Absolutely GIANT salads, anyone?

wozkaa
wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It's hot here.
I love a fresh salad for dinner. I make a mountain of rainbow of shredded, chopped veges and sprinkle with crumbled fetta and chopped olives. Sometimes I add lentils or chickpeas, sometimes I add grilled eggplant and zucchini. Cracked pepper and a splash of lemon juice, balsamic or fat free greek dressing. I usually eat it with lean meat or a small piece of crumbed fish, sometimes with oven potato wedges.

It just looks like a lot but really it mushes down to not much, and I get the 'overeating' guilts when I look at the big pile some days. I have remind myself that it's within my calorie allowance and it's the majority of my veg intake for the day. Weird what tracking my intake makes me think some days!

Do you eat giant salads?

Replies

  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
    Yes, and I dont feel guilty for eating. Get out of that mindset before it sucks you in. If its within your goals then its fine....it is possible to overeat salad, but as long as it fits then what the hell.
  • maasha81
    maasha81 Posts: 733 Member
    That sounds delicious OP. As long as it falls within your cal allowance, don't worry about it. Greens and veggies are so good for you
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,189 Member
    I eat huge piles of salad and veg at dinner times. It's on my calories, is satisfying, and satisfies my love of a big meal. I've wondered before if I ought to try and cut it down to get used to smaller meals, but then I think "Screw it".
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    tumblr_mznjhzxHR31se6jqqo1_500.jpg
    this is like a typical lunch
    that bowl is bigger than my head
  • wozkaa
    wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
    Oh hooray I'm not alone! And pics to prove it thank you! :-D

    I am the same with all other veges, except anything really starchy (portion control around potato bake etc is a bit of an issue for me!)
    I guess the guilt is from trying to get a handle on portion control, something I have always struggled with.

    But I suppose as long as it works, I'll be sticking with it!
  • RunningMs
    RunningMs Posts: 52 Member
    Yes! I love a giant salad. I will frequently use an entire 200g bag of lettuce mix plus additional veggies. No need for a plate, as I will eat it right out of the large mixing bowl.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I had to use one of my mixing bowls specifically for salads because my salads were way too big for my regular bowls. They are super delicious.
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
    Yep, I sometimes have a giant salad for dinner...and it often includes an entire avocado! For a salad to satisfy me, it needs to be big and have some substance in it (like the avocado, chucnky veggies, dried cranberries, etc).
  • BrookeCalexander
    BrookeCalexander Posts: 5 Member
    This is me to a T! I've worked out there's nothing that can't be turned into a salad. I'm loving Chili con carne on a big bowl of lettuce instead of rice and also love grilled veggies and a bit of beef, chicken or prawns. I just try and make sure the bulk comes from lettuce - satisfys the need for a big meal, fills you up and low in calories.

    A good squeeze of lemon juice has completely replaced my need for dressings too - so yummy!
  • LaserOctopus
    LaserOctopus Posts: 121 Member
    Yes! I also eat giant, epic salads. Always straight out of the big salad bowl!

    I try to get all the colors in the produce section, but my default is:
    purple cabbage
    some sort of green lettuce (whatever looks nice when I'm there) or spinach
    green onions
    celery
    carrots
    jicama
    raisins
    radicchio
    anything else that catches my eye

    And then I add cheese or egg. Or both.
    I add dressing, but I always water down my dressing by about half. Then it's super runny and gets on everything, but just enough to add a bit of flavor.

    Delicious!
  • Briargrey
    Briargrey Posts: 498 Member
    I love huge salads that fit within my calorie goals. I measure everything to be sure, of course. Lots of kale and spinach, onions, bell peppers, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, green beans or snap peas, extra sharp cheddar, bourbon chicken, and a whole avocado, topped with French's onions and ranch dressing. It runs me about 1000 calories done with a double serving of French's and ranch and 2 oz of cheese and 3-4 of meat. If I need to cut back, those are the places I do, because that's where the big calories are coming from. [And the avocado, but I don't believe in cutting back on avocado because that's just WRONG]
  • Briargrey
    Briargrey Posts: 498 Member
    Oh, and what I find amusing - my husband likes his vegetables cut very thin, like paper thin. So I use the slicer thing for him and he gets paper thin radishes, carrots, and cucumbers. I can't STAND it like that, so I cut mine in the rough chunks I love. It feels like more substance to me done that way. He offered to do his own, but for some reason, I consider the salad making to be MY thing and it adds about 1 minute more to prep time. [He's the stay-at-home dad who cooks and cleans and does everything for me, so once a week I do the cooking and whenever we have salad, I kick him out of the kitchen and do it. Otherwise, it's all his]
  • pinky6767
    pinky6767 Posts: 55
    I love a giant Julienne salad. Tons of lettuce, hard boiled egg, grated cheese, chunks of turkey, tomato, shredded carrots. Then either just some oil and vinegar, or some balsamic dressing !! Its sooooo good ! We serve these at most restaurants and they're so big , i usually can't even make it through half of it ! But, its fun trying ! heehee
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    I love a good big salad. I prefer to use very dark greens (as opposed to lettuces, etc.) and lots of colorful chopped veggies -- tomatoes, sweet peppers, radishes, carrots. It's never occurred to me to worry about this preference!
  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    Yes, I love a hearty salad. I just throw all the good things in my fridge on top of some greens. Veggies cooked or raw, various cheeses, nuts, beans, cooked meat, canned sardines, tempeh, avocado, boiled or fried eggs, all topped with a simple olive oil dressing. Grain based salads are also good, leftover rice/barley/couscous mixed with some/all if the above.

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