Trying to create filling, cheap, low-calorie salads

Are you opposed to meat-replacements? I make a taco salad that my husband and I both love. He's a meat-eater but he likes it because it is low enough calorie-wise for him to eat a huge salad as a "side" to his meal (yes, I'm jealous of how much he can eat!). I love it because it's really big, and totally fills me up for a long time.



I make my own taco seasoning with cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper and mix that into the "meat" as it's cooking, as well as mix it into the greek yogurt for a spicy "sour cream" alternative. I throw the beans into the meat while it's cooking. Then I use salsa as a salad dressing. You get a lot of "meat" topping for your calories, because it's not real meat, and so you could even add more if you choose to, or add some other toppings!

chunky_pinup wrote: »

Are you opposed to meat-replacements? I make a taco salad that my husband and I both love. He's a meat-eater but he likes it because it is low enough calorie-wise for him to eat a huge salad as a "side" to his meal (yes, I'm jealous of how much he can eat!). I love it because it's really big, and totally fills me up for a long time.



I make my own taco seasoning with cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper and mix that into the "meat" as it's cooking, as well as mix it into the greek yogurt for a spicy "sour cream" alternative. I throw the beans into the meat while it's cooking. Then I use salsa as a salad dressing. You get a lot of "meat" topping for your calories, because it's not real meat, and so you could even add more if you choose to, or add some other toppings!

Do you have an open diary for your friends? If so, I want to send you a friend request. I am transitioning to a plant based diet and I absolutely love it!! But I am looking for meal/food ideas that don't revolve around meat or animal products.

Honestly... salads never fill me up. But your best bet is to load it up with veggies, protein, and have some fat in there too (nuts, cheese).

I do taco salads too with lettuce, onion, peppers (I cook those first), ground meat, lots of salsa, beans, avocado, bit of cheese.

My favorite has arugula, beets, smoked salmon, and goat cheese (probably more filling with walnuts or pecans) with some red wine/Dijon mustard dressing.

A cobb salad won't be too bad either - chicken, egg, bit of bacon, blue cheese, lots of greens.

I know this isn't salad--however, I make a crustless quiche of some kind every Sunday morning so I can have a slice with my lunch. Most of my slices average around 100 calories (I cut my quiche into 4 slices). I consistently use 1 cup of egg substitute (no all egg whites), a 4 ounce can of mushrooms, a cup of some kind of veggie (broccoli, spinach, squash, etc) and very little cheese--about a quarter cup shredded, or 2 ounces crumbled goat or feta. I put all my extras in the pan, then put seasonings and egg top. Really good, with a salad. If I don't have quiche, I always 3 ounces of a good protein (chicken, turkey) to my salads with lots of low calorie veggies.