $2 to add protein). And then, as the name suggests, they chop it to bite-sized perfection. The caveat here: The service can’t be found across the whole US yet (*sigh*), so you’ll need to see if it’s available at the Whole Foods near you (if you’re in the New York Tri-State Area, you’re likely in luck).

But let’s rewind a moment, because I want to talk about the toppings. They’re not B.S. fillers like shredded carrots and croutons. Instead, expect all the things you already love about the salad bar: falafel, avocado, sweet potatoes, mixed mediterranean veggies… need I go on? It’s the good stuff, people, and it’s all laid over a plush bed of greens that are entirely your choice. Romaine? You got it. Mixed greens? Sure. Kale? Yep.

To be honest, I’m half expecting the whole operation to disappear. So if you find the idea of dropping less than $10 on a salad as thrilling as I do, don’t wait.

This is what Whole Food’s CEO eats in a day, and what he predicts the future of grocery shopping will look like.