Salad again?

MikeDubya74

I just can't do salads every day. I'm not a foodie, I don't get excited about eating rich foods. But I've been working salad in a couple of days a week for one meal. And I just don't enjoy it.

What alternatives do you do for salad?

VintageFeline

Depends what it is the salad does that you want something else to do. Why are you eating salad?

Unknown

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kommodevaran

I almost never eat salads. I'm having salad today, but it's a month since last time. What I eat instead? Anything I like, I suppose. I build meals up from protein, fat and veg, and add starch, fruit, nuts, dairy depending on what meal it is and what I want and what needs to be eaten up.

leanjogreen18

I didn't like salads either but now I load them up. Cheese, croutons, avocado, seeds and beans. Mine usually are not low calorie:).

perkymommy

I will eat salads but don't prefer them either. I eat them only because they will end up having less calories than other things I could have eaten at that moment and I'm usually running short on calories left over for the day. If it's my meal like lunch or dinner then I like to eat them with corn and black beans, chicken in them as well.

msr8898

More specifically, what are your goals @MikeDubya74? Are you just trying to consume more veggies in general, or trying to get in more dark leafy greens?

If you're just going for more veggies, just make foods you enjoy eating. I'm with @zachbonner_ on grilling your veggies. It opens up a ton of different ways to prepare them. If you're specifically trying to get more leafy greens in, I suggest trying to add more variety to the salad. There are a lot of different greens out there; you may find that by changing what greens you use in your salad, you find it more palatable.

If that's doesn't seem to do it for you, it may be worthwhile to look into ways to slip greens into other dishes. Wilted greens are fairly easy to add to a lot of dishes, and are pretty good on their own. I slip in another 2 cups of spinach a day just by adding a cup to each of my protein shakes; it doesn't add much if any flavor, makes it easier to digest and actually enhances the overall texture of the shake.

pinuplove

I only like Caesar salad. Or taco salad. Or fried chicken salad. I think you get my drift I eat Caesar salads for lunch at work pretty often but yeah, it can get boring and old. I'd literally NEVER go to a restaurant and order a salad as my entree.

Lounmoun

MikeDubya74 wrote: »

I just can't do salads every day. I'm not a foodie, I don't get excited about eating rich foods. But I've been working salad in a couple of days a week for one meal. And I just don't enjoy it.

What alternatives do you do for salad?

What calorie count are you trying to stick to for this meal? Do you need no cook or low prep food ideas? Are you looking for vegetable/meatless dishes? More information might lead to more helpful suggestions.

I eat food I like that fits my calorie goal.
Breakfast might be yogurt, cottage, dinner leftovers, fruit, a granola bar or a sandwich.
For lunch I typically have dinner leftovers, a sandwich or a salad.
Dinner I have all kinds of things. Usually soup once a week. Casseroles, pasta, tacos, pizza, stir fry, eggs, chicken, fish, etc.

I find food ideas on pinterest.
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.allrecipes.com

ladyannique2017

MikeDubya74 wrote: »

I just can't do salads every day. I'm not a foodie, I don't get excited about eating rich foods. But I've been working salad in a couple of days a week for one meal. And I just don't enjoy it.

What alternatives do you do for salad?

I like raw veggie sticks with hummus.

fitmom4lifemfp

I had Chicken Pot Pie the last 2 days. Homemade - yum! But I love salad and do like to have it at least twice a week - always with grilled chicken. Need my protein!

ericatoday

You don't have to eat them. And if you're not adding dark greens and veggies they're almost pointless anyway. I almost never eat them unless I make a kale and spinach salad with dinner but that's rare

Afura

I eat salad when I'm dumb enough to buy salad mixes when they're on sale, then they're about to go bad. I'm not a fan as I usually require more than just 'a salad'. Like bread, a salad is just a vehicle for other things to me. My mom will eat salad every day. Every day. Sometimes for lunch and dinner. We keep asking her where her rabbit ears and tail are.

I'm a bit bemused as to why you're eating salad if you don't enjoy it, what is the goal behind this? Is it calories, is it nutrients? Is it just that salad is supposed to be healthy so that's what you're supposed to eat?

cwolfman13

I don't really do salads as my meal...it's usually a side with some grilled fish or chicken and some quinoa or something. If I don't have a side salad I just have some other kind of vegetable cooked in some manner or another.

Also, I loath iceberg lettuce...I pretty much stick to spring mix.

MelanieCN77

I love a good chicken caesar but it's not really calorie light if you do it right. I'll do a side salad some days to get some greens in, lately I'm loving arugula with a squeeze of lemon juice and a tbsp of parmesan and some black pepper. Iceberg is kinda pointless unless you're talking a wedge salad and I made a fairly decent and very light version with turkey bacon and the Bolthouse blue cheese dressing. Another good one is spinach with red onion, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and goat cheese.

Lizzy622

You can also do grain bowls. Start with a base of brown rice, quinoa or any whole grain, add some veggies (roasted or raw) and finish with some protein (chicken, fish, lean beef) and then whatever sauce or dressing if you wish.

I use up dinner leftovers this way.

kaizaku

If you don't like vegetables, you can put it in a blender and drink it like a shake/smoothie.

MomReborn

I love salads as long as they are wrapped in flatbread and have some form of protein, like hummus or chicken in them. I suppose that's more of a sandwich, though. Apologies. I guess I wasn't too helpful after all

pinuplove

MomReborn wrote: »

I love salads as long as they are wrapped in flatbread and have some form of protein, like hummus or chicken in them. I suppose that's more of a sandwich, though. Apologies. I guess I wasn't too helpful after all

Actually, you've given me an idea for lunches next week *adds flatbread to grocery list*

TMW2119

I've burned myself out on salads, but still wanted a way to get in veggies each day. My new go to is stir fry made with zoodles (zuchinni) and loaded down with veggies. I make this once a week now and either add chicken or eat it as a side.

kbmnurse

I make a whole wheat pasta salad occasionally. I add numerous veggies, chick peas and a can of albacore tuna. I usually get at least 4 portions. So good.

dustedwithsugar

I don't really eat salads, maybe sometimes as a main meal loaded with stuff like nuts avocado and faux meat or tofu. I much prefer cooked veggies, especially sautéed. Broccoli rulez lol

PaulaWallaDingDong

I also don't eat salads often. Salads have been the "but I don't wanna" food for losing weight probably since before I was born
The good news is, don't wanna, don't hafta. If you want to easily work a variety of vegrtables into your diet, hit up the freezer section of your supermarket. A bazillion different vegetables, vegetable blends, sauced or no, cut, cleaned and ready to heat up. Pop them into a pan or the microwave or whatever. Easy peasy.

Unknown

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victoria_1024

I developed a taste for salad somewhere along the way and eat them 4-5 times a week. Because I love them. But I lost 90 lbs and rarely ate salad during that time so I don't see why it's necessary if you don't like them.

Natso29

I can't stand salad so instead i do lots of veggies cooked with salsa (peppers, tomatoes, lots of black beans and white kidney beans, sometimes broccoli stems or green cabbage) and then add some cooked chicken to make it a meal lol i figure it's like a hot salad

Boland_D

If I need greens and don't want a salad I'll
-sautee spinach with garlic
-make a smoothie and stuff in a bunch of greens
- eat some sauteed veggies
- or get them in with my protein+greens protein powder

But if you want to start enjoying salads add your favorite toppings.
My all time fav is either
-Caesar without croutons and you could add a protein
Or
- Romaine, cabbage, black beans, feta, corn, onion, bell pepper and a low fat chipotle ranch

rdmitch

I've eaten salads almost daily since I was a kid. I like the taste and the crunch. Nothing too fancy but I do add grilled chicken or pepperoni to
the salad to boost the appeal a bit. For me it's a low calorie filling item that I enjoy. Easy to prepare or pack for lunch and minimal
clean up of dishes involved.

MikeDubya74

msr8898 wrote: »

More specifically, what are your goals @MikeDubya74? Are you just trying to consume more veggies in general, or trying to get in more dark leafy greens?

If you're just going for more veggies, just make foods you enjoy eating. I'm with @zachbonner_ on grilling your veggies. It opens up a ton of different ways to prepare them. If you're specifically trying to get more leafy greens in, I suggest trying to add more variety to the salad. There are a lot of different greens out there; you may find that by changing what greens you use in your salad, you find it more palatable.

If that's doesn't seem to do it for you, it may be worthwhile to look into ways to slip greens into other dishes. Wilted greens are fairly easy to add to a lot of dishes, and are pretty good on their own. I slip in another 2 cups of spinach a day just by adding a cup to each of my protein shakes; it doesn't add much if any flavor, makes it easier to digest and actually enhances the overall texture of the shake.

Great question - in general, I tend not to eat healthy, so I'm working things into my diet a little at a time to try and change that. I figured if I can add salad in 2-3 meals a week, that's 2-3 meals where I'm not eating something that I would likely consider unhealthy. Call it a start to a lifestyle change.

try2again

MikeDubya74 wrote: »

msr8898 wrote: »

More specifically, what are your goals @MikeDubya74? Are you just trying to consume more veggies in general, or trying to get in more dark leafy greens?

If you're just going for more veggies, just make foods you enjoy eating. I'm with @zachbonner_ on grilling your veggies. It opens up a ton of different ways to prepare them. If you're specifically trying to get more leafy greens in, I suggest trying to add more variety to the salad. There are a lot of different greens out there; you may find that by changing what greens you use in your salad, you find it more palatable.

If that's doesn't seem to do it for you, it may be worthwhile to look into ways to slip greens into other dishes. Wilted greens are fairly easy to add to a lot of dishes, and are pretty good on their own. I slip in another 2 cups of spinach a day just by adding a cup to each of my protein shakes; it doesn't add much if any flavor, makes it easier to digest and actually enhances the overall texture of the shake.

Great question - in general, I tend not to eat healthy, so I'm working things into my diet a little at a time to try and change that. I figured if I can add salad in 2-3 meals a week, that's 2-3 meals where I'm not eating something that I would likely consider unhealthy. Call it a start to a lifestyle change.

But you don't have to change to a lifestyle that you personally don't like! Eat your vegetables some other way

MikeDubya74

Lounmoun wrote: »

MikeDubya74 wrote: »

I just can't do salads every day. I'm not a foodie, I don't get excited about eating rich foods. But I've been working salad in a couple of days a week for one meal. And I just don't enjoy it.

What alternatives do you do for salad?

What calorie count are you trying to stick to for this meal? Do you need no cook or low prep food ideas? Are you looking for vegetable/meatless dishes? More information might lead to more helpful suggestions.

I eat food I like that fits my calorie goal.
Breakfast might be yogurt, cottage, dinner leftovers, fruit, a granola bar or a sandwich.
For lunch I typically have dinner leftovers, a sandwich or a salad.
Dinner I have all kinds of things. Usually soup once a week. Casseroles, pasta, tacos, pizza, stir fry, eggs, chicken, fish, etc.

I find food ideas on pinterest.
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.allrecipes.com

Thanks for the ideas! usually for a snack I'll have some fresh fruit cut up and mixed with greek yogurt, protein bar, or protein drink (I like the Premier Protein drinks or Pure Protein bars).

My company covers the first $10 of our lunch, so it wouldn't be uncommon to order pizza or a burger from a local restaurant (Seamless is a fantastic thing). So, that's where the salads have come in to the picture in trying to change some of those eating habits.