I eat a big salad for lunch every day. One of my favorites is really simple:

big pile of mesclun greens
cubed up roasted beets
gorgonzola cheese
1/2 T of olive oil & 1/2 T of balsamic vinegar, shaken together

I use broccoli slaw as well, also feta or bleu cheese, nuts, seeds, baby spinach, hearts of romaine, edamame, cayenne pepper, jalapenos...mmmm I'm getting hungry for one!

Yummy Silverfire!

Thanks! I've been thinking about a website, hubby says I should write a book as I approach my goal.

The photo might be a little deceptive, I was in the middle of making a huge bowl that lasts me for several days. The salad is mostly veggies, and I took the photo after adding one of the fruit layers. I only eat about one quarter of the fruit you see pictured at one time.

My favorite salad right now is baby spinach, cucumber, strawberries, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries with Kraft raspberry dressing.

Thanks! I use maybe a tablespoon of Newman's Family Recipe Italian which coats it lightly but well, along with a pinch of grated Parmesan cheese (the fresh stuff, not the powdered).

could i add one without lettuce? i roast a pile of veggies in a little olive oil - this week's mix was, let's see if i remember it all, mushrooms, onions, red and orange peppers, tomatoes, eggplant with some finely minced garlic. This mix is a great base for pasta or chicken toppings, omelets, and so on. but when mixed with some oregano and basil, and protein - chick peas, shrimp and mozzarella are my faves - and then doused with some balsamic vinegar, it's a wonderful salad for lunch.

Yep, me sure like salads. Thanks for these great ideas! I'm thinking not just salads for weight loss but salads for life now with this wealth of information!

Wow, this sounds really good! Thanks for sharing!

I love salads too, I buy the bag of american salad mix when I go to the store and then I add grilled chicken strips,croutons,Shredded Cheddar Cheese and I top it with light ranch, I usually cut up tomatoes and add them too but I forgot to buy them this time around

I was actually surprised at how much 0% greek yogurt made a GREAT dressing instead of mayo (like seriously, it tastes better it's almost ridiculous). It's a great substitute and tastes amazing ( add to it some herbs and spices to your liking). I don't know how it is in the US but in canada we have some " calorie-wise" dressings that are between 5-20 calories per tablespoon. Those are pretty good too, but always try to stay away from the processed and make your own dressing if you can. When in doubt on what herb to use, my tip is : smell your plate, then smell the herb. If it feels odd, don't use it. If it feels like the smell goes well together, give it a try !

I like to add some cashews ( or other nuts/grains) to my salads ( 4-5 crushed ), they give a really nice crunchiness to it.

Now for some recipes ^^
Have you ever tried quinoa ? it makes for some amazing salad-meals. Mix it with some Black beans, red peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. For the dressing : a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne paper, coriander and cumin.
Also an other very complete salad that i like to have as a meal :
Diced tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, green peppers, shrimp and scallops. For the dressing ? Lemon zest, pepper, coriander, persley and lemon juice. Nothing else, the juice from the tomatoes and the creaminess of the avocados will be enough but you can add a tablespoon of yogurt to it if you prefer.

Those are pretty heavy salads, they're a whole meal, with the right portion you get about 300 calories and feel full for quite a while !

I make my own salad dressing from low sodium soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and Korean red pepper flakes

I think salads got better for me when I realized lettuces wasn't the base requirement. I've built a lot of salads with cucumbers and tomatoes as a base. I also roast veggies like jiffypop. Oh, and I do like using the broccoli slaw mix. It's a lot crunchier and feels very filling.

My new best friend is my salad chopper! A great big pile of veggies can be chopped to itty bitty pieces. Add Stonewall Kitchen's Sesame Ginger Dressing and YUM!

This thread inspired me to have a huge healthy salad tonight for supper!!! )