What do you put on your salads?

BrendaLee
BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
I've never been a veggie eater, and that includes lettuce. I eat the occasional salad, but it's probably one of the most fattening things I eat by time I load on the italian dressing, cheese and croutons. I'd like to find some healthier, but tasty options.

What do you put on your salads?
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Replies

  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    I've never been a veggie eater, and that includes lettuce. I eat the occasional salad, but it's probably one of the most fattening things I eat by time I load on the italian dressing, cheese and croutons. I'd like to find some healthier, but tasty options.

    What do you put on your salads?

    so many veggies can go in the salad
    no croutons....never liked them anyway
    no cheese, unless you find fat free cheese i guess
    i cut up cooked chicken breast deli slices or ham and toss it in there
    and i use low fat kraft dressing, it isn't the healthiest, but it is what's on sale and isn't THAT bad
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
    beans, blue cheese (whole foods blue cheese crumbles 100 cal/ounce, only need 1/2 ounce) , toasted walnuts or pinenuts, homemade basalmic dressing, grated carrots, beets, boiled eggs.
  • junkgypsy
    junkgypsy Posts: 217
    Romaine, tomato, onion, cucumber, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, little bit of cheese, and vinegar. :love:
  • barbarella
    barbarella Posts: 609 Member
    I look for "watery" veggies that have very few calories:

    mixed greens, lettuce
    cucumber, celery, bell peppers, onions etc.

    tomatoes..... most raw veggies

    cooked chicken
    canned beans like garbanzos
    sunflower seeds, almonds

    Trader Joe's dressings are tasty, mostly low calorie, natural ingredients

    Avoid, ween away from cheese, croutons, bacon bits etc. = fattening!
  • I love salads, especially in the summer when we can use all the fresh veggies we grow in the garden. For me its usually dark leafy lettuce like romaine or swiss chard (no iceburg!!), with tomato, cucumber, red and/or green peppers, peas (snow peas or freshly shelled), baby carrots, sometimes mushrooms, and scallions for flavor. If I am feeling for something different I'll throw in a few slices of strawberries or fresh mandarin orange segments. Nuts like walnuts and almonds are high in good fats, but be careful how many you're putting on, they pack a caloric punch. For dressings I usually use a simple red wine or apple cider vinegar with 1 tbsp of olive oil. I also like vinaigrette dressings, like balsamic vinaigrette or the Kraft light Raspberry vinaigrette. They are flavorful yet light in fat and calories. Newman's Own also makes many light dressings. Usually for me a salad is a side dish to a meal, but if it were to be my main entrée, I'd add a lean protein like strips of blackened chicken or lean cuts of steak or pork.
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,190 Member
    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
    spinach, tomatoes, red pepper, yellow pepper, cucumber, radishes, onion

    Newman's Own Natural Salad Mist Asian Sesame

    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • romaine, cucumber, raw mushrooms (i :heart: mushrooms!), cold edamame (soy beans), chicken breast, hardboiled egg (i try eating less animal protien and more egg protien), and lowfat dressing..

    i'm really picky. :tongue:
  • RunLillian
    RunLillian Posts: 23 Member
    I didn't like salads either until I tried this...

    mixed lettuce (including spinach)
    boiled chicken chunks
    some feta cheese (not a lot but it def adds taste)
    and an oil based vinaigrette...I go with greek!
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
    Lately it's been alfalfa sprouts, tuna (made with mustard, vegan mayo, and tofutti cream cheese), and a half cup of cottage cheese on top of a bed of romaine.
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
    I love to make a salad with 1/2 baby spinach leaves and 1/2 of whatever bagged salad mix was on sale, throw in some fresh chopped cilantro, kraft fat free ranch, quartered grape tomatoes (sooo sweet and yummy!) some sweet red or vidalia onions, cubed avocado.... absolutely my favorite salad. Even my hubby and kids love that one and they are not particularly fond of some of the healthy concoctions I come up with :smile: You can throw cubed chicken, chopped boiled eggs, or tuna salad made with light mayo on top of just about any salad to get some extra protein or turn it into a meal. I really have fun with salads, there are so many low cal dressing varieties that I never get tired of salads.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    I like adding couscous and lentils to my salad
    an oz of crumbled low fat feta cheese or goats cheese
    asian pear, julienned
    walnuts!
    balsamic vinegrette
    or for a treat I will go for a full fat blue cheese dressing, but only dunk the prongs of my fork in it for 'taste'
  • weightoffmom
    weightoffmom Posts: 61 Member
    I like to add Feta Cheese. Very srong taste so a very little goes along way.

    I put it in eggs and pasta too
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    Red Pepper, onion, crushed almonds , balsamic vinegrette.

    I don't think anybody mentioned this.

    I love having cut up fruit in my salad. :tongue:

    First time I had a "veggie salad" with apple and bits of tangerine, I was sold.

    I'll cut up pieces of one of the following : green grapes, apple, orange, tangerine, strawberry.

    Who said a salad has to be pure vegetables.:laugh:
  • abr25
    abr25 Posts: 179
    If you don't like salad try making it a FRUIT salad.

    Add:

    * some cut up grapes
    * slices of oranges or clementines
    * fresh cherries pitted and cut

    *fresh strawberries are my favorite on top of dark greens with some toasted walnuts, and a light vinaigrette type of dressing :) YUM
  • athenakay
    athenakay Posts: 15
    :flowerforyou: I love taking fresh veggies and trying to create somethng delicious. I chop several roma tomatos into small cubes and add a little onion and garlic, (optional on the onion and garlic) Squeeze some lemon juice into the tomatos (about 1/2 lemon) and then add a little salt and pepper and garlic powder. The tomatoe mixture can be put over many things, like grilled fish or chicken. But I like putting it over my salad. I also chop some thin slices of smoked salmon and put it in the tomato mixture and then put it over my salad. That helps me to get through the issue of high calorie and fat dressings.
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    I really like dried cranberries (sheesh- I hope that's right, maybe they have their own name like raisins?) in mine. In general, I hate cranberries, but in salads I really like them. I also love sunflower seeds in my salad. I'm sure they can accumulate calories and/or fat pretty quickly, but a little goes a long way. When I don't have those I usually add some crushed up peanuts. I've also been known to make my salads exclusively from those baby spinach leaves, wet iceberg lettuce just isn't my cup of tea.

    I'm sure you'll find something that you think is delicious. :smile:
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
    on your standard everyday garden salad....

    I love to put grilled chicken, fresh blueberries, fat free feta, litehouse blueberry pomegranite vinegriatte

    It's my new favorite salad!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Romaine lettuce and whatever alternative lettuce I have (red leaf, spring greens, etc.)
    Alfalfa sprouts
    Grilled chicken or sliced ham
    A couple of black olives and green olives
    Sprinkle of crumbled Feta cheese
    Cucumber sliced
    Tomato wedges
    Red onion rings
    Fat free kraft shredded cheese
    Artichoke hearts

    Whatever kind of fat free dressing I'm in the mood for...
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
    I really like dried cranberries (sheesh- I hope that's right, maybe they have their own name like raisins?)

    They call them "crasins" (not sure if I spelled it correctly though) here :laugh:
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    romaine, cucumber, raw mushrooms (i :heart: mushrooms!), cold edamame (soy beans), chicken breast, hardboiled egg (i try eating less animal protien and more egg protien), and lowfat dressing..

    i'm really picky. :tongue:

    i love love love hardboiled eggs!
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    a lot of you guys really seem to like fruit on your salad. i personally can't stand it! maybe on the side!
  • I like egg in my salad. And homemade dressing is soooo good esp, balsamic :love:. And avocado with bacon (a slice or two cut up). And many veggies. I happen to really like butter lettuce for the soft texture. If you don't like regular iceberg you can try many other salad bases. Experiment! ^^
  • dothompson
    dothompson Posts: 1,184 Member
    I've been mixing 1 TBS Lite Ranch Dressing with 1TBS Red Taco sauce. The taco sauce lightens up the dressing and gives it a really a little bit of a tang and a little heat. It's yummy and I can't get enough.

    My salad itself is pretty basic. Greens, red onion, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper.
  • queen3510
    queen3510 Posts: 180
    Romain lettuce, spring mix combo
    tomatoes, onions, avocado, cukes, peppers
    homemade blue cheese dressing
    salad toppers (salmon)
    boiled eggs
    salad seasoning
  • spinach, green cabbage and red cabbage
    Lots of fresh basil
    red and yellow bell peppers
    tomatoes
    red onion
    dried cranberries
    sesame seeds
    mango
    avocado
    hard boiled eggs
    feta
    ground flax seed
    olive oil and balsamic vinegar

    I make a huge bowl and have salad for lunch and dinner. It takes a long time to make and eat and it's really filling. This is a mainstay of my diet.
  • QtPiJJ
    QtPiJJ Posts: 23
    OOO I use a romaine/baby spinach mix
    Cucumbers
    Green and Red Peppers
    Low Fat Pepperjack Cheese Cubes
    Peapods
    Tomato chunks
    Wasabi spicy nuts
    Low fat french dressing
  • johnblake
    johnblake Posts: 661
    being on a ship and we are at sea for weeks at a time, there is not much I have not put in a sallad or made a salad out of but here are 2 of the best ones so far.

    diced chix with dice fresh peaches (after 12 days they where starting to become very soft) low fat cream cheese mixed with low fat mayo crushed red pepers and S&P. mix it all up let it sit for a few hours, and enjoy

    Tuna with diced green apples crumbed Feta , S&P.

    as far a green salad I have put everything in there from leftover meat, to cut up cold baked potato, beans, you name it
    good luck with green
  • LeanLioness
    LeanLioness Posts: 1,091 Member
    Romaine and Ice Berg Lettuce, Baby Spinach (a handfull of each)
    Tomato
    Red Onion
    Red cabbage
    Radish
    Cucumber
    Few Carrot Shreds
    Sugar Snap Peas
    Slivered Almonds
    Freshly Shredded Full-Fat Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
    Home made Ranch Dressing
  • codykitty
    codykitty Posts: 729
    I'm not really a salad person either, but I love veggies! I prefer fresh endive, red bell peppers, radishes and hummus or tzaziki to dip them in!
  • aariel22
    aariel22 Posts: 37
    high calorie, but very healthy and very filling for a complete meal. I make a BIG salad and it is sooooo good.

    baby greens
    sunflower seeds
    avocado
    heirloom tomatoes
    organic flax oil from TJ
    juice of half a lemon
    salt (I use HerbaMare from Whole Foods)
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