What do you put in your salads?

wftiger

I make taco salad. I just make up big batch of chicken on Sunday and flavor with homemade taco seasoning (or salsa if I am lazy) and then I have the meat for all week. I throw together the veggies and put some cheese on it. Bring a little sour cream and salsa and I am set. I keep meat separate so I can heat it up a little since i don't like cold chicken too much. If I have extra carbs I will crush up a 1oz bag of Doritos for some crunch.

giggles7706

Been wanting to do something more with my salads. Some really good ideas here!

Skeena4

lettuce or spinach (greens - blah blah)
apples, cherry tomatoes, carrots, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower
generally what's in the fridge :-) oh once i tried a tin of corn it was good.

almonds, eggs, tuna (not all at once of course, I usually just pick one protein)

MaybeAMonkey

I'm also not a fan of iceberg, I just don't see the point as there's no flavor to it. My base is usually a spring mix (red, green, endive, arugula, etc), fresh spinach, or bibb lettuce (or all of the above) and then I usually do some or all of the ingredients below depending on if I'm in the mood for a sweet or savory salad:

Sweet salads: dried cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, cubed apples, kiwi, grapes, cucumber, snap peas, feta and/or provalone and/or mozzarella cheese, sliced almonds and/or sunflower seeds, seasoned grilled chicken with raspberry vinaigrette.

Savory salads: sweet peppers (red, orange, and yellow), pepperorcinis, black and/or green olives, snap peas, celery, cucumber, carrots, feta and/or provolone and/or mozzarella cheese, sliced almonds and/or sunflower seeds, hard boiled egg (usually no yolk), seasoned grilled chicken with balsamic vinaigrette (and sometimes I throw in cubed salami if there's room in my calorie count).

angieroo2

-romaine lettuce
- lots of edemame because i find it filling and it has plenty of protein
- Greek Feta
- Cucumbers
- bell peppers
- salmon or chicken
- crispy chow mein noodles

and to get the biggest variety, I frequently switch up the dressing.

fordguy74

I like to bake turkey or chicken in some hot sauce and have a buffalo chicken salad.

dsjohndrow

I make a fruit one with apples mixed berries, walnuts, cranberries and Greek yogurt.

I make a protein salad with spinach, tuna, cheese, eggs, copped chicken breast, ripe olives and red peppers.

ScarletShopaholic

bump, keeping some of these ideas :happy:

brneydgrlie

My favorite has spinach, black beans, broccoli, cucumber, grilled chicken (or shrimp), pico de gallo, and sometimes some kalamata olives or avocado.

brneydgrlie

Sunflower kernels and sliced strawberries are also great in salads. I use the kernels instead of croutons. And the strawberries rock if you are using balsamic vinegar in/as your dressing.

Jezebel9

The most nutritionally complete food source in the world: hemp seeds; this is standard. But to spice things up, I also add in grapes, apples, olives, nuts, strawberries...

Ohbutiloveicecream

Ooh. Great thread!

My default salad base is:

greens (romaine, spinach, mixed greens, etc.)
bean (chickpea, black, red, white, etc.)
meat (occasionally, and whatever is on hand/leftover: baked chicken, salmon, meatballs, meatloaf, etc.)
pico de gallo*
sweet corn
avocado*

*I'll like to mash the avocado with the pico de gallo in lieu of dressing

LilSomethin

Romaine lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, feta cheese and Kens Light Options Raspberry Walnut...Yum Yum!!!!! Eat this a couple days a week and never get bored

Goal_Seeker_1988

bump

brneydgrlie

I also make my own Japanese-style ginger garlic dressing to use on salads. Sooo good! It has in it:

olive oil
rice wine vinegar and lemon juice (equal amounts of each)
low sodium soy sauce
grated fresh ginger
grated fresh garlic
sesame oil (only about a teaspoon - when I have it in the house).

I make the dressing up in my old Good Seasons cruet - you know the glass bottle with the plastic pouring lid that is pre-marked for mixing the salad dressing packets? I just use the lines on the cruet for guidance. Oils to the O line, soy sauce using the W (water) line, and the lemon and rice vinegar to the V line. The garlic and ginger I add in according to my own taste (I like quite a bit!). Shake it up, and put it in my fridge. It has a lot of flavor, so I don't need to use much at all. Portioning it out at about 1 tablespoon at a time, it lasts me a good two to three weeks.

saraann4

I'm usually very plain/boring when it comes to salads. If I make it myself, it consists of romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, and dressing.

If I don't make it myself, (i love a good chef salad), lettuce, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, cheese, ham or grilled chicken. Everything tastes better when someone else makes it!!

retunks

I use romain heart and add cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli, 2 kinds of cheese, walnut pieces, cherry cranberries, raw sunflower seeds, blueberries, shredded carrots,
Takes a while to make it, but is very good.

aimforhealthy

I start with a bed of mixed greens, then I throw whatever's in my fridge on there. Scraps of produce that I want to use before it goes bad, etc. Today it was mushrooms, broccoli and slices of yellow pepper. Could be scallions, grated ginger, chow mein noodles, lentils or chickpeas, grated carrots, snow peas, asparagus, beats, avocados, arugula, whatever I have on hand.

My family is from Cuba, and there, "a salad" is basically "a pile of non-meat." I've heard people refer to a few slices of avocados with a pinch of sea salt as "a salad."

briyowes

I get these packs from Wal-mart of "artisan" lettuce. Has 4 different kinds. I love red leaf lettuce. I mix up the different kinds and add some baby spinach. Occationally tomatoes, and mushrooms, but usually just croutons and dressing. I grew up an Ott's girl, then decided I like ranch, however, I recently found something healthy and so stinking delish: Raspberry vinegrette. WOWIE! Add just an ounce or so of grilled chicken and some fresh parm, delisioso!

I love the artisan lettuce also. Aldi's had some for only $1.69 at one point, but I haven't seen it for a while. So, I buy the sweet butter lettuce and spring mix from Aldi's. These are some of the regulars on my salads:

grilled chicken or tuna in pouch
boiled egg
dried cranberries
shredded carrots
broccoli slaw
red, yellow, orange peppers
mushrooms
cucumbers
grape tomatoes
parmesan cheese crumbles
Salad Toppings (sprinkles including sunflower seeds, pine nuts, bacon bits, and other items)
Onion & Herb Mrs. Dash
Walden Farms 0 calorie Bacon Ranch or Raspberry Vinaigrette

PhenomeNae

i usually do a 50/50 mix of spring lettuce and baby spinach
then i add...
baby portobella mushrooms
shredded carrots
grape tomatoes
broccoli
alfalfa sprouts
cashews
non fat cottage cheese
chopped chicken breast
shredded low fat mexican blend cheese

sometimes i'll add
avocado
dried blueberries
sunflower seeds
few tablespoons of dressing