I love salads and would like to eat them more for lunch. However, I'm usually running late and don't want to take the time to cut up lettuce (getting up and out earlier would solve this problem...but I'm looking for something easier ). I tried the bagged lettuce or salad starters before and something in them upsets my stomach (Does this happen to anyone else?). I would like to chop up a bunch of lettuce to keep in the fridge, but it seems to get discolored quickly. Any suggestions?
Get some of those bags that are meant for produce. I believe ziplock makes them. They have small wholes in them so the produce can breathe rather than suffocate. Also, a head of lettuce lasts me about 3 days. I eat a lot a salad.
The lettuce that is pre cut is usually mixed with other vegetables like red cabbage, carrots and other types of lettuces (lettuci?). Anyway, red cabbage could be the culprit, it doesn't always settle with some stomachs.
We have been replacing our lettuce with baby spinach. It's more like romaine lettuce, rather than iceburg, but we all like it. Plus, You can just grab a handful or 2 and go.
Putting a paper towel in with the lettuce extends its life quite well. I've also had great success out of the "green" bags. Also I've purchased a small one-serving bag at Kroger called just iceberg i think.
yes i second the tearing instead of chopping w/knife.
also, using heads of romaine or spinach lasts much longer than the premixes. just in general in the fridge.
you could also leave the romaine leaves whole, and make a wrap at lunch. waiting till you eat so it doesnt get soggy.
my fav. things to wrap this way is basil tuna salad or chicken curry w/lots of veggies. or make little chicken or fish tacos.
I'm not a fan of lettuce really. I'll eat it very occasionally, but I LOVE fresh spinach, just as JackieHollow suggested. There's no cutting involved, just grab a handful and put it in a bowl, toss on the extras and it's finished.
Iceberg lettuce gets brown and soggy quickly and it really doesn't have a whole lot of nutritional value. (I call it crunchy water.) Leaf lettuce, romaine, and spinach, on the other hand, keep quite well, have lots of flavor and nutritional benefits, and are quick and easy to prepare (wash and tear into pieces).
I've heard that the pre-packaged salad mixes are made from lettuce grown with more pesticides and have a lot of preservatives applied to them when they're bagged. I don't know if it's true or not, but it certainly would explain tummy problems when eating them.
We have been replacing our lettuce with baby spinach. It's more like romaine lettuce, rather than iceburg, but we all like it. Plus, You can just grab a handful or 2 and go.
Here too! We love baby spinach and DH complains if we're traveling and can't find it. Plus it's definitely better for you than iceberg lettuce. It's wonderful with feta cheese, yum!
I love the baby spinach idea, but unfortunately my tummy has recently decided it can't handle even one leave of raw spinach. It used to be broccoli. Now I can eat broccoli, but not spinach.
I cut up romaine lettuce because it's just so easy to do. I often mix it with bagged lettuce just for the veggies. I have a hard time finding time to cut up the veggies. I get a bag at Aldi's that's almost all cabbage and carrots, very little iceburg lettuce.
Furthermore, I keep it in a ziplock bag and roll out all the air before sealing. It keeps quite well this way.
I just buy heads of romaine. I will take one head, tear the base off so all the leaves are free and then wash them. I wrap them in a paper towel and put them in a gallon bag leaving the top undone.
When I want a salad, I just grab a few leaves and pack them, or tear them into my bowl for work. Easy peasy!
I'm probably going to sound dumb, but are romaine heads cheaper? I can buy a giant bag of lettuce for about 4 bucks...so I'm not sure it would save me any money.
But I LOVE romaine. I eat salads probably once even twice a day most the time. And these are big salads usually with some type of protein on them. Mmmm.
I appreciated all the tips in this post too! Since I love lettuce!
Let us talk about lettuce...
). I tried the bagged lettuce or salad starters before and something in them upsets my stomach (Does this happen to anyone else?). I would like to chop up a bunch of lettuce to keep in the fridge, but it seems to get discolored quickly. Any suggestions?
It used to be broccoli. Now I can eat broccoli, but not spinach.
