Salad Ideas?

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cmccoy0901
cmccoy0901 Posts: 156 Member
in Recipes
I love having salads, but I'm wanting some new ideas to change my salads up and have a variety of salads.
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  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
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    I don't know what you are putting in your salads now. What I like in mine:
    --beans (garbanzo, kidney, green, or black)--good for protein
    --different lettuce (romaine, red or green-leaf, or even spinach)
    --tomatoes (and they don't only come in red)
    --onions (brown, white, red, or green)

    Some ideas to add crunch: canned chow-mein noodles or water chestnuts
    Try some artichoke hearts or olives.
  • ritasice21
    ritasice21 Posts: 200 Member
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    I like to add craisins, chicken, apples, and nuts. Even a spoonful makes a huge difference in taste and does not inflate calories much.
  • kannemollen
    kannemollen Posts: 40 Member
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    looooove me some salads!
    beans beans beans! i put kidney and black in most of my salads :) i also try to switch up what kind of veggies i'm using and what type of other protein - sometimes i use raw canned tuna or salmon, different seasoned chicken breasts, eggs, etc.

    AND what i use for dressing changes on a daily basis as well. i love using salsa or low calorie (and short ingredient list) marinades. they might be a little higher in sodium but i use way less and they're super flavorful! stubbs has a few that are decent and lawry's has a white wine and herb or something like that that's REALLY zesty! :)

    enjoy!!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    I go minimal.

    $hitload of lettuce + some sort of marinated chicken. Sometimes bacon salt & lemon juice.
  • windycitycupcake
    windycitycupcake Posts: 516 Member
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    you can shred cabbage, beets and carrots for a nice crunch...i also replace salad dressing with fat free cottage cheese and lemon juice, a can of tuna and lemon juice, pureed silken tofu with lemon juice and spices...you can take a chicken boullion cube and dissolve it (5 calories) and add it to cottage cheese or silken tofu and its yummy and creamy.
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
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    Grilled meats for protein. Also grill some of the veggies ESP cauliflower,peppers, green beans. Try a variety of different greens. Add some fruits like berries or mandarins oranges, apples. Walnuts, feta cheese or blue cheese.i like a variety of veggies in my salads peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, olives. As for dressings I personally have found that I don't notice a taste difference in light dressings, but don't really like the fat free ones so I recommend trying light versions of dressings you like.
  • stagegoddess
    stagegoddess Posts: 101 Member
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    i like romaine lettuce and spinach.

    add corn, shredded carrots, peas, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, canned tuna or chicken, raisins/crasins, hard boiled egg bits, edamame, and something crunchy like croutons or crispy noodles. yummy yum yum
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    This might sound weird, but I like a healthy version of refried beans over romaine.
    Or a healthy version of chili on top of raw spinach.
    Add a little salsa and black olives. Yum!
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
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    "you can take a chicken boullion cube and dissolve it"

    Sounds good, Windy--but don't the boullion cubes have a ton of sodium?
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
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    This might sound weird, but I like a healthy version of refried beans over romaine.
    Or a healthy version of chili on top of raw spinach.
    Add a little salsa and black olives. Yum!

    Sounds like a taco salad! Ole!
  • duckieee
    duckieee Posts: 7 Member
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    My absolute favorite salad: Poppyseed dressing - like half a serving, some grilled chicken bits, lettuce, strawberry slices, and blueberries! Hits the spot on warm summer days!
  • SeekSunshine
    SeekSunshine Posts: 3
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    I just joined here, but I have a couple of tricks to keep salads interesting.

    First, I will grill chicken breasts after marinating in different flavors. I grill them at the beginning of week and they are good all week. You get the great flavor added to any salad and it's much more economical than prepackaged and processed meet. Great for salads, snacks, etc.

    FRUITS. I tend to use fruits in every third salad. It keeps them "fresh" in my mind and I balance the sugars with proteins.

    Greens: I mix them up from baby wild greens to romaine to spinach.

    Favorites:



    strawberry/goat cheese/ poppy seed dressing & almonds
    chicken/mandarin orange/cashew/
    Chicken or Shrimp/carrots/ginger dressing
    chicken/shaved parmesan/black olive/tomato
    Pears/gorgonzola *(a bit, just for flavor heightening)/walnut- balsamic type dressings
    mexican flair (avocado/kidney bean) - low cal homemade ranch variation dressings
    Roasted Red Pepper/Artichoke/garbonzo beans (parmesan, if feeling the need for cheese)

    Go to Epicurious or Yummly or some other site and find ten salad dressings that may be tasty to you. Instead of buying them in the store, make a fresh version at home that is health conscious and tasty to you. I know, I am a salad dressing snob...the only dressing I buy is Brianna's Poppyseed dressing. You can work miracles for creamy dressings with plain yogurt and be surprised at how little oil you must use to make a tasty Italian or vinagrette at home.

    If I must have cheese (and I often must) I stick to white cheeses, in general. A tablespoon of GoatCheese is more flavorful to me than half a cup of cheddar...and MUCH better for me. But, you have to find what works for you.
  • RubyRubixcube
    RubyRubixcube Posts: 258 Member
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    saving this thread for later ^_^

    I've found myself hooked on beetroot lately, so I'm going to try a beetroot, four bean mix, corn salad with tuna or fetta cheese to bulk it up. Might throw some capsicum and roasted pumpkin in there too
  • midcenturymodern69
    midcenturymodern69 Posts: 38
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    I've been loving spring greens with beets, red onion and feta cheese. Yum!
  • dbrakora
    dbrakora Posts: 8 Member
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    I used to only eat Brianna's poppyseed too, it is still a favorite, but have also discovered Litehouse Honey Dijon light in the produce cooler. I like it as much as the poppy seed but it is way less fat etc... Consider trying it!
  • ravikrishna
    ravikrishna Posts: 51 Member
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    l love Greek Salad very much and is quite easy to prepare. On top of that, its very healthy with Olives/Olive oil and Feta Cheese.
  • andreamaurine
    andreamaurine Posts: 3
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    My fave salad combo right now is shredded romaine, halved cherry tomatoes, a few chunks of avocado (adds creaminess so you don't need as much dressing), orange bell pepper and a half serving of brianna's poppyseed. SO GOOD.

    I also really like Bolthouse yogurt dressings. At my store they are in the produce section by the lettuce (refrigerated). A 2 tbs serving is around 45 calories. You can't beat that.

    When you eat salad it is good to remember you do need a bit of healthy fats to help your body absorb the nutrients from the greens. Don't be afraid of a tiny bit of olive oil, avocado, or nuts!
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    You can find some fantastic ideas on allrecipes.com
    I like grilled chicken or beef in my salad, different fruits, grapes, strawberries, mango, what ever.
    Taco salad is yummy if you pay attention to what you put in it.
    Sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, some feta and a nice vinaigrette
    costco had a fabulous mango salsa that goes good over mixed greens
  • ggof
    ggof Posts: 41
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    i love salads too and have them most lunchtimes .. i don't use leaf salads at all .. i use easy to transport and stock products like .. cucumber, beetroot (vacuum packed already cooked), onions, carrots, tomatoes, raw mushrooms, endives, red bell peppers and as protein cottage cheese or tinned tuna .. all easy to prepare at the office (i don't have time to pre-prepare in the morning, so i cut everything up at the office at lunchtime) add a little weight watcher light salad sauce (if u have the cottage cheese, u don't need much sauce) .. that works well for me .. it's crunchy and fills me more than any leaf salads do .. bon appétit ! :) ............ oh and looking at my tracker - it works too LOLOL ;-)
  • SeekSunshine
    SeekSunshine Posts: 3
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    That made me smile. I thought I was in my "too excited" place and talking too much :):bigsmile:

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