Salad Ideas

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LaSirena29
LaSirena29 Posts: 84
in Food and Nutrition
I often take a big salad to work for lunch. I can make a big, filling salad and as long as I'm careful with the dressing, keep the calories relatively low. I start my salads with basics I always have (romaine, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, etc.), but I'm always looking for fun, different things to add to my salad, so I don't get bored with it. For example, last week we had corn-on-the-cob for dinner one night. I cooked a couple of extra, cut the corn off the cob & used that with black beans to bulk up my salad. Todays salad had a slightly sweet pomegranate vinaigrette (Marzetti's Simply Dressed 2T=60calories), but to spice it up a bit, I tossed in a handful of wasabi peas.

So, the question is, what different & unusual things do you add to you salad to keep them from getting boring?

Replies

  • annehdavis
    annehdavis Posts: 157 Member
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    dried cranberries and spinach are a great combo :)
  • lucky1ns
    lucky1ns Posts: 358 Member
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    I mix a bottle of Ken's light ceaser vinegarette and a bottle of Ken's light creamy ceaser to make the perfect light ceasar dressing.

    It's 90 calories for 2 T's and tastes like it is alot more.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    chopped up dried fruit or whole dried fruit if it's something small.
    a table spoon of cashews or pumpkin seeds.. high calories but big flavor and good for health
    some crab, shrimp or lobster
    a bit of gorgonzola cheese.. a little goes a long way
    diced up apples
    a half cup of vegetarian chili
    a chopped up egg- 70 cals but really filling
    lentils,
    chick peas
    chopped up mint
    chopped up parsley
    half of a a finely chopped up low-fat chicken dog
  • laurad1406
    laurad1406 Posts: 341
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    I agree with most of these! I love throwing some banana peppers into a veggie salad with chicken....I love spinach and/or spring mix with cranberries pumpkin seeds and gorgonzola or goat cheese....strawberries and blueberries are a common theme too. pretty much every salad i eat is with balsamic vinegar and olive oil!

    I also love shrimp and avocado with a homemade cilantro/lime vinegarette. yum!
  • lucky1ns
    lucky1ns Posts: 358 Member
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    Whenever I need a guaranteed loss for the next day, the night before I will have make salad and dump a can of tuna on it. I have been canning beets and they go well with it. If you dont have home canned beets try marinating the store bought ones in a little vinegar or a dressing before serving and keep them nice and cold. It changes everyting about them. They come alive.
  • kateopotato
    kateopotato Posts: 215 Member
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    raspberries and pine nuts have been my thing lately. Along with some chicken and shredded cheese. but mostly pine nuts :)
  • dayzeerock
    dayzeerock Posts: 918 Member
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    I love hearts of palm and chickpeas in my salad!
  • gods_gal
    gods_gal Posts: 305
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    Bean sprouts
    sliced mushrooms
    Ken's Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinagrette
    Kroger's tortilla strips
    feta cheese crumbles
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
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    Strawberries, blueberries, sliced mangos or pears, toasted almonds, oranges, goat cheese, water chesnuts are some of the things I incorporate. We have a salad at our house every night so I have to get creative/ Try Maple Grove Farms dressings, too. They are quite low in calories and taste great.
  • karisamh
    karisamh Posts: 25 Member
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    Garbanzo beans and just a little sun dried tomato fetta!!
  • nmclaurin
    nmclaurin Posts: 43
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    glazed pecans are so ymmy. any type of fruit. walnuts, too.
  • maremare312
    maremare312 Posts: 1,143 Member
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    My fave veggies to add are cucumber, green or red pepper, and tomato, but sometimes to mix it up it's fun to add cooked veggies. If you have sitr fry or fajitas to dinner, add leftovers to your lettuce base, or just sauteed veggies like onions, peppers, mushrooms, what have you. Also it's fun to add some tuna once in a while since I typically add chicken to salads. Sunflower seeds and alfalfa sprouts are great for a bit of crunch.
  • Ezada
    Ezada Posts: 207 Member
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    Cheese like Feta, shredded Colby, mozzarella and pepper jack. That can ad just enough zing to keep a boring salad kinda spicy!

    I love to use Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar mixed together.

    Olives, Green or Black.

    Cooked and cooled spaghetti squash. Gives it a bit of a different texture.

    Chopped up bits of fish and chicken.

    Mandarin Oranges

    Pineapple

    Spinach

    Purple Cabbage

    Pine Nuts

    Artichokes, Avacado

    Lord, so much stuff for salads! Lol.
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    lentils, four bean mixes, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, water chesnuts even. it really is limitless! olives are great
  • lucky1ns
    lucky1ns Posts: 358 Member
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    The canned veggies that have potatoes in them make a salad more on the heartty side.

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