You can make a quick and easy Mexican type salad by cooking a Smart Ones (or other variety) Santa Fe Rice and Beans frozen dinner, then dumping it on top of a bed of lettuce (any kind - or spinach). Very yummy. I like to add other things too - little avocado, fresh (sort of) tomatoes, and then some ff sour cream and salsa. This really stretches the frozen dinner, and is much better than if you ate them separately. :)

I also like to mix shredded cabbage with lettuce in my salads.

Originally Posted by WaterRat:
You can make a quick and easy Mexican type salad by cooking a Smart Ones (or other variety) Santa Fe Rice and Beans frozen dinner, then dumping it on top of a bed of lettuce

Oh I love that santa fe rice and beans! And avocado too. I just had some avocado this past week, I love it.

Thanks for the tip, that sounds wonderful!

You are all full of such good ideas! I am going to have to try and keep track of all of them, especially since I hit the christmas cookies WAY too much in the last three days. :-0. Thanks, and I am always willing to hear more, if someone adds something later!


Vanessa

Lettuce can be pretty boring. I like to eat greek village salad, which has no lettuce. Just chop up some tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, sweet bell peppers, and put either lite greek dressing on it or make your own with red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and crushed garlic. Sprinkle salad with a little bit of crumbled lite feta cheese if you wish and you're good to go.

Salads in School
 

I work in a elementry school so I know what you mean by salads being a better choice. We have the wimpy iceburg lettuce which I'm not fond of. I put very little lettuce and more of the other veggies. I can cut up the lettuce as well. One big thing I do though, is I stay away from their dressings. I buy my own and store it in the classroom. One last word of advice....stay away from croutons and salad toppings. They add flavor, but also many calories and fat. You can try garlic salt or a little parmesan cheese to make the flavor go a little further. Our school carries both to serve with pizza days. If you just can't stand the lettuce, just put the fresh veggies on your plate and add a fresh fruit. We always have fresh fruit available. If you don't, store it in your classroom.

I have to agree with everyone. If you don't like it, don't eat it!

Try doing a recipe search at some resipe websites (allrecipes, recipezaar) and search the word 'salad' and you should find a lot that aren't lettuce based.

I love one made with steamed brocolli, apples, carrot shreds, small cubes of lean ham, raisins, and ff mayo and ff sour cream and ff plain yogurt (depending on what I have in the house). Add a **small** handful of crunchy nuts (walnuts, almonds) to the top and it's wonderful!

Do you like avocado? put a little of that on your finely chopped salad veges, hey if you don't like lettuce, chop up carrots and cabbage, make a slaw type salad with a light ranch dressing or oil and vinegar. Another thing, put sliced almonds, or low fat cheese or fake bacon bits, just use small amounts

colleen
 

:yes: :devil: I like to add foods like capers, jarred spicy peppers, low fat marinated artichokes etc. They are low in calories and have a lot of flavor! I also like to chop everything and mix a small amount of salad dressing and mix it together.

Sometimes smothering your lettuce in a *fruity* flavored dressing makes all the difference!

Try mixing your lettuce with some Raspberry Viniagrette salad dressing, almonds, apples, and dried cranberries. Yum!!! :) It's my favorite.

They make this same salad at Arby's...it's called the Martha's Vineyard salad!

Try some different lettuce :) I can't stand Iceberg lettuce but enjoy Romaine, Red Leaf, Green Leaf and Boston Lettuce. I also buy the spring mix in a bag from Dole and mix it in with the other lettuce.

I usually add things like chopped cooked chicken, baked croutons and Newmans' own oil and vinegar dressing.

Other times I put in raw broccoli, low fat cheese, lean ham, tomato and cucumber and alfalpha sprouts.

A simple salad is sliced tomatoes and cucumber with feta cheese crumbled over top. Mix some oil and vinegar with Greek salad spices ( I use ClubHouse) and drizzle over the top of the cheese and veggies.

Favorite Salads
 

I love to eat salads. I eat them many ways. My favorite store bought salad dressing is Kraft Fat Free Catalina. It taste the best on the salad to me, do not smell or taste without food( doesn't taste as good by itself).

Favorite salad:
Lettuce (preferable not ice berg)
cherry tomatoes
cantaloupe pieces cut up with juice on a plate
almond slivers
fat free croutons
two slices of deli ham
small amt of mozzarella cheese

make the salad with the above and pour the cantaloupe with juice over the salad...OH SO GOOD. My husband was grossed out by this, but when he ate it, hmmm, good. Also try any variation with other fruits added. I prefer the dark leafy green lettuce and spinach as it has nutrients and ice berg lettuce is just water mostly.

That sounds delicious! I would have never thought to put cantaloupe in a salad, interesting idea!

Red seedless or green grapes are also great in salads

At a church dinner recently the had chopped red apple added to the green salad and I was pleasantly surprised. It added just the right touch of sweet crunch! It was really delicious. Actually I think the apple was a delicious type.

I make coleslaw -- start with the bag kind that has carrots and stuff in it -- and add cashew pieces, red seedless grape halves, bits of cauliflower an broccoli and either chopped cherry or grape tomatoes, or cover the top with tomato slices. I just started playing around with it one day while making something for work... everyone raves over it and it has become kind of traditional for me to make!! It's GREAT