Lunch salads?? After some variety suggestions

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  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I use mason jars a lot.

    Some favourites:

    Mediterranean Tuna Salad

    Waldorf salad

    Those won't wilt.

    I'll pack croutons and dressing separately.

    I've taken bean stew, put it in a wrap with cheese. Very satisfying.
  • Suzmp88
    Suzmp88 Posts: 48 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I'm low carb so my go to is a romaine or iceberg lettuce with cherry tomatoes, black olives, shredded mozzarella, chopped onion if there's time, and sliced turkey or ham lunch meat, top with vinaigrette.

    For a different route you could try chicken salad. I buy the canned white premium chicken from SAMs Club. Drain/pour chicken in a bowl and shred by just twisting in a fork. Chop/add a few celery stalks. Chop/add about 1/4 cup of onion. Add a tbsp of mayo. Add salt/pepper. I add a little bit of lemon juice. Mix together. This can be eaten as is, but other great additions are any color bell pepper, seasoning, or cilantro.
  • katkatk
    katkatk Posts: 1 Member
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    In the summer months, I only eat salads at work (Soups in winter). No access to a fridge so I use an insulated "brown paper lunch bag" to keep it cool. I have one of these (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16232/Klip-It-Salad-To-Go) boxes and it's great.

    Dry things like mixed leaves, spring onion and sliced radishes go in the bottom, wet things like chopped cucumber and peppers, grated carrots and courgettes and my protein (usually chicken or smoked fish) goes in the top with dressing in the little tub. For dressing I found a balsamic glaze in Sainsburys (no oil in it) but found it was a bit too thick so I cut it half and half with normal balsamic vinegar.

    This summer I have been boring but other summers I have thrown in blueberries, pulses, seeds, green beans or peas, broccoli etc.

    I also make a broccoli salad. Head of broccoli cut into tiny florets, handful of sultanas, very finely diced red onion, bacon if you fancy a treat and then a dressing made from a spoon of mayonaise mixed with red wine vinegar.

    If I have to take sandwiches for any reason, I usually make them in a wrap so they're less stodgy and a bit more interesting.
  • whirlygig60
    whirlygig60 Posts: 37 Member
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    I like to copy the salads from restaurants - Panera, Red Rosa, etc. Usually I can find the menus or salad description online, and I tweak the amounts to fit in my calorie goals.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    My go to: spinach or spring mix, pistachios or almonds, blueberries, feta cheese, grilled or sauteed chicken, and grape tomatoes. No dressing or you can mix honey and mustard with a little water.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
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    My favourite salads, I take one for lunch almost every day.

    Mixed greens/cheddar/grilled chicken/cucumber/tomato - Any dressing of choice
    Spinach/egg/bacon/asparagus - dijon vinaigrette (home made and super easy)
    Avocado/cherry tomatoes/cottage cheese - topped with a bit of pepper
    Tomato/Avocado/Red Onion with balsamic vinegar
    Mixed greens/black beans/cheddar/tomato/cucumber/green onions/peppers/ground turkey(with chili spice)/avocado and either salsa or ranch dressing.

    The list could go on and on! :)
  • pawoodhull
    pawoodhull Posts: 1,759 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I eat salad almost daily for lunch. I add a variety of things to the lettuce:
    -homemade chicken salad (no dressing necessary with this one), grape tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts
    -diced chicken/turkey, greek salad dressing, feta cheese. grape tomatoes, onion, green pepper
    -diced ham, bolthouse farms ranch dressing (made with yogurt, less fat more protein), shredded cheddar, cabcage, onion, carrots, pine nuts
    -shredded chicken, blue cheese crumbles, nuts, blothouse farms raspberry merlot vinigret, sometimes some fruit in this one too

    I could go on, but you get the idea
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    Why must you eat a salad at lunch? There are other foods, you know.

    Not a huge fan of salads, mostly because I find them boring and they don't fill me up. I can eat a chicken or shrimp Caesar salad from time to time, but these are the only two salads I enjoy eating and eat often:

    1. Chicken Berry Feta Salad: baby spinach, shredded chicken, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, feta, toasted sliced almonds, and lemon juice instead of dressing.

    2. Taco Salad baby spinach, ground beef seasoned with my homemade taco seasoning, Greek yogurt, salsa, shredded Mexican blend cheese, lime juice, and 1/2 serving of tortilla chips on top.
  • carakirkey
    carakirkey Posts: 199 Member
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    Chopped or marinated salad- no lettuce to get soggy. Chopped carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, peppers, etc. Canned mushrooms or baby corn or olives are good in this too. Marinate overnight in italian dressing, or just an olive oil/vinegar dressing.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    I always put my dressing in a plastic baggie and then squeeze it out when I'm ready to serve.

    The past two weeks, I've done the following, for 300-400 cals:

    Greek salad: romaine, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, feta, kalamata olives, red bell pepper, greek dressing
    Southwest salad:romaine, corn, black beans, avocado, tomato, red onion, orange bell pepper, parsley, a few smashed tortilla chips and a spicy ranch that I water down so it coats the salad evenly.

    I prefer chopped salads- By nature they are a bit "wetter" (sounds gross I know) so they don't need as much dressing. Add chicken or steak etc. for some protein if you'd like!

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