Absolutely GIANT salads, anyone?

wozkaa

It's hot here.
I love a fresh salad for dinner. I make a mountain of rainbow of shredded, chopped veges and sprinkle with crumbled fetta and chopped olives. Sometimes I add lentils or chickpeas, sometimes I add grilled eggplant and zucchini. Cracked pepper and a splash of lemon juice, balsamic or fat free greek dressing. I usually eat it with lean meat or a small piece of crumbed fish, sometimes with oven potato wedges.

It just looks like a lot but really it mushes down to not much, and I get the 'overeating' guilts when I look at the big pile some days. I have remind myself that it's within my calorie allowance and it's the majority of my veg intake for the day. Weird what tracking my intake makes me think some days!

Do you eat giant salads?

amy1612

Yes, and I dont feel guilty for eating. Get out of that mindset before it sucks you in. If its within your goals then its fine....it is possible to overeat salad, but as long as it fits then what the hell.

maasha81

That sounds delicious OP. As long as it falls within your cal allowance, don't worry about it. Greens and veggies are so good for you

Alatariel75

I eat huge piles of salad and veg at dinner times. It's on my calories, is satisfying, and satisfies my love of a big meal. I've wondered before if I ought to try and cut it down to get used to smaller meals, but then I think "Screw it".

kennie2

this is like a typical lunch
that bowl is bigger than my head

wozkaa

Oh hooray I'm not alone! And pics to prove it thank you! :-D

I am the same with all other veges, except anything really starchy (portion control around potato bake etc is a bit of an issue for me!)
I guess the guilt is from trying to get a handle on portion control, something I have always struggled with.

But I suppose as long as it works, I'll be sticking with it!

RunningMs

Yes! I love a giant salad. I will frequently use an entire 200g bag of lettuce mix plus additional veggies. No need for a plate, as I will eat it right out of the large mixing bowl.

Pearsquared

I had to use one of my mixing bowls specifically for salads because my salads were way too big for my regular bowls. They are super delicious.

AddieOverhaul

Yep, I sometimes have a giant salad for dinner...and it often includes an entire avocado! For a salad to satisfy me, it needs to be big and have some substance in it (like the avocado, chucnky veggies, dried cranberries, etc).

BrookeCalexander

This is me to a T! I've worked out there's nothing that can't be turned into a salad. I'm loving Chili con carne on a big bowl of lettuce instead of rice and also love grilled veggies and a bit of beef, chicken or prawns. I just try and make sure the bulk comes from lettuce - satisfys the need for a big meal, fills you up and low in calories.

A good squeeze of lemon juice has completely replaced my need for dressings too - so yummy!

LaserOctopus

Yes! I also eat giant, epic salads. Always straight out of the big salad bowl!

I try to get all the colors in the produce section, but my default is:
purple cabbage
some sort of green lettuce (whatever looks nice when I'm there) or spinach
green onions
celery
carrots
jicama
raisins
radicchio
anything else that catches my eye

And then I add cheese or egg. Or both.
I add dressing, but I always water down my dressing by about half. Then it's super runny and gets on everything, but just enough to add a bit of flavor.

Delicious!

Briargrey

I love huge salads that fit within my calorie goals. I measure everything to be sure, of course. Lots of kale and spinach, onions, bell peppers, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, green beans or snap peas, extra sharp cheddar, bourbon chicken, and a whole avocado, topped with French's onions and ranch dressing. It runs me about 1000 calories done with a double serving of French's and ranch and 2 oz of cheese and 3-4 of meat. If I need to cut back, those are the places I do, because that's where the big calories are coming from. [And the avocado, but I don't believe in cutting back on avocado because that's just WRONG]

Briargrey

Oh, and what I find amusing - my husband likes his vegetables cut very thin, like paper thin. So I use the slicer thing for him and he gets paper thin radishes, carrots, and cucumbers. I can't STAND it like that, so I cut mine in the rough chunks I love. It feels like more substance to me done that way. He offered to do his own, but for some reason, I consider the salad making to be MY thing and it adds about 1 minute more to prep time. [He's the stay-at-home dad who cooks and cleans and does everything for me, so once a week I do the cooking and whenever we have salad, I kick him out of the kitchen and do it. Otherwise, it's all his]

pinky6767

I love a giant Julienne salad. Tons of lettuce, hard boiled egg, grated cheese, chunks of turkey, tomato, shredded carrots. Then either just some oil and vinegar, or some balsamic dressing !! Its sooooo good ! We serve these at most restaurants and they're so big , i usually can't even make it through half of it ! But, its fun trying ! heehee

avskk

I love a good big salad. I prefer to use very dark greens (as opposed to lettuces, etc.) and lots of colorful chopped veggies -- tomatoes, sweet peppers, radishes, carrots. It's never occurred to me to worry about this preference!

kimmymayhall

Yes, I love a hearty salad. I just throw all the good things in my fridge on top of some greens. Veggies cooked or raw, various cheeses, nuts, beans, cooked meat, canned sardines, tempeh, avocado, boiled or fried eggs, all topped with a simple olive oil dressing. Grain based salads are also good, leftover rice/barley/couscous mixed with some/all if the above.