What protein do YOU put in your salad? Advice needed!

sweetlyybroken
sweetlyybroken Posts: 209 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi :) So I finally made a salad I could (maybe) enjoy eating every day.

5 oz artisan lettuce,
1/4 sliced red onion,
1 gala apple (sliced)
5 baby carrots (chopped)
1/2 cup diced chicken breast
2 T light Italian dressing blended with 1 T hummus.

It was great, and the chicken gave me 19 g of protein for just over 100 calories! However. I've been paying 6$ a week for frozen chicken breasts, and I don't like spending that much, silly as that may seem.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cost-effective, high protein, relatively low calorie protein that goes well in salads? (And I don't like tuna. or fish. at all.)

Replies

  • DivaJadelyn
    DivaJadelyn Posts: 280 Member
    I use hard boiled egg, or left over steak. I also use grilled chicken, but I prefer the chicken hot and fresh so it's not usually in my lunbox salads. I also like sauteed tofu, but you won't see me eating that too often.
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,251 Member
    I like to add a half cup of cooked beans - great northern, black, kidney, chickpeas - they are all yummy and filling! I always cook mine from dry, so it's super cheap, too!
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Don't eat salads very often, but when I do, I'll put chicken or beef on them, and some cheese
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
    Hard boiled eggs, all the way! A carton of eggs is super cheap and one egg is only about 75 calories. I use the whole egg, no one is taking my yolk away from me.
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    I like to add a half cup of cooked beans - great northern, black, kidney, chickpeas - they are all yummy and filling! I always cook mine from dry, so it's super cheap, too!

    ^^ This. Beans are an excellent, cheap source of protein and fiber. I make a four-bean Italian salad that is awesome.
  • StacyReneO
    StacyReneO Posts: 317 Member
    Hard boiled eggs, avocado (not low cal but great fat), tuna. Flank steak is a great inexpensive option. You can get a 1 lb. flank steak, broil it, slice it and have food for a week. I but grass-fed beef only so it's a bit more expensive, but when I didn't I always found great deals on it at the supermarket.
  • Jennwiththree
    Jennwiththree Posts: 5
    I have used eggs, steak, chicken, chick peas, black beans, and kidney beans.

    Hummus might be good!
  • mlnick69
    mlnick69 Posts: 84
    Tuna
    Chicken
    Salmon
    Steak
    cottage cheese - might sound gross, but it's not bad.
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    2 cups of spinach (4g pro)
    5.5oz grilled skinless chicken breast (37g pro)
    0.15 cups sunflower seeds (4g pro)
    0.1 cups red onion
    0.3 cups carrots
    2tbs balsamic vinegar

    Cals:346, Carbs:21, Pro:45, Fat:11, Sodium:201, Fiber:7
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    salad is what my protein eat
  • wannabhealthy50
    wannabhealthy50 Posts: 67 Member
    Chicken, chick peas, nuts (measured, of course), hard boiled egg
  • wannabhealthy50
    wannabhealthy50 Posts: 67 Member
    Oh, forgot shrimp
  • favhrnstr
    favhrnstr Posts: 55
    I love tuna and hard-boiled eggs on my salads! Salad is usually just a side item to my main protein, but we don't always want to cook on hot, summer days, and an entree salad can be a great solution (and alternative to going out).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I rarely have a salad without beans. The protein is not as high as chicken, but is a protein source. Tofu is good in a salad as well. Nuts and seeds are also good protein sources for a salad but they are not low calories.
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    Buy a whole chicken and roast it at the beginning of the week and use the meat all week. Or cut it into parts and freeze it to use as you go. Soooo much cheaper!

    I like nuts on my salad. Or pinto beans!
  • ursula130
    ursula130 Posts: 47 Member
    may I ask, 6$ is not a lot of money for meat..(though I assume it's basic super market chicken, not happy chicken)
    I don't eat chicken or beef or pork so if I want to add something I add beans, canned tuna (or other fish, depending on what I find that is ocean-wise/ sustainable), nuts, eggs..
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
    An easy protein is just to dice up any leftovers from dinner (I often cook an extra amount just for this reason) such as steak, chicken, turkey, pork, salmon, etc. You can't go very wrong here.

    OP said they hate canned fish, but I like it as an inexpensive filler for a salad and split a can for two.

    Feta cheese
    Shredded cheddar/TexMex cheese
    Diced up sandwich meat
    Cold quinoa
    Quinoa tabouli
    Chickpeas

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