I miss TASTY salads!!

EthanJeremiahsMama
EthanJeremiahsMama Posts: 534 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I always eat my salads so plain. Literally no dressing!! My typical "salads" are basically.. marinated grilled lemon pepper garlic chicken with just romaine lettuce & some spinach. What's your favorite salad, or how do YOU make your salad that's tasty, healthy & delicious?? Are there any dressings that aren't loaded in cals, fat, sugar & sodium? Share some with me please! :) Thanks
«1

Replies

  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    Try throwing on a bit of feta instead of dressing. A small amount goes a long way and brings a lot of taste.

    If you miss bottled dressings, thow your dressing in a container with a lid, add a teaspoon or two of dressing, and shake it up. You'll be surprised at how good just a little tastes.

    Good luck!
  • megandunn18
    megandunn18 Posts: 37 Member
    My salads are usually made of romaine lettuce, spinach, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, a little cheese, and sometimes chicken. The dressing I use is sooo good and only like 40 or 50 cals for 2 tbsp! It's made by Kraft, and it's called Roasted Red Pepper Italian, with parmesan :)
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I buy the fat free Ranch dressing packets, keeps me honest :)
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    I eat the dressing; and not the fat free crap, either. :) I just portion it and count it. Romaine, red onions, chicken, bacon bits, spinach and red peppers.... super yum!

    Also: try watering down dressing. Sounds weird, but 2T ranch dressing (I make my own with skim milk and real mayo-- i watch carbs way more than fat) and 2T water are just as good as plain ranch and it stretches it out without adding more cals.
  • Barbj56
    Barbj56 Posts: 39 Member
    Really good balsamic vinegar with a touch of extra virgin olive oil makes any salad better:bigsmile:
  • hatravers
    hatravers Posts: 159 Member
    bump
  • KavemanKarg
    KavemanKarg Posts: 266
    I love real, home made full fat mayo.

    Home made ceasar dressing is also incredibly health, with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, garlic, anchovies. Everything there is very nutrient dense and delicious.

    Yep, 1 tablespoon of it has about 100 a calories, but if you make it with real extra virgin olive oil, its gonna dress about 4 cups of romaine. Way more nutrient dense and lower calorie then 2 slices of whole grain bread.

    Its all relative to your diet strategy. Never seen a "fat free" dressing that substituted fat with something healthy from nature. Usually they give you sugar, or starch.
  • WKenL
    WKenL Posts: 64 Member
    Well, I'd think that the lemon pepper garlic chicken would be adding enough flavor, but maybe that's me ...

    To a salad, for one thing, I like lots of stuff. My salad usually has at least two greens (either different lettuces or spinach, kale, etc.), tomatoes, cucumber, celery, carrots, radishes, salad turnips, etc.. Sometimes onion.

    I make my own salad dressings, and I replace the mayonnaise called for in recipes with homemade yogurt. Keeping it to one or two tbsp helps, too. So, although I'm using ranch or French dressing, it's a whole lot better. Some Italian dressing isn't bad, either.

    As always, it's all about balance.

    Some people prefer to use a bit of lime or lemon juice in place of a dressing. That's not a bad idea, either, if you like it.

    Mixing some herbs into the greens can work wonders, too. Cilantro is one that I've found good for that. Instead of using a dressing, I've just got that jazzing up the flavor.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    I use raw chopped spinach, fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries, grapes cut in half, diced apples, raspberries, and sliced almonds. Then I use just the slightest amount of Wishbone superfruit berry dressing. It's sooooo good. I can make a huge salad (that will serve 8 or so people) and only use 2-3 TBSP of dressing. And it's packed with vitamins.


    I also use either chopped raw spinach or a spring mix and put red pepper, onions, yellow or orange pepper, bean sprouts (mung), and whatever other veggies I want and use 1 TBSP of a light balsamic vinaigrette and then use 1/2 to 1 TBSP of balsamic vinegar with it. It's sooooooo good.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    The refrigerated dressings you find in the salad section are good. Light House is made out of canola oil, no preservatives (that's why they are in the fridge), "good fats". Salsa is good too. Cheese! Nuts, Meat (left over steak is great on salads), mushrooms, red peppers, grated carrots, onions.
  • dreambig_gohome
    dreambig_gohome Posts: 194 Member
    One of my favorite salads includes Dole Classic Romaine Lettuce, Salad Shrimp Thawed, REAL Bacon Bits, Seasoned Herbed Croutons, Kraft Shreded Colby-Jack Cheese, and Wishbone Salad Spritzer Italian Vinagarette. - 210 calories for a cup and a half serving size, 9 g fat, 10 g carbs and 30 g protein. For a larger meal, increase the portions by two. I've also added grape tomatos and black olives as they are available in my fridge :)

    I found Wishbone brand Salad Spritzers to be a healthy option. Ten sprays of vinagarette equals ten calories. I LOVE the Italian and Vinagarette. I have heard from some people that they were largely discontinued from stores, but they're still available at my Walmart.
  • michedarnd
    michedarnd Posts: 207 Member
    Flavored vinegars. I love to make a spinach salad with some cherry tomatoes, edamame, raw broccoli, spinach leaves, and sweet and spicy tuna and grated cheddar cheese. Then, I dab some fig-infused (or pear-infused) white balsamic vinegar. It's luscious.

    If you have well-seasoned taco meat (lean), you can also make a taco salad. Put some corn in it instead of tortilla chips (or you can crumble in three or four) and you have a yummy one, too.
  • michedarnd
    michedarnd Posts: 207 Member
    Flavored vinegars. I love to make a spinach salad with some cherry tomatoes, edamame, raw broccoli, spinach leaves, and sweet and spicy tuna and grated cheddar cheese. Then, I dab some fig-infused (or pear-infused) white balsamic vinegar. It's luscious.

    If you have well-seasoned taco meat (lean), you can also make a taco salad. Put some corn in it instead of tortilla chips (or you can crumble in three or four) and you have a yummy one, too.

    The salad with tuna also goes MARVELOUSLY with shrimp.
  • phechan3
    phechan3 Posts: 60
    I LOVE adding fruit and/or nuts to my salad. Apples, pears, mandarin oranges... all great! I don't usually eat salad dressing so I can get away with adding a few nuts in too. :3

    I also tend to put more 'other' veggies (like bell peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms etc..) than I do lettuce.
  • juliesummers
    juliesummers Posts: 738 Member
    I always have big raw salads with spinach, tomato, onion, mushroom, garlic, zucchini, 1/4 c jalapeno pinto beans, and sometimes a slice of avocado. They taste AMAZING and the jalapeno in the pinto beans (comes like that in a can) is enough to act as a dressing for the whole salad (or, if I use plain pinto beans, I use salsa as a dressing)
  • pelleld
    pelleld Posts: 363 Member
    Really good balsamic vinegar with a touch of extra virgin olive oil makes any salad better:bigsmile:

    This is what I use too, makes yummy salads, uses healthy fats, and I can ENJOY the salad!
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    My go-to salad: mixed baby greens, cherry or grape tomatoes (halved), bell pepper strips, diced onion, some chickpeas or beans if I fancy, a little bit of feta or fresh mozzarella, and just enough homemade ranch dressing for taste.

    I never get sick of it.
  • pasofan
    pasofan Posts: 29 Member
    Sweet Balsamic Dressing

    1/8 cup olive oil
    1/4 cup balsamic
    1 TBLS Splenda
    1/4 tsp salt & pepper...
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I use Newman's Organic Light Balsamic dressing. I don't like a lot of dressing, so I usually just use one tablespoon, unless it's a really big salad. One tablespoon has 25 calories, 2 grams of fat and 2 grams of carbs, both sugar.

    Try using a strong cheese like blue, Gorgonzola or feta, crumbled very fine. I use just half an ounce and it gives a lot of flavor to the whole salad.

    Since I'm keeping things lower carb lately my typical salad consists of chopped romaine, roasted chicken breast, 1/2 ounce blue cheese, cucumber, celery, a sliced hard boiled egg and a sliced Roma tomato. Topped with the balsamic, of course.
  • missyyclaire
    missyyclaire Posts: 572 Member
    A drizzle of olive oil in a big bowl, 1/4th that amount of balsamic vinegar, a shot of hot sauce, a dash of soy sauce, garlic powder....swirl it around and you've got a delicious, easy dressing. Way tastier than those gaggy bottles of chemicals.

    When I say hot sauce, I mean something like Chohula or Louisiana hot sauce, not salsa
  • kelseydaniels
    kelseydaniels Posts: 2
    I love your post! I have had a staple salad for a few weeks now: spinach and Morningstar's Faux Chicken patties (DELICIOUS!!!). I cut up the patty after it being microwaved 2-3 minutes and it's perfect. I'm not a dressing fan so I looked at Realsimple.com's recipes and just purchased chickpeas, red and yellow peppers, and a few different veggies to cut up for some crunch. Don't use corn. Good luck!
  • ssdivot
    ssdivot Posts: 193
    I like Hidden Valley Ranch lite dressing but it does have 80 calories in two TBSP. I yesterday tried a recipe that uses 1 pack of the dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix, two cups of greek yogurt ( I use the 2 percent Fage), and 1/3 cup of 1 percent buttermilk. Its pretty good and only about 25 calories for the two tablespoon serving. I also use croutons on my salad but I weigh out the 7 gram serving. I use sugar free bread and butter pickles and onion and sometimes red bell peppers. And 1 tbsp of Feta cheese which I think has like 20 calories. I recently discovered the Feta and a little bit packs a big punch! And chicken I grill in my Foreman grill. I have a this big salad usually once a day and I love it!
  • mommygirl81
    mommygirl81 Posts: 37
    My salads consist of spinach, romaine lettuce, 1 tbsp of bacon bits, carrots, cucumbers, turkey meat, raspberries and kraft low fat raspberry vinigarette. It's delicious! You can add any veggies you want and the raspberries add an amazing flavor. The total calorie count is under 200 too.
  • Jewels211
    Jewels211 Posts: 184 Member
    I try to use all the veggies I love on my salad--romaine, baby spinach, red bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli (stems more than "treetops"), then use just a tblesp or two of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese so that a little bit spreads a lot of flavor throughout, sometimes a boiled egg, then top with my choice of meat. I use Hidden Valley Ranch, regular, not reduced anything, but watch the amount I use. A little goes a long way with all the other strong flavors going on. You can also get the dressing sprays that add only a couple of calories, but they don't come in many flavors.

    Or taco salad! Use either very lean ground beef or ground turkey, make it extra spicy, maybe throw in some red or kidney beans, and top your greens, onions, tomatoes (if you can find some that don't taste like plastic sawdust) and a bit of cheese, and you don't need dressing at all.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I love real, home made full fat mayo.

    Home made ceasar dressing is also incredibly health, with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, garlic, anchovies. Everything there is very nutrient dense and delicious.

    Yep, 1 tablespoon of it has about 100 a calories, but if you make it with real extra virgin olive oil, its gonna dress about 4 cups of romaine. Way more nutrient dense and lower calorie then 2 slices of whole grain bread.

    Its all relative to your diet strategy. Never seen a "fat free" dressing that substituted fat with something healthy from nature. Usually they give you sugar, or starch.

    This is me too..........

    But I eat a very high fat eating plan so I love my full fat and full flavor dressings. Especially home made ones with no crap in them.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    The refrigerated dressings you find in the salad section are good. Light House is made out of canola oil, no preservatives (that's why they are in the fridge), "good fats". Salsa is good too. Cheese! Nuts, Meat (left over steak is great on salads), mushrooms, red peppers, grated carrots, onions.

    Canola oil is not a good fat. Just sayin'........................
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Salsa is good too.

    I use Frontera salsa (2 Tbsp is 10 calories!) on my salads, esp when I have a quarter cup of black beans in there. Yum!
  • KokomoJoe
    KokomoJoe Posts: 435
    There are many ways to add flavour.

    Creamy lemon dresson

    4 oz silken tofu drained
    1 TBS fresh lemon juice
    1 tsp lemon zest
    1/2 TBS rice vinegar
    1 TBS EVOO
    sea salt and pepper to taste
    1tsp chives

    Blend tofu with lemon juice, zest, vinegar and oil scraping sides as necessary until smooth

    Transfer to a small serving bowl and stir in salt, pepper and chives

    poppy seed ( I love this one)

    1 cup oil (hemp, flax, udos)
    2 tbs of avocado oil (the one I use is infused with chili and bell peppers)
    2 large limes juiced
    1 lemon juiced
    1 pks of stevia
    1 oz ground flax seed
    1/4 cup raw pine nuts (optional)
    ground pepper (to taste)
    sea salt to taste
    1 oz poppy seeds

    Put first 7 ingredients in your blender and blend until flaxseed is well mixed and begins to thicken. With unit running add pepper and salt then add poppy seeds and pulse a few times to mix. Chill in refrigerator before serving.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
    Really good balsamic vinegar with a touch of extra virgin olive oil makes any salad better:bigsmile:

    Yup.
  • stephaniej05
    stephaniej05 Posts: 40
    Try the gluten free section of your grocery store! I found some pretty tasty low cal, low sugar options there
This discussion has been closed.

Categories