What do you have on garden salads? (low calorie)

magicpickles
magicpickles Posts: 286 Member
edited December 4 in Food and Nutrition
I like to have mine saturated with dressing, but that is probably 150-300 calories.

What do you have on or with a salad to make it edible?

Replies

  • loseitin_2016
    loseitin_2016 Posts: 21 Member
    I use extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.EVOO has more calories but we need healthy oils to keep our hair from falling out,losing muscle tone,etc.I also add protein to all my salads.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    A bit of salt.

    I like the taste of raw veggies, and I'm not particularly fond of the taste of dressings.


    I've been known to try to wipe or drain dressing off my salad ... as subtly as possible ... if I've been served one that's drowning in the stuff.
  • magicpickles
    magicpickles Posts: 286 Member
    loseitin_2016 wrote: »
    I use extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.EVOO has more calories but we need healthy oils to keep our hair from falling out,losing muscle tone,etc.I also add protein to all my salads.

    Whats EVOO?

    I would be inclined to agree with you about healthy oils, but I like to keep salads as low cal as possible, so I can eat stuff like chocolate instead.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    When I was much younger, my mother used to get a Mrs Dash seasoning (probably the original one) and we'd have that on salad sometimes. If you've got to have extra flavour, maybe something like that would work.

    http://www.mrsdash.com/products/seasoning-blends
  • magicpickles
    magicpickles Posts: 286 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    When I was much younger, my mother used to get a Mrs Dash seasoning (probably the original one) and we'd have that on salad sometimes. If you've got to have extra flavour, maybe something like that would work.

    http://www.mrsdash.com/products/seasoning-blends

    Would prefer simple stuff I can make at home, not sure if Mrs Dash sends to New Zealand? I imagine it would be a fortune. Thanks though :)
  • louann_jude
    louann_jude Posts: 307 Member
    I use to drown my salads in dressing. Now I still use dressings but just the serving size of the fat free ranch.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar with salt and pepper. I used to add oil but you really can't taste it.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    Salsa or hot sauce! Almost calorie-free!
  • zoritt
    zoritt Posts: 68 Member
    Spicy salsa, hot sauce, mustard, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with seasonings, hummus, low calorie zesty Italian dressings, extra Virginia oil with pepper flakes and lemon
  • Hope228
    Hope228 Posts: 340 Member
    I mix one tbsp of Marie's Ranch (the yogurt one) with on tbsp of plain Greek Yogurt. It's pretty awesome!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    magicpickles wrote: »
    loseitin_2016 wrote: »
    I use extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.EVOO has more calories but we need healthy oils to keep our hair from falling out,losing muscle tone,etc.I also add protein to all my salads.

    Whats EVOO?

    I would be inclined to agree with you about healthy oils, but I like to keep salads as low cal as possible, so I can eat stuff like chocolate instead.

    EVOO - extra virgin olive oil

    I used to use lemon poppyseed dressing (25 cals per 15 mL). Then I tried balsamic reductions and now use them as salad dressings. I have Nonna Pia's chili lime (spicy, 60 cals per 15 mL) and strawberry-fig (40 cals per 10 mL).
  • magicpickles
    magicpickles Posts: 286 Member
    Btw, when I saw the salad is drenched in dressing, its probably like 4-6 teaspoons, I'm not totally gross. Something like lemon juice would probably work, but what do you pair that with? I like all of the ingrediants of the salad to be coated with something.

    Btw, I am not a fan of garden salads, but they seem simple and easy. Thought if I knew what to pair with them, I would like them more.

    I like having salads with some sort of meat and a flour wrap, but the flour wraps are about 150 calories, so I can't have more than one. I should probably try paper/rice wraps.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    magicpickles wrote: »
    Btw, when I saw the salad is drenched in dressing, its probably like 4-6 teaspoons, I'm not totally gross. Something like lemon juice would probably work, but what do you pair that with? I like all of the ingrediants of the salad to be coated with something.

    Btw, I am not a fan of garden salads, but they seem simple and easy. Thought if I knew what to pair with them, I would like them more.

    I like having salads with some sort of meat and a flour wrap, but the flour wraps are about 150 calories, so I can't have more than one. I should probably try paper/rice wraps.

    Try low carb tortillas, there are a lot out there - 60-80 calories and a lot of protein and fiber.
  • Sira125
    Sira125 Posts: 152 Member
    I got tired of salads, so I'm currently packing my salad greens into my wraps. Makes the super portable which I consider a bonus.

    Tomatoes with a little salt and some vinegar and olive oil in a bowl will lose a lot of juices and make a pretty good dressing if you throw in some herbs. I like basil.

    Grapefruit sections and their juices and some olive oil and some herbs is also good.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Lots of vegetables depending on what I have around. Often I add cooked vegetables. I typically use more tasty (to me) greens, like spinach and arugula, as well as watercress and maybe some cabbage for crunch. Red onions add a nice bite, as do radishes.

    Other things I might add that up the calories but are worth it are feta or goat cheese, olives, maybe some nuts or seeds.

    For dressing I either use a good vinegar + a little olive oil (good olive oil and small amount to control calories) or if I really want to save on calories just balsamic or vinegar+mustard and herbs.

    I also like cucumber/tomato salads and for those (as well as some garden salads when the other ingredients are right) I will do a soy/sriracha/lime based dressing.

    I mostly add meat or tofu to these to make a whole meat, but sometimes do them as a side.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Ken's Lite Options or oil/vinegar.
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    Good balsamic vinegar, by itself, is good. A little goes a long way, too.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    I actually love salads with no lettuce. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, cheese maybe a boiled egg and bacon bits. Italian dressing of some kind.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I like ranch style beans on my salad. The sauce creates a sort of dressing. I also like Cholula or salsa, plain yogurt mixed with dry veggie soup mix, lemon and lime juice, or light/low cal salad dressing. Wishbone has some good ones, and Olive Garden light is also good.
  • bunnyluv19
    bunnyluv19 Posts: 103 Member
    I use white vinegar diluted with a bit of water,poured over salad and 1 tsp white sugar/Mrs.dash sprinkled on top :)
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    Like another poster mentioned a little goes a long way with balsamic. I use a thick glaze (I need about .5-1T) and I use olive oil as well since I suck at fats and it helps spread the balsamic around. Also like to add goat cheese and raspberries, onions and toss :)
  • lizandrashaw
    lizandrashaw Posts: 143 Member
    I make my own sun dried tomatoes and store them in balsamic vinegar rather than oil. So good on a salad. This week I'm also having roasted beets, roasted Brussels sprouts, artichoke hearts, blue cheese and roasted unsalted sesame seeds.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Here's a tip I learned at a Wright Watchers meeting. Have your dressing on the side and dip your fork tongs in to the dressing before picking up a mouthful. You get a taste with every bite with a fraction of the calories.
  • cmo246
    cmo246 Posts: 10 Member
    Favorite dressing right now is a spoonful of Dijon mustard mixed with a couple spoonfuls of lemon juice. Super quick to make and around 20 cal.
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
    I've been on a mexican salad kick lately. Romain lettuce, grilled chicken breast, rinsed black beans, corn, red bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots, avocado and a few broken up blue corn chips. I squeeze fresh limes over it all for a calorie free dressing.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I'm crazy for Romaine lettuce. If I get a really good, fresh, crunchy sweet bunch, it's one of my favorite foods. (The pre-chopped stuff in packages is never quite as good.) I can munch on that stuff all by itself. It's something I tend to binge on when I get a craving. I'm weird like that. Just a basic vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt, maybe some herbs kind of concoction works for me. <3
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    loseitin_2016 wrote: »
    I use extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.EVOO has more calories but we need healthy oils to keep our hair from falling out,losing muscle tone,etc.I also add protein to all my salads.

    Fats also help you absorb some of the key nutrients (like lycopene and beta-carotene) in the vegetables you're eating. A little fat is good for you. :)
  • roamingtiger
    roamingtiger Posts: 747 Member
    A 2.5 oz pouch of tuna which is 60 calories. With 2 tbsp on balsamic. Another 60 calories. Chopped hard boiled egg whites and just a huge variety of veggies.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    tessemaes dressings and marinades... especially the honey mustard mmmmm.
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