Trying to convince myself this is a good, yummy lunch..... :(

helaurin

I'm trying to convince myself that this is a good, palate-pleasing, satisfying lunch.... I'm trying.... 7 ounces of iceberg lettuce, 14 grams of croutons, 28 grams of low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese, and 7 grams of fake bacon bits, with a side of 112 grams of chunk light tuna in water.

Equals 308 calories, comprised of 19 grams of carbs, 10 grams of fat, 41 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 940 grams of sodium. To be washed down with Crystal Light, which is included in said nutritional data.

In the meantime, someone brought in a slew of bagels to the office, which looks tempting.

Toblave

Sorry, I'm no help.....

JCM1969

You need real bacon....

luminajd

I love salads for lunch! The only thing I would have changed is instead of croutons, I would add some beans. The protein and fiber in them tend to keep me fuller longer than croutons. I would take your salad over bagels any day!

__freckles__

If you're trying to convince yourself that your lunch is yummy and satisfying and it's not....eat something else.

Food should be enjoyed. Personally I do eat a salad every day for lunch pretty much. But I'd sub out the iceberg lettuce form some spinach or spring mix greens. And I'd add loads of chicken on top. Some nuts, maybe some cranberries. Full fat dressing. Mmmmmmmmmm. As long as you stay within your calorie limit, just eat what you want.

jrline

Don't deprive yourself of stuff you enjoy eating. It is all about staying within your calories goal. If you need more calories to eat go on a couple mile walk that will earn an extra 200 calories.

extraordinary_machine

Iceberg lettuce is the lamest of all lettuce. Change up the greens...add some that are spicy, mild, nutty, etc (basically what freckles said) and then add different textures and flavor profiles through nuts, fruits, etc.

Kristinemomof3

I agree, eat something else. Darker green veggies have more nutrients.

Francl27

Ditch the iceberg lettuce, it's tasteless and has almost no nutrients. Use mixed greens or spinach instead. But either way, salad without dressing makes me very sad. And I'd ditch the croutons for real bacon or something. Or nuts. Or avocado. Some things just are not worth the calories if you're trying to stay low.

pscarolina

mmmm...avocado, spring mix, cranberries, real dressing. I might add some chickpeas to it too. Don't get me wrong, looks fine but if you don't like it... Some days lunch is the highlight of an otherwise crappy work day. Don't eat crap you don't like & make it even crappier.

ElizabethNJ

Don't eat or make it if you don't like it. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland or boring. I like my salads colorful. Mixed greens, lots of different veggies, maybe red, yellow, orange, green peppers, some mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, peas, green beans maybe some chickpeas. You could add nuts for some crunch. Plus some dressing of course.

Lasmartchika

That salad needs some tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken instead of tuna, avocado, carrots... mmmm (I can't believe I'm craving a salad now!!)

That has no salad dressing? It needs that too. OR... lemon with salt on it as a dressing!! Mmm I'm really craving salad now. Must go make one now... (I seriously feel weird saying these things about salad!!)

GiveMeCoffee

Sorry that salad looks sad. Eat things you enjoy you should not have to convince yourself that something is good.

RoseyDgirl

my salad would have steak on it, mixed greens, tomatoes, sliced green apple, some avocado, some parmesian cheese and a homemade dressing of blended orange with cashews and coconut.

RoseyDgirl

canned tuna - Bleah! ...
-
- Fresh, pan-seared tuna on a bed of mixed greens and thinly sliced tomatoes with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a little VOO... (yum)

glevinso

JCM1969 wrote: »

You need real bacon....

This.

And replace the iceberg with spinach. And at least a little bit of a basic dressing. Not a smothering, just for some flavor. Will obviously add a few calories but that will be the difference between "yum!" and "ugh why do I need to eat this?"

52cardpickup

Ditch the croutons. Definitely, definitely ditch the croutons. Then add something super tasty for the same calories. Croutons = stale bread.

SnuggleSmacks

Ew....iceberg lettuce? Good luck with that!

glevinso

You need some flavorful veggies in there too. Cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, some shredded carrots, maybe a little chopped red onion.

And ditch the croutons like others have said and replace with a light dressing.

KameHameHaaaa

Spinach or mixed greens,hearts of palm, pine nuts, goat cheese, chicken and some citrus vinaigrette... Salads can be tasty if you make them out of ingredients you like

redversustheblue

*shrug* Don't eat things you don't like. I hate iceberg lettuce and I won't eat a salad with it. In fact, I don't really like salad at all so I almost never eat it. Occasionally I'll make one with Spinach, but that's rare.

helaurin

That's part of the problem.... I really don't like most vegetables, especially not fresh. The croutons, shredded cheese and bacon bits are about all I can stand in a salad - I don't even like any salad dressings. Can't stand tomatoes, peppers, carrots, spinach, etc. - I guess those are all acquired tastes that I never got. (It didn't help that my mom could make any food taste bad, and I am not kidding... even after my dad had a major stroke and couldn't move half his body, Thanksgiving was the one meal of the year mom wasn't allowed to ruin... ) But I digress. Trying to convince myself this is good & yummy.... and the fact that I two-and-a-half hours later, I was hungry again... is a challenge. Even the tuna was plain today (straight out of the can), although I do like a little bit of mayo or Miracle whip when I have it.
-

glevinso

Miracle Whip is the Tool of the Devil. Ugh. Seriously.

Perhaps it is worth trying to acquire the taste for good fresh veggies.

Regardless your salad as pictured is not terribly nutritious. You are probably better off with something else than that.

cwolfman13

Ice berg lettuce is horrible...

I eat garden salads regularly (homemade) and they generally consist of some mixed greens...actual greens (spinach, baby kale, chard, etc)...if there's lettuce and what not, it's the spring mix type or Romaine. Then I load it up with fresh cucumber and sliced grape tomatoes and top with some sweet red onion and whatever else I may feel like throwing on there...but I like to keep them relatively simple.

I'll then generally pile on about 4-6 ounces (cooked weight) of some kind of lean protein (or I'll serve it on the side depending) and slice up 1/2 an avocado...top with about 2 Tbsp of one of my many Bolthouse Farms kick *kitten* salad dressings and I'm good to go.

What you have pictured there is just sad...

Also, you don't have to eat salads. I eat them because it's a good way to pack my day full of vegetables as I like to get in about 4-6 true servings or more of vegetables and a couple servings of fruit...but there's a whole lot more to "healthy" than salads and celery sticks.

dbmata

glevinso wrote: »

Miracle Whip is the Tool of the Devil. Ugh. Seriously.

Kill it with fire.

I'd fix that salad up, honestly. First, iceberg? Naw, get some spring mix with some spinach, and double the weight.

Cut out the mozz, it's dumb. Tuna? Meh, I've been told people like tuna. If that's you, hit it.

Add in some good stuff though? Color. Pop. Good stuff!
tomato, bell peppers, pickled asparagus, sprouts, peas.

I'd then hit it with some girard's champagne dressing and boom. BOOM.

glevinso

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Ice berg lettuce is horrible...

I eat garden salads regularly (homemade) and they generally consist of some mixed greens...actual greens (spinach, baby kale, chard, etc)...if there's lettuce and what not, it's the spring mix type or Romaine. Then I load it up with fresh cucumber and sliced grape tomatoes and top with some sweet red onion and whatever else I may feel like throwing on there...but I like to keep them relatively simple.

I'll then generally pile on about 4-6 ounces (cooked weight) of some kind of lean protein (or I'll serve it on the side depending) and slice up 1/2 an avocado...top with about 2 Tbsp of one of my many Bolthouse Farms kick *kitten* salad dressings and I'm good to go.

What you have pictured there is just sad...

Also, you don't have to eat salads. I eat them because it's a good way to pack my day full of vegetables as I like to get in about 4-6 true servings or more of vegetables and a couple servings of fruit...but there's a whole lot more to "healthy" than salads and celery sticks.

Yea... what this guy said. All of it.

Ready2Rock206

I had a nutrition teacher in college that called iceburg lettuce crunchy water. She'd never eat it because there was no nutrition to it.
If you don't like salads eat something you do like - there's other healthy stuff out there.

dbmata

I'll white knight the iceberg.

You can't have a shrimp louis without iceberg.

Amitysk

I think there are a lot of excellent ways to make your salad better (see above), but I think that since you don't care for vegetables... skip it. Eat what you like in your calorie goals.

AliceDark

Oh, hon, this whole post makes me sad! If you don't like salads, you really don't have to eat them.

What kinds of things would you actually like to eat for lunch? Give us some suggestions and I'd bet money we can help you fit them into your calorie goals.

mizzzc

my salads would have romaine lettuce, spinach, chicken breast that was cooked in cattleboys sauce, and some lightly stir fried mushrooms, peppers, and onions.....mmmmmm