I am currently fed up with salads

Clawsal

Hello. I am trying to eat more fresh produce. I cook only for myself.

Two weeks ago I ate the same soup for 8 meals. Right then I was fed up with soup. Now I have a bag of green beans to go through (since last week) and I can't even look at them anymore, much less eat them! Then there is salad : again if I buy a bag, I know I will be eating salad the whole week.

So trying to eat more fresh produce makes me eat the same thing over and over and I am worried I will end up hating fresh produce!

Does that happen to you? Or maybe you don't mind eating the same food over and over?

goddessofawesome

What are you putting in your salads that makes you not like them? I can eat -- and pretty much have eaten -- salad almost every single day and every one that I make is different and delicious. My favorite part of making a salad is coming up with what I'm going to put in it.

Are you eating other things with the veggies or is it just veggies? Just because you buy a bag of something doesn't mean you have to eat it for every single meal. If you're worried about them going bad buy frozen vegetables. They're just as nutritious -- possibly more so -- as fresh.

Clawsal

I am not a very imaginative cook and I am a picky eater. I usually use salad as a side to a main dish. I just put some salad + tomatoes + cucumber on a small plate and that's it. I don't use any kind of sauce because I usually don't like them. The saucelessness may sound weird, but I have always eaten this way.

The problem is the food going bad.

I have frozen peas and carrots but cannot buy any more frozen veggies, because of freezer space (sharing with roommates).

RodaRose

It is o.k. not to like salad. I cut up raw veggies and eat them with my fingers instead of preparing a salad to eat with a fork.
If you make good use of your freezer you can have more variety. After you shop next time, keep some green beens in the fridge and some in the freezer and so on.

Need2Exerc1se

I would go crazy eating the same thing over and over. You can freeze green beans and many leaft greens. You can freeze or can most vegetables. If you want to buy in bulk to save money, I'd suggest freezing some of the produce. Or just buy frozen, which is cheaper and just nutritious (often more so) than fresh from the grocery store.

You could also cook meals and freeze them for later. Or can them, depending on the type of meal, though canning is a bit more work than freezing.

SueInAz

goddessofawesome wrote: »

What are you putting in your salads that makes you not like them? I can eat -- and pretty much have eaten -- salad almost every single day and every one that I make is different and delicious. My favorite part of making a salad is coming up with what I'm going to put in it.

Are you eating other things with the veggies or is it just veggies? Just because you buy a bag of something doesn't mean you have to eat it for every single meal. If you're worried about them going bad buy frozen vegetables. They're just as nutritious -- possibly more so -- as fresh.

I have to echo this. A salad is what you make of it. It's a blank canvas you can paint on in infinite variety. Nuts, meats, cheeses, raw veggies, fruit, berries, roasted veggies, eggs and crunchy things along with so many different choices for dressings can all be combined in different ways to make completely different meals on top of a bed of greens. One day it's a taco salad with ground beef, salsa and shredded cheese. The next it's a Chinese chicken salad with mandarin orange wedges, wonton strips and a sesame dressing. If you don't have much imagination for these kinds of things search on the web for salad ideas. There's thousands of them out there, maybe even millions.

It sounds like the real problem is just that you buy more of a specific item than you eventually care to eat. Perhaps you should simply try buying smaller amounts of veggies when you buy them fresh. Unless you're shopping for produce at Costco (which would be silly for a single person) you can choose how much to purchase. Buying in bulk doesn't save money if you're going to throw some away because you got bored. If you know you'll get tired of salad after a day or two, buy less of it. They sell little baggies of salad that only have 2-3 servings in them. You can also buy a single head of any type of lettuce if you prefer to chop the salad yourself.

I buy most of my veggies frozen. They are more nutritious than the fresh ones you buy in a grocery store and then keep in your fridge for days and they don't go bad for months.

SingRunTing

I don't really eat that many salads, but when I do, they're really not your typical salad. I just don't care for lettuce. It's so boring. My salads are usually a little bit of spinach leaf, then loaded with other veggies like cherry tomatoes (technically a fruit, I know), cucumbers, broccoli, peppers, raw summer squash/zucchini, etc. It's more like a veggie platter in a bowl.

If you're not happy with your salads, change it up. You don't have to eat salad to lose weight.

RodaRose

Clawsal wrote: »

I am not a very imaginative cook and I am a picky eater. I usually use salad as a side to a main dish. I just put some salad + tomatoes + cucumber on a small plate and that's it. I don't use any kind of sauce because I usually don't like them. The saucelessness may sound weird, but I have always eaten this way.

The problem is the food going bad.

I have frozen peas and carrots but cannot buy any more frozen veggies, because of freezer space (sharing with roommates).

Oh, I see. How often do you go to the grocery store? If you cannot rely on your freezer space, maybe you can get to the store twice a week. Canned is o.k. too.
The truth is that I hate salads so I understand.

Go to pinterest.com or even google images to get some ideas.

avskk

Try a "solid" salad instead of a leafy one. I make a killer gazpacho salad -- equal parts diced cucumber and tomato, 1/3 part diced onion, dressing of balsamic vinegar and a teeny bit of olive oil whisked with Splenda (or sugar) and fresh black pepper. Toss everything well and let it sit in the fridge for at least four hours. You can also use the same dressing on a mix of blanched green beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans to make a killer three-bean salad. Or try a quinoa salad; if you use Mediterranean flavored quinoa (or cook your own in broth with tarragon, oregano, lemon juice, and a tiny bit of shredded bell pepper) and add artichoke hearts, olives, cucumber, tomato, onion, and (optionally) goat cheese you have a fantastic salad.

Icandoityayme

While salads are good for you, you can get burned out on them like with anything. Doing anything repeatedly without switching up much is going to get old really fast. Switching up dressings does help. You could also try some other healthy options. Try making smoothies. You still get veggies but don't feel like you are eating a salad all the time.

sssgilber

When I can't stand the idea of a salad anymore, I use the ingredients to make a stir fry. Chicken breast, celery, carrots, snow peas, pineapple, broccoli.

Francl27

I'm the same way. Don't want to look at a salad right now... I had a bunch of salads a couple weeks ago. DONE, lol.

Thankfully there are lots of other things I can eat. But honestly... I go through veggies so fast, I don't have time to get bored with them (ok beans would take a bit longer but I can eat 12oz of broccoli and cauliflower in one meal, no problem).

didsomeonesaypizza

Raw salad can be really boring. I find I eat way more leafy greens if I cook them. Sautéing power greens allows you to eat more of them, as 3 cups easily becomes 1 cup once cooked. Plus, they're DELICIOUS cooked. Throw in minced garlic, bell peppers, squash, whatever. I even cook some uncured bacon and throw it in.

So...when in doubt, just cook it.

acarmon55

I agree that salads can be mixed up a whole lot more than other things. As another said, you could have a different salad all week. What I hear is that you are more tire of eating the same thing over and over so it doesn't go to waste. How much of the freeze is yours? Could you freeze some of the soup so that you only have to eat 1/2 at a time so that you don't get so burned out? Stopping by the store more often might help if you buy a smaller quantity. Do you have any friends or family (that support your calorie counting) that you could share meals with so you don't have to eat it all and they could offer some variety as well? I think the more variety you can make with something the less tired of it you will be.

goddessofawesome

Clawsal wrote: »

I am not a very imaginative cook and I am a picky eater. I usually use salad as a side to a main dish. I just put some salad + tomatoes + cucumber on a small plate and that's it. I don't use any kind of sauce because I usually don't like them. The saucelessness may sound weird, but I have always eaten this way.

The problem is the food going bad.

I have frozen peas and carrots but cannot buy any more frozen veggies, because of freezer space (sharing with roommates).

I'd be pretty bored with that kind of salad too. There is no variety! Like I said I can -- and have -- eaten salad for dinner for 2-3 days in a row. Every salad is different and I enjoy coming up with them as I make them. At any given time my salad can have:

Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
Onions
Artichoke Hearts
Hearts of Palm
Avocado
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Walnuts
Pecans
Almonds
Grapes
Blueberries
Strawberries
Apples
Peaches, pears, nectarines
Cheese -- cheddar, blue, asiago, smoked gouda, feta, goat
Ham, turkey, chicken, chicken sausage

I could go on and on with the things I put in my salads! I also make a "taco" salad which is basically a salad with lettuce, tomatoes onions and a few other things topped with seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

If I'm making a side salad a good one is just spinach, feta cheese, tomatoes, onions. YUM!

Seriously, I can't get enough of salads and in all honesty I can't order them in restaurants any longer because mine are a million times better than what they make.

Vailara

I like salads, but not all the time, and I'm not wild about them in cold weather. So I eat a lot of cooked veg - roasted, boiled, steamed, grilled, etc. I usually prefer cooked veg to salad. Maybe that could be an alternative? If you have quite a big portion of vegetables (half a plate or more) at meals, it will use them up quite quickly so you're not eating the same thing all the time. I know you don't like sauces, but maybe some seasoning would help instead? (salt, pepper, chilli powder, seasoning mixes, etc). And if it fits in with your diet, I think a little bit of fat can be nice with veg - a little bit of oil to coat roasted veg, a bit of butter with boiled veg, etc.

TeaBea

avskk wrote: »

Try a "solid" salad instead of a leafy one.

I like shredded carrots (look for bagged matchstick ones), sliced celery, and (thawed) peas. Add a tablespoon or 2 of Newman's Lite Sesame Ginger dressing....yum.

You can even use thawed French style green beans in a salad. Don't try this with regular cut green beans...they hold too much water.

Add shredded carrots & crushed pineapple to sugar free orange jello (lime is good too).

Coleslaws are tastey, and can be made with lots of different veggies. Napa cabbage is much lighter than green cabbage....if you're not a cabbage eater. Look for light Asian or Sweet & Sour dressings. Slaws aren't just for mayo.

Revolutionwithin

I wish I could help, but I love salads. I have loved them since I was a little girl, and I'm 35 now. I can't seem to get sick of them for some reason.

I do sympathize though at how hard it is to eat the same things over and over again. Good luck, and I hope some of the other suggestions here are helpful for you.

flamingblades

hahahaa! I can totally relate. I cut WAY back on the salads and started throwing kale in my smoothies. Change up your dressings. I recently bought some gourmet oils and vinegars, and I love them! I have pear vinegar and peach vinegar and I mix them with truffle oil. Yeah, it's expensive, but my health is worth it. Gone are the mayonnaise based dressings for me. I also make vegetable beef soup ALOT, with a a low sodium beef base for flavor. Yummmm. More than one way to get your veggies and B vitamins. Just be creative, have fun with your greens (-:

lseed87

I would create them differently but then again I wouldn't want to just eat them over and over again too

arditarose

I eat the same thing over and over. I found a super low calorie dinner filled with veggies and protein that I love. I did the same with salads...just try to vary them maybe. One night with tuna, the next with chicken, the next with rotini noodles and goat cheese. Etc.