Lets talk salads

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  • Lolinloggen
    Lolinloggen Posts: 465 Member
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    zeejane03 wrote: »
    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    I take a salad to work every day I prepare them a day before. A salad is easy and travels well as long as you don't add dressing
    I noted that dressing and other acids containing stuff will make them go floppy (gurken, for instance). WA those last minute if at all you want them then you can keep them about 24-30 hours when cold

    My salads contain just about anything that is a veggie; red beet (boiled or roasted) shredded cabbage, lettuce any variety, carrot, fennel, turnip, parsnip, cucumber, radishes, celery
    During the winter I used a lot of root vegetables (in a variety of colour) and pumpkin but I used them steamed So I'd make a large batch of steamed vegetables and then added those to the salad. Also in that case the salad held for 24 hours easily.

    In the morning I take my salad out fo the fridge and to work and it will hold quite nicely outside of the fridge until lunchtime At work my salads are somewhat famous mainly because of their size

    How do you transport it? My lunch salads are the size of a mixing bowl, I'd have no idea how to bring it out of the house, unless maybe I just plastic wrapped the top of the bowl?

    Well there are plenty sealable lunch boxes available everywhere. Just have a google or try Amazon. I use this one https://mepal.com/en/lunchbox-ellipse-duo-nordic-green-107640092400
    They have others too. Also plenty other suppliers Tupperware to Sistema to whatever brand is local Any homeware store has these types of things
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
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    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    I take a salad to work every day I prepare them a day before. A salad is easy and travels well as long as you don't add dressing
    I noted that dressing and other acids containing stuff will make them go floppy (gurken, for instance). WA those last minute if at all you want them then you can keep them about 24-30 hours when cold

    My salads contain just about anything that is a veggie; red beet (boiled or roasted) shredded cabbage, lettuce any variety, carrot, fennel, turnip, parsnip, cucumber, radishes, celery
    During the winter I used a lot of root vegetables (in a variety of colour) and pumpkin but I used them steamed So I'd make a large batch of steamed vegetables and then added those to the salad. Also in that case the salad held for 24 hours easily.

    In the morning I take my salad out fo the fridge and to work and it will hold quite nicely outside of the fridge until lunchtime At work my salads are somewhat famous mainly because of their size

    How do you transport it? My lunch salads are the size of a mixing bowl, I'd have no idea how to bring it out of the house, unless maybe I just plastic wrapped the top of the bowl?

    Well there are plenty sealable lunch boxes available everywhere. Just have a google or try Amazon. I use this one https://mepal.com/en/lunchbox-ellipse-duo-nordic-green-107640092400
    They have others too. Also plenty other suppliers Tupperware to Sistema to whatever brand is local Any homeware store has these types of things

    Looking at that container I'm realizing how big my salads actually are, I need to take a picture lol :)
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    I work full time and have salad everyday. Either me or my housemate assembles it - the good thing then is sometimes I have no idea what I am going to get and it's a fun surprise!!!

    Sometimes at the weekend I'll do a root vegetable/cabbage coleslaw type base. I like this one from Ottolenghi[url="http://"] but sometimes I'll make my own up - usually finely chopping cabbage, and using Tahini, oil, lemon juice etc. as a base. Making that at the weekend allows the vegetables to soften a bit.

    Then the night before, it's throw things together - dressings are kept in a mini jam jar from having a cream tea at a National Trust house for adding later.

    Mixes will usually include some of the following -
    tomatoes
    cucumber
    cornichon
    capers
    olives
    lettuce (variety)
    finely sliced broccoli or cauliflower
    finely sliced raw mushroom
    beetroot (raw or cooked)
    carrots
    spring onion
    sweetcorn
    peppers
    occasionally fruit - oranges work well

    then a protein - feta cheese, ham, spiced sausage, goats cheese, smoked cheese, hard boiled egg, chicken etc. all work very well. Or roasted and spiced chickpeas are a good addition

    I sometimes add seeds such as sesame as well.

    I might also add a leftover carb from my dinner - potatoes, quinoa, giant couscous, pasta all work well.

    You can go pretty wild with the ingredients. salad doesn't HAVE to be just lettuce and tomatoes!!!

    It all gets crammed into a plastic tub and tipped out onto a plate at lunchtime.
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  • Lorleee
    Lorleee Posts: 369 Member
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    I made a roasted sweet potato salad this week and it's delicious
    https://www.averiecooks.com/?s=sweet+potato+salad
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    My favorite is mixed lettuce, black beans, some type of cheese, bacon crumbles, hardboiled egg, cucumber with salsa as dressing or hot sauce mixed with a little ranch for dressing. I usually eat with some crackers as well.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    Glad to see I'm not the only one eating mixing-bowl sized salads :) I scanned the thread and apologies if this has already been mentioned and I missed it - I often add crushed tortilla chips to mine. I love the crunch and touch of salt.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Kathryn247 wrote: »
    I put diced up leftover pizza on my salads. It's croutons, meat, cheese, and vegetables all in one.

    This is the best thing I have ever read on the MFP boards.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I was never able to eat huge salads responsibly because I like a comparatively high ration of dressing to other stuff, but since they started making delicious Greek yogurt dressings, I can make ginormous salads with tons of dressing for way less calories than I could wrangle before!
  • Lenpayasa
    Lenpayasa Posts: 69 Member
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    You can check out my food diary. I eat a salad almost every day.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 693 Member
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    I have grains with mine, they fill me up better for longer. A batch of could cous/ bulghar wheat/ quinoa happily lasts a few days in the fridge.
    That's the base, then add the veg. usually a mix of roasted and raw, a slice of lemon to squeeze over for dressing. couple of falafel, yum. Mine is in a box and gets transported in a thermal lunch bag for work.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
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    5tpfaaczzflu.jpg

    I love this. Men’s Health frequently gets it right.
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
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    Mmmmm salad!

    Greek - black olives, feta, cucumber
    Asian - Mandarin oranges, crunchy noodles, cabbage, snow peas
    Fajita - onions, peppers, crunched tortilla chips, black beans, salsa for dressing
    Thai - peppers, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, spicy peanut sauce
    Harvest - blue cheese, pear or apple, walnuts.
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    edited April 2019
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    I like to vary the greens, and I’m allergic to lettuce and some of the “mixed field greens” so I make most of mine from scratch too.

    Thinly sliced red and/or green cabbage (use bagged coleslaw mix to save time) with tuna or chicken, cilantro, and an Asian-flavored dressing (or mash avocado and mix with coconut aminos or soy sauce, some sesame oil, ginger) is good.

    I’ll chop cabbage, spinach, baby kale, cilantro or mint, other raw veggies, and mix it all up, then partition it into quart-sized ziplock bags. It’ll keep for several days to a week. Then you can grab and go, a good base for a salad, grab extra toppings if you want (also easy to pre-portion when you have time) and dressing. I’ll chop up leftover meats and portion them out so they’re ready to grab, too.

    Shredded Chyote squash is crisp and tastes like apple, makes a good addition. Or chopped apples if you don’t mind them browning. Shredded fennel, or chopped fennel leaves add unique flavor.
  • Spadesheart
    Spadesheart Posts: 463 Member
    edited April 2019
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    I just made a smashed chickpea salad for sandwiches and stuff and that is a solid, dead simple recipe.

    3 cups drained chickpeas
    1/2 cup yogurt
    2 teaspoons lemon juice
    8 cloves of finely chopped and slightly pasted garlic
    Cilantro to taste
    chili flakes to taste
    Salt to taste

    Mash with a potato masher until the consistency is what you want. Make a little saltier than you'd want if you plan on putting it in sandwiches. Macro's are good at 3 servings. 270 cal with like 19 grams of protein, 370 if you want it on a toast. If you don't need to be as calorie conscious, add some olive oil.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited April 2019
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    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    I take a salad to work every day I prepare them a day before. A salad is easy and travels well as long as you don't add dressing
    I noted that dressing and other acids containing stuff will make them go floppy (gurken, for instance). WA those last minute if at all you want them then you can keep them about 24-30 hours when cold

    My salads contain just about anything that is a veggie; red beet (boiled or roasted) shredded cabbage, lettuce any variety, carrot, fennel, turnip, parsnip, cucumber, radishes, celery
    During the winter I used a lot of root vegetables (in a variety of colour) and pumpkin but I used them steamed So I'd make a large batch of steamed vegetables and then added those to the salad. Also in that case the salad held for 24 hours easily.

    In the morning I take my salad out fo the fridge and to work and it will hold quite nicely outside of the fridge until lunchtime At work my salads are somewhat famous mainly because of their size

    How do you transport it? My lunch salads are the size of a mixing bowl, I'd have no idea how to bring it out of the house, unless maybe I just plastic wrapped the top of the bowl?

    Well there are plenty sealable lunch boxes available everywhere. Just have a google or try Amazon. I use this one https://mepal.com/en/lunchbox-ellipse-duo-nordic-green-107640092400
    They have others too. Also plenty other suppliers Tupperware to Sistema to whatever brand is local Any homeware store has these types of things

    Looking at that container I'm realizing how big my salads actually are, I need to take a picture lol :)

    Uhm it is 1,5L It is a salad bowl that fits in there - I know form experience Large salad bowl tip it in scrunch and yes there it is. Takes a little pushing to get the air out but it does it The pic does not do it justice. Not sure why I am even defending myself here
    Besides It is just an idea, then then take two of them - just think outside the box - use google (the last one is also just an idea

    My sincere apologies for just trying to be helpful :neutral:

    I don't think she was looking for a carrying method or slamming your suggestion or being negative. Just mocking her own giant salads.

    Personally, I use a mixing bowl for an salad as a whole meal at home, but when going to work I have a tupperware container that works fine (bigger than a standard salad bowl, but smaller than my bigger mixing bowl, but as you note the salad fits together more tightly, although I like to save some room to shake it around). I also might make it differently and emphasize some higher cal ingredients more when bringing it to work, because my giant mixing bowl salads sometimes take longer to eat than I have time to eat at work.

    I love lunch salads and do them a lot, even at work.
  • keenest37
    keenest37 Posts: 61 Member
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    The salad I make typically is red leaf lettuce, red bell pepper, chick peas, tomatoes, carrots, granny smith apple, artichoke hearts. Lately been adding a little pickle & red onion.
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
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    I’ve been using pumpkin seeds as a topper for salads lately - adds some salt and a lil crisp!
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
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    There are so many different options!

    I build my salads this way:

    1) choose a green - kale, romaine, spinach, arugula, iceburg, butter, chard, etc. Sometimes I throw in several kinds for variety.
    2) choose a protein - I keep things on hand like diced ham, canned tuna, cooked chicken breast, shrimp, etc
    3) Dressing - I keep several options on hand including homemade balsamic vinaigrette and just grab whichever one flirts my fancy on any given day
    4) add ins - I buy a bunch of veggies every week and prep them on Sundays, so have things like peppers, cucumbers, onions, mushrooms prepped and ready in the fridge to throw in whatever looks good
    5) toppings - this is a great way to add some extra flavor, things like crumbled bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, etc and what you add depends on your dietary needs.

    I like chopped salads, I take my lunches to work, and they store and transport better in tall containers.

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