Critique my salad

Goldenwoof

Hiya,

I have salads for lunch most days and am looking for opinions on how healthy they are, and if there's anything else I could/should add to them. I'm always looking for ways to mix things up or improve upon what I've already got.

Here's what's in there now:

Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Cucumbers
Baby tomaters
Carrot sticks
Hard boiled egg
White albacore tuna OR grilled chicken breast
A sprinkle of Feta cheese
A sprinkle of Craisins (which I forgot to bring to worth with me today...DAMMIT!!!)

Topped off with some red wine vinaigrette dressing (when using tuna) or light Italian dressing (when using chicken).

Good stuff, lemme tell ya. I great mix of flavors, which I like, but if there's something I could change/add to make it better...lemme hear ya!

UsedToBeHusky

Have you considered making your own dressing? You could cut down on the cals and sodium. And if you're creative, you could have a really unique taste for your salad.

Goldenwoof

Have you considered making your own dressing? You could cut down on the cals and sodium. And if you're creative, you could have a really unique taste for your salad.

I haven't considered that, but I am now. Thanks!

MattGetsMad

Garbanzo beans! Make the salad way more filling dude.

Ge0rgiana

Albacore has more mercury than regular tuna. Other than that, is it meeting your calorie needs without adding a ton of sodium? It sounds freakin' tasty to me.

Ge0rgiana

Garbanzo beans! Make the salad way more filling dude.

Yeah, I like this!

JudyL5305

I was just going to say beans. I always add chic peas especially to my salad!

happybrooke

I am so jealous! I am stuck with the most boring salad today!! About how many cals / Protein is that salad? It sounds delicious! I love salads and this is inspiring!

imaprncs

try adding broccoli and or cauliflower, green pepers, radish, the more veggies you put in the more filling it will be

lsgordon02143

You could toss with lemon juice and reduce the dressing I suppose, but it already sounds pretty darned healthy. I like adding red quinoa and often capers to almost every salad.

--LG

ginap38

This is my salad minus the craisins. i add eddamame 1/4 cup adds more protein and sometimes red or white cabbage adds sweetness

walkwithme1

I used a mixed greens salad, add pecans, craisins, oranges and a honey crisp, pink lady or sweet tango apple and I use a rasberry walnut vinagrette dressing (it's fat free i think) It all has an amazing flavor and during the spring and summer i use strawberries. By far my favorite salad. occasionally if I'm real hungry will add grilled chicken or even a bit of pork tenderloin.

Laurayinz

Can you afford (calorie-wise) to add some nuts? sliced almonds or a few walnuts... maybe blue sheese instead of feta?

I put a huge variety in my salads, so much that the lettuce is a minority. Olives, beets, red onions, green peppers, banana pepper rings, yummmmm

byHISstrength

Nuts and seeds are good additions for some healthy fats.

tiyatela

some quinoa

peperoncini peppers sliced

kale

make your own dressing - oil n vinegar then few tspn fruit juice of ? add fruit pectin then shake to thicken

bluiz13

i like my dressing more vinegar versus oil so i made the vinegar equal the oil in my version....but here is the recipe as i printed it....i also like to add chopped broccoli and sometimes sunflower seeds or mini croutons....

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional*
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions
Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings. If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

*If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.

Rubyinthesand2012

Beetroot fantastic in salads full of antioxidents & nutrients vitamin C potassium etc.
raw cauliflower is good too and has a nice crunch
agree with radishes

also like Edamame beans too

bcattoes

I would grade that an A+ It sounds incredibly delicious and nutritious.

jeffazi

Sounds amazing. I think I found my salad! : )

scapez

Garbanzo beans! Make the salad way more filling dude.

Dang, you stole my suggestion!

Goldenwoof

Albacore has more mercury than regular tuna. Other than that, is it meeting your calorie needs without adding a ton of sodium? It sounds freakin' tasty to me.

I always struggled to choke down regular tuna. Someone turned me onto albacore since it wasn't as "tuna"-y. I don't mind the taste or the smell at all, so I stuck with it. Not sure how much mercury is in there or how much is too much, though. But I'll definitely look into it!

Goldenwoof

I am so jealous! I am stuck with the most boring salad today!! About how many cals / Protein is that salad? It sounds delicious! I love salads and this is inspiring!

It's got something like 350 calories and 25 grams of protein. And best of all, it fills me up big-time. I'm good to go for the rest of the afternoon after one of these.

christinepatrice

This sounds like a winner. Something I'll definitely try tonight.

bahacca

black olives, beets, artichoke hearts, sprouts, onion, bell peppers, black beans, other cheese
Here are 3 of my fav salads:
Lettuce, spinach, onion, tomato, cucumber--dressing-squirt a lemon half over it, salt pepper and then add dried MINT. It is so refreshing.
For a great summer salad:
Lettuce, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts and/or almonds, chicken breast and the Gorgonzola Pear dressing from Trader Joes. (You could use a raspberry vinegrette or other slighly sweet dressing)
"Taco" salad
Greens, black beans, black olives, chicken(or ground beef if you have the calories), shredded cheddar cheese, onion, tomato--dressing is a mix of salsa and low or non-fat sour cream all mixed up and poured over it.

psmd

Hiya,

I have salads for lunch most days and am looking for opinions on how healthy they are, and if there's anything else I could/should add to them. I'm always looking for ways to mix things up or improve upon what I've already got.

Here's what's in there now:

Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Cucumbers
Baby tomaters
Carrot sticks
Hard boiled egg
White albacore tuna OR grilled chicken breast
A sprinkle of Feta cheese
A sprinkle of Craisins (which I forgot to bring to worth with me today...DAMMIT!!!)

Topped off with some red wine vinaigrette dressing (when using tuna) or light Italian dressing (when using chicken).

Good stuff, lemme tell ya. I great mix of flavors, which I like, but if there's something I could change/add to make it better...lemme hear ya!

Instead of spinach, for variety, try red cabbage. Things in there that don't need to be are cheese and Craisins. Instead of cheese try avocado. Instead of Craisins add some pumpkin seeds or walnuts. Also would add maybe broccoli for more veggies. If it's too much would take out the cucumbers which are good but have less nutritional value. Can also add some boiled al dente beets which are awesome for you and make a salad sweeter (also instead of the Craisins).

becoming_a_new_me

I like to top my salad with black beans and salsa instead of dressing. Really filling and very tasty!

aregensb

I will do: tomatoes, black beans or chickpeas, chicken breast, cucumbers, deli ham (low sodium), deli cheese (like lowfat swiss or cheddar) or mozzarella cheese, hardboiled (or softboiled) egg.

I often don't even use dressing because of all the flavors that are already in it. Sometimes, I'll put some homemade hummus in it to moisten it up.

When I do dressing, I usually whisk together a 1:1 ratio of EVOO and balsamic or white wine or red wine vinegar. You could add a little bit of mustard to the dressing as well or add some spices (like oregano or basil) to make things more interesting.

It makes for a very filling and delicious salad. It's also quite a bit of protein with a chicken breast, egg, ham, and beans in it.

pangela13

fresh lemon juice and evoo.

kgorman1984

avacado or boiled eggs are awesome chopped green onion good and cheap

gingerb85

Try adding:

sugar snap peas
fresh blueberries
avocado
nuts/seeds (love pumpkin seeds)
zucchini or yellow squash instead of cukes
grilled veggies
mushrooms (raw, marinated, grilled, or sauteed)
artichoke hearts
a crisp, tart apple like a Granny Smith
fresh, raw green beans
broccoli/cauliflower (raw or roasted)
beans
fresh leafy herbs - cilantro, mint, parsley, chervil, whatever else you like
try some different lettuce varieties - endive, green or red curly leaf lettuce, butter/bibb lettuce, mache (my very FAVORITE), radicchio, arugula, chicory
raw grated carrot
raw grated beet
jicama
roasted butternut squash or sweet potato

courtclerkkris

Peas on my salad make me happy!!! I wouldn't put them on there all the time but a nice little switchup. I would use edamame IF I could get it at my podunk grocery store, but I can't.