A salad a day.... My Method

I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables and fiber into my daily diet. So I started bringing salad ingredients to work in a larger lunch tote and making my salads fresh at work everyday. I've gotten quicker with my cutting, preparing and clean up (10-12 minutes) so that I may enjoy the rest of my actual lunch break and I honestly enjoy it. I have a couple of coworkers who sometimes pitch in with money,ingredients and/or preping. I try to switch up ingredients and dressings all the time so I don't get bored and I also incorporate my left overs with my salads. Some days I'll have a tuna pouch and some days someone will bring leftover chicken and rice or lasagna and we have a meal. Or if I decide I want chinese I'll buy a small portion and add it along with my salad.

I never skimp on the portions becasue I'm a women who likes to eat and I will be famished if I try to eat like a bird, especially by dinner time and I know I will get tempted to buy something on the long commute home. So I pile on the veggies and the lettuce. If I don't finish it then, I simple put my lid on my glass tuperware bowl and save it for commute or home. After my salad I usually have a nice cup of herbal tea or some lemon water and I am truly satisfied.

It was a personal decision that somehow turned into an on and off "salad club"..I know it sound dorky and I don't call it that but...it's kind of what it is.

What do you guys do to make sure your eating right for atleast one meal of the day?
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Replies

  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    I'm a little (okay a lot) spoiled because my husband makes dinner for us nearly every night. And he's great about making the healthiest meal possible. So while he's cooking, I do up our dinner salads. My goal is make them as colorful as possible, so I use spring mix with a little spinach or other greens, colorful small peppers, grape or cherry tomatoes, and whatever veggies we have that need to be eaten up before they go bad. Then we top it off with a teaspoon of chia seeds and teaspoon of hemp seeds.

    So for at least one meal, we are getting a ton of veggies! :smile:
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    I do the same! I love eating a huge salad! I load my salads with whatever is in season, like cucumbers, 'matoes, etc, and then i eat until i'm full. Nothing like a huge salad.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    I love salads so I really wish we worked together so we could be in the salad club :)

    I always bring extra fruit with me for snacking purposes. So if that 3pm craving comes in...I grab that orange, banana, apple, grapes that is in my bag instead of venturing to the cafeteria for chips.
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
    I found awesome tupperware with a little cup that snaps into the lid, so I pack my salad: usually as much spinach as I can force into the tupperware, carrots (I love to shred them), cucumber, onion, sometimes olives or cheese, and basically anything we have in the fridge, I put my serving of salad dressing in the awesome little cup, et voila!


    I don't know if you've ever used a mandolin (not the instrument) but I bought one for like $5 at a cooking store and it REVOLITIONIZED salads for me. Seriously. I can now make my amazingly overflowing salad with all the veggies I could ever want in less than 5 minutes. (I sound like the slap chop guy. haha) but seriously. Though do be careful, I've hacked off parts of my finger before, the blades are sharp :(
  • archaichoney
    archaichoney Posts: 132 Member
    I do this. Every afternoon I have a spinach salad with chicken and Newmans Own lite raspberry dressing (so good). Depending on prices and what's at the grocery store or what I'm in the mood for I mix up the veggies I toss into it. This week it's been shredded zucchini, strawberries and chopped walnuts. I put it into a nice sized plastic salad bowl. I never get tired of it somehow.
  • jenchamb1
    jenchamb1 Posts: 73 Member
    I have salad everyday for lunch too! I never get bored because I mix it up. Romaine, purple cabbage, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, snap peas, peppers (red, orange, yellow or green), red onion, scallions, mushrooms, radishes, cucumber, green beans...any combo. For protein, I use one of the following: almonds, walnuts (especially love roasting the nuts first), sunflower seeds, chicken or tuna.
    And I usually have 3 salad dressings I use: Bolthouse honey mustard and salsa ranch, and Panera fat free poppy seed.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    I like to do that too. Last week I bought a salad mix that had carrots, cabbage, bleu cheese and sunflower kernals, I bought a chicken from the deli and had 3 meals for the work week.

    Bonus: it's pretty low-cal. More food for dinner!
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
    my 10am salad is the best thing about my eating during the day.

    i keep it simple, lettuce, kraft 4blend mexican cheese, new york texas toast croutons, Mccormick - Salad Toppings, and some kind of mix of dried cranberries and walnuts (bought at walmart)

    add to that one delightful cup of hidden valley ranch dressing (lite) and i am in heaven
  • LoriA6724
    LoriA6724 Posts: 99 Member
    I eat salad every day for lunch too! I bring enough to work to last me all week. I make it up daily. I keep a variety of things on hand so that I can mix it up and I don't get tired of it. It's so much easier than remembering to make it up the night before or rushing in the morning to get it made.
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    I do my salads for dinner, but I bring a (star trek:os) lunchbox filled with fruits, veggies, yogurt, jerky, beans, cheese and almonds in attempt to snack healthily throughout the day.

    I love the idea of a salad club. "tres adorbs." :)

    keep up the great attitude, it'll take you farther than you ever thought possible.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    Love salads! My new favorite is broccoli slaw, blue cheese, zucchini, and poppyseed dressing!
  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
    That's wonderful! I love salad and I feel like your making a great decision!

    I found a meme on Facebook showing a farmer handing a guy a head of lettuce saying "Take one daily, call me if it doesn't clear up in a few weeks." Well, I took that way too literally, and try to have a salad daily myself, although right now I'm fasting.

    I get so excited about my yummy salads I wind up having 800 calorie salads, so I really need to scale it back!

    Good for you and good for us both, though!
  • rpmtnbkr
    rpmtnbkr Posts: 137 Member
    My daily staple as well... some sort of salad mix, handful of carrots, a serving of fat free cottage cheese, grilled chicken and some shredded cheese, along with whatever garden veggies are available.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    I eat a salad almost every day as well!

    I bring all of my stuff in a tote too! And pile on veggies I know I like so that when I'm invited out to lunch I won't cave. However coworkers aren't really into the eating right thing, so I'm doing it by myself.

    :-D Truth is my salads always taste so good, because they are hand made just for me! <---makes it easier to stay on track too
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member

    What do you guys do to make sure your eating right for atleast one meal of the day?

    I eat right every meal of the day (not trying to be snotty - just do). We plan our dinners on the weekend so we know what we are cooking when we get home (I have 3 shelves full of cook books). I make our lunches every morning. We take turns making breakfast.

    MFP allows me to monitor the qty of food I put in my gob, which has always been the problem.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    I am far too lazy to cut and prep salad every day. I do it once or twice a week, cut up my basics of green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, shredded carrots and broccoli and mix it all up. I put that in a gallon ziploc bag, squeeze out the air and close it up. It stays fresh for a week while I just reach in, grab a handful (or two) and then add in whatever I may want to change it up. I don't include cucumbers or anything that's wet so it doesn't get soggy and it's much easier than having to cut everything up every day.
  • LaLa_Ventura
    LaLa_Ventura Posts: 94 Member
    Oh wow. I never thought to put chia seeds in my salad. I have some at work that I put in my water periodically but I sometime forget. Thanks for the tip.
  • LaLa_Ventura
    LaLa_Ventura Posts: 94 Member
    I love salads so I really wish we worked together so we could be in the salad club :)

    I always bring extra fruit with me for snacking purposes. So if that 3pm craving comes in...I grab that orange, banana, apple, grapes that is in my bag instead of venturing to the cafeteria for chips.

    Yes. I have those cravings and I ALWAYS want something sweet. I have granola bars but I know the sugar content is through the roof. lol
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    You guys are making me hungry. I had switched from salads to green smoothies so I could use my 30 minute lunch break for walking, but some days, like today, I find out that the green smoothie I made tastes like ... well, it tastes bad. And unfortunately, I fill two 28 oz shaker bottles at a time, freeze one, and bring the other to work. So I have another bad green smoothie that I'll be eating tomorrow.

    I want a salad. Maybe I'll try salads again and see if I can get away with eating them at my desk in the afternoon. My salads tend to be pretty big with a wide assortment of veggies, lots of fruits, and tofu or chicken.

    And no salad dressing. Somebody on MFP said something about eating their salad without dressing, which got me to thinking. So I tried it and I liked it.
  • Cynner2007
    Cynner2007 Posts: 46 Member
    Thanks for all the salad ideas! I can't wait for summer and all the fresh veggies..
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I don't know if you've ever used a mandolin (not the instrument) but I bought one for like $5 at a cooking store and it REVOLITIONIZED salads for me. Seriously. I can now make my amazingly overflowing salad with all the veggies I could ever want in less than 5 minutes. (I sound like the slap chop guy. haha) but seriously. Though do be careful, I've hacked off parts of my finger before, the blades are sharp :(
    [/quote]

    ^^LOL. Everyone I know who has ever used a mandolin has done this to their fingers, myself included, and more than once.

    I have a salad every day too. I don't like tomatoes, but anything else goes. Love homemade balsamic vinaigrette, or a homemade strawberry poppy seed dressing!
  • I am a massive salad eater. If you really wanna have some fun and mix it up. Look up Salads in a Jar to see all the fun mixes and things you can make. Basically its salad in a wide mouth canning jar. Start with dressing on bottom and work way to top with leafy greens being the top most ingredient. they can keep for up to 5 days! Best part is they are grab and go. Everything is pre-measured, calculated and added up. There is whole pages dedicated to these on Pinterest and all over the web. Happy Grazing!

    http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pack-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192174

    How to Pack the Perfect Salad in a Jar

    Makes 1 salad
    What You Need
    Ingredients
    1-4 tablespoons salad dressing
    Mix of raw and cooked vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, cheese, and other salad ingredients
    Salad greens

    Equipment
    Wide-mouth canning jars with tight-fitting lids:

    pint jars for side salads, quart jars for individual meal-sized salads, 2-quart jars (or larger) for multiple servings

    Large bowl, to serve
    Instructions
    Salad Dressing: Pour 1 to 4 tablespoons of your favorite salad dressing in the bottom of the jar. Adjust the amount of dressing depending on the size of the salad you are making and your personal preference.
    Hard Vegetables: Next, add any hard chopped vegetables you're including in your salad, like carrots, cucumbers, red and green peppers, cooked beets, and fennel.
    Beans, Grains, and Pasta: Next, add any beans, grains, and/or pasta, like chickpeas, black beans, cooked barley, cooked rice, and pasta corkscrews.
    Cheese and Proteins (optional): If you'll be eating the salad within the day, add a layer of diced or crumbled cheese and proteins like tunafish, diced (cooked) chicken, hardboiled eggs, or cubed tofu. If you're making salads ahead to eat throughout the week, wait to add these ingredients until the day you're planning to eat the salad and add them on top of the jar.
    Softer Vegetables and Fruits (optional): Next, add any soft vegetables or fruits, like avocados, tomatoes, diced strawberries, or dried apricots. If you're making salads ahead to eat throughout the week, wait to add these ingredients until the day you're planning to eat the salad and add them to the top of the jar.
    Nuts, Seeds, and Lighter Grains: Next, add any nuts or seeds, like almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. If you're making a salad with lighter, more absorbent grains like quinoa or millet, add them in this layer instead of with the beans.
    Salad Greens: Last but not least, fill the rest of the jar with salad greens. Use your hands to tear them into bite-sized pieces. It's fine to pack them into the jar fairly compactly.
    Storing the salad: Screw the lid on the jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you're including any cheese, proteins, or soft fruits and vegetables, add these to the top of the jar the morning you plan to eat your salad.
    Tossing and eating the salad: When ready to eat, unscrew the lid and shake the salad into the bowl. The action of shaking the salad into the bowl is usually enough to mix the salad with the dressing. If not, toss gently with a fork until coated.
  • LaLa_Ventura
    LaLa_Ventura Posts: 94 Member
    I don't know if you've ever used a mandolin (not the instrument) but I bought one for like $5 at a cooking store and it REVOLITIONIZED salads for me. Seriously. I can now make my amazingly overflowing salad with all the veggies I could ever want in less than 5 minutes. (I sound like the slap chop guy. haha) but seriously. Though do be careful, I've hacked off parts of my finger before, the blades are sharp :(

    ^^LOL. Everyone I know who has ever used a mandolin has done this to their fingers, myself included, and more than once.

    I have a salad every day too. I don't like tomatoes, but anything else goes. Love homemade balsamic vinaigrette, or a homemade strawberry poppy seed dressing!
    [/quote]

    Yes! I want one a mandoline so bad. I'm just so picky with appliances. I should look into one again.
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
    Brilliant idea--your salad club! I work from home, so my salad club is kinda quiet. It's still delicious. I just had a huge salad with romaine, red onions, avocado, tomatoes, and anchovies. To make it even more fun, I spread some laughing cow lowfat swiss on crackers. All of it, only 382 calories! If you cut the tomatoes and anchovies, the liquid from the tomatoes & avocados and olive oil from the anchovies make their own dressing:)

    I just pick fruits & veggies that I really like, so I'll eat them.
  • tmm_0127
    tmm_0127 Posts: 545 Member
    I always make a salad with my lunch and bring one fruit for a snack. Sometimes if I'm having trouble getting it all in I make a juice or a smoothie packed with every veggie I can find and some fruit.
  • Sunflwer3
    Sunflwer3 Posts: 68 Member
    Bumping for ideas!
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    i have to make sure im eating right EVERY MEAL. i want results and I plan accordingly for them. I also do bring salad stuff to make to work and cut up and all that. I make bomb *kitten* salads too. As far as dressing goes, i havent been bored yet, but i use the same each time, because I LOVE DRESSING and i would not be ok with 1, 2, or even 3 tablespoons of dressing. Therefore, I make my own. With greek plain yogurt, ranch powdered packet (not the whole thing by all means, to desired taste, and add a little water. mix, and i can get a whole bunch of dressing on my salad for literally 50-60 calories. works well for me. I add cucumbers, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomoatoes, radishes, avocados, sometimes hard boiled eggs, sometimes deli meat, sometimes bacon. and i eat a very nice size portion. mmmmmm. today was the first time i ventured into another salad. it was the sweet kale 7 super foods salad. I was very impressed. It was so sweet and so good mmm mmmm mmmmm.
  • LaLa_Ventura
    LaLa_Ventura Posts: 94 Member
    today was the first time i ventured into another salad. it was the sweet kale 7 super foods salad. I was very impressed. It was so sweet and so good mmm mmmm mmmmm.
  • LaLa_Ventura
    LaLa_Ventura Posts: 94 Member
    I LOVE the 7 Super Foods mix. So nutrituional dense and the pumpkinseeds with dried cranberries...YUMMY! It's a work out for your jaw due to all the fiberous veggies but its so good.
  • Broderick50
    Broderick50 Posts: 842 Member
    This is a method that I use almost daily. Usually I'll eat my salad with dinner, but if not daily then at least 5 days in a week I will eat a salad.