I'm another person that tosses their salad using a container. I put all of my ingredients in a big tupperware bowl, put the lid on, and shake shake shake. It stretches the dressing, so that everything gets evenly coated.
As far as what I put on my salads... well, my usual salad is a mix of spring mix salad greens, spinach, grape tomatoes (so much sweeter than regular), mushrooms, cucumbers, and maybe some kalamata olives, sliced peperoncini peppers, feta cheese, and then some grilled chicken. The feta is great, as is parmesan cheese, because it has such a strong flavor, so I tend not to use as much as I would if I were using, say, a mild cheddar or mozzarella. As far as the dressing, I'm addicted to Maple Grove Farms' Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette (30 cals for 2 tbsp) and their Cranberry Balsamic dressing (20 cals for 2 tbsp). I always measure them out, but they're very flavorful, so you don't need a whole bunch, but even if you use more than a serving, it's still not bad. They do have HFCS in them, so if you're watching out for that, those won't work for you, although they do offer an Organic FF Raspberry Vinaigrette that doesn't have it.
Last edited by LindseyLouWho; 04-01-2007 at 06:01 PM.
Reason: HFCS
I skip dressing and go straight for the ff cottage cheese. The family can have their potatoes ... I eat 1/2 cup of ff cottage cheese on my salad almost every dinnertime.
im not really a big salad person, and i dunno how good they are, but the grocery store i work at carries these salad spritzers, and on the bottle it says there is 1 calorie per spray...just thought id toss that idea in there
Salads are my best friends! I usually eat two big ones every day, one with lunch and another with dinner.
I'm a big fan of sea salt and freshly ground pepper (or lemon pepper) on salads. I find that this really helps me stretch the dressing. My fav dressing is Bernstein's Light Fantastic (25 calories per 2 tbsp), although I'm also a fan of Trader Joe's low fat and fat free dressings.
I also like salad with just balsamic vinaigrette on it (only 10 calories per tbsp). I get some that is infused with fig, blackberry, or raspberry. My fav brand is www.bistroblends.com. It is pricey, but it is so much better than the balsamic vinegar at the grocery store. It's a little thicker than the grocery store brands, so I find that I don't need any oil with it (although I have been known to eat my salad with a spoon so that I get every last drop of it).
I also add fruit to my salads, usually berries but sometimes mango. It sounds strange, but I love the added sweetness. Here are two of my favorite salads:
You can get a box that makes a ton for super cheap...I just make the whole box and then put it in a tupperware and put that in the fridge. It's enough for the whole week.
So for my lunchtime salad I usually crumble a few falafel balls over the salad (about 60/40 salad to falafel ratio. ) and add a little cheese. It's awesome, filling...and I totally don't miss the dressing.
HarPoe – I do that with falafel too! It makes for a satisfying meal.
I don’t like my salads dry though, if I’m having a falafel salad I’ll usually make my Israeli salad mix and toss it with my greens. It’s really easy, super healthy, and goes great with falafel: Cucumber (seeded and chopped), tomato (I usually use halved grape or cherry tomatoes), finely chopped red onion, minced fresh garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste. Shredded carrot or chopped red bell pepper are also good additions, a little bit of sweet crunch is nice. Sometimes I add some chopped black olives or a dash of olive or sesame oil, but they’re not at all necessary if you don’t want the added fat. If I don’t have falafel I’ll sometimes just throw some chickpeas or other beans on my salad.
Salad toppings or mix-ins I like:
canned, drained artichoke hearts
roasted red peppers
grilled mushrooms or zucchini
definitely beans (you've read this suggestion from many others, I see)
leftover cold grains (brown rice, couscous, etc.)
Yum grilled mushrooms sound great!
BTW I have started using the tip of shaking the salad up with the 2 tbsp dressing in a ziploc bag..Works so great.. THANK YOU! I will use this tip for the rest of my life!
I made a delicious salad today with baby spinach, sliced strawberries, romano cheese, grilled chicken and some balsamic vinegarette. It was delicious! I think next time I make it I'll put pine nuts or perhaps avocado in as well. Yum!
This may sound "off" to some, but it is very good. shredded iceburg lettuce tossed with fresh raw spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Top with any or no raw or steamed veggies.
Being from Texas, I have a feeling most of you saying 'salsa' are talking about something like Pace.
Head for the Mexican isle in your grocery store and look for Valentina sauce. It's similar to Tobasco, more flavor, less heat. I just looked at my bottle and it's 71mg sodium per 1 tsp serving, and zero across the board otherwise (including calories, but that means it could be as high as 10 calories, I believe).
If you can't find it, try some Frank's hot sauce. It's similar, just not as good, in my opinion.
I never thought to put falafel on my salad! That sounds soooo yummy! I can't wait to try it, I'm totally craving falafel now! Mmmmmm...
edited to say: We had this for lunch today and YUM!! SOOOO good! The only thing is I'm not sure how many calories, since I baked the falafel rather than frying and the nutritional info is for frying, I think (I hope!). Thanks for the great idea!!
) and add a little cheese. It's awesome, filling...and I totally don't miss the dressing.
