Board 8 > What's in your favorite salad?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm trying to "eat healthier" and that includes having more salads.

Since I've found only one recipe I like - greens + blue cheese dressing + apple chunks + bacon bits + honey-roasted pecans + cranberries - I thought I'd inquire about what other options there are, to vary it up. Only requirement is greens (so a "dessert salad" is fine if it's a way to sneak greens in). What say you?

I like a nice simple salad of greens and some baked chicken breast

Baby spinach +Arugula
Grilled chicken breast
Broccoli crowns
Pinch of feta
hot sauce

that's my go-to salad these days

Iceberg lettuce
Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, cheddar cheese
Steak strips
French fries
Poppyseed dressing

If anyone guesses where I'm originally from (it's in the US) you get a point.
Not really actually healthy though.

These days my favorite is probably some kind of spring mix, some fruit + nuts (I usually do dried unsweetened cranberries and almonds but you can use anything really), some chicken and a vinegarette or sweet and sour dressing. Maybe some croutons or tortilla strips for extra crunch if I'm feeling like it though leaving those off is better for you and the nuts provide crunch anyway. Which is kind of just a variation of the one you listed.

Honestly a balsamic or honey mustard dressing with a protein

I'm fairly unpicky after that

Problem is "salads" can be extraordinarily unhealthy based on what you add to them. My favorite is a baby spinach, feta cheese, bacon salad with the bacon grease itself serving as the dressing.

My go-to otherwise is romaine+black olive+light parmesan cheese+red wine vinegar, with the only fat coming from the cheese and the bit of olive.

Edit: also some plain grilled chicken breast if I need more protein.

I'm not picky when they come as sides, but when I make them myself, I use

• Spinach
• Honey Mustard

maybe croutons if i havent already ate them all as a snack

Isquen posted...

Problem is "salads" can be extraordinarily unhealthy based on what you add to them

I mean kind of

While yes, salads aren't necessarily "healthy" if you add in a bunch of fat and sugar you are never hitting the lows of things I would actually consider extraordinarily unhealthy like funnel cake or fried chicken

Hell, even a fried chicken salad at least has vegetables surrounding the fried chicken

UltimaterializerX posted...

Id swap the blue cheese for something else in yours. Im a Caesar guy myself. Not the best, but I read blue cheese is the worst one there is.

The blue cheese dressing complements everything well, which is why I went with it. Caesar would not go well with the apples, and a vinaigrette wouldn't have the same effect. I don't care that it's "unhealthy" compared to others - it tastes good together, which helps me eat greens and healthy stuff. It's certainly healthier than putting a pizza in the oven and eating half of it.

Worth noting that I don't overdo the dressing, either. Just enough so I taste some in every bite. I also get Bolthouse, which is in the refrigerators in the produce section because it's preservative-free.

Trying to think of ideas from what I'm seeing in here... hmmm... steak strips + a red wine vinaigrette with nuts and goat cheese might be something. Maybe add cherry tomatoes.

masterplum posted...

I mean kind of

While yes, salads aren't necessarily "healthy" if you add in a bunch of fat and sugar you are never hitting the lows of things I would actually consider extraordinarily unhealthy like funnel cake or fried chicken

Hell, even a fried chicken salad at least has vegetables surrounding the fried chicken

I would say technically salads can be worse than a reasonable serving of fried chicken if they are full of sugar, cheese, and saturated fat. Even though you do get the fiber from the greens or whatever, the extra calories counter it out. For example, a giant Zaxby's salad with chicken, cheese, and all the toppings with a full packet of dressing is probably "worse" for you than two pieces of fried chicken and fries.

Still don't like salad

Salad burps are the worst

Hardboiled egg chopped up is def my favorite salad topping.

Also pro healthy tip. Don't put dressing on your salad at all. Dip your bite into it. You can use way less and still get the flavor on each bite

I have 4 go to salads

1. Greens, cucumber, carrot, celery, walnuts, apple, red pepper, feta, cranberry/strawberry

2. Greens, roast butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, feta

3. Greens, ground turkey made into taco meat, cherry tomato, avocado, corn, black beans, cilantro, sour cream, salsa

4. Your regular old Cobb salad

Butter lettuce
Grilled chicken
Carrot
Cilantro
Green onion
Avocado
Miso drssing

Eggs and mayonnaise. And nothing else.

I very rarely eat salads, but there's one restaurant in VA that had one that tasted great and that I actually looked forward to having instead of grudgingly eating my salad to feel like I was making a healthy choice:

Mixed greens, fresh corn, tomato, scallions & croutons with buttermilk herb dressing

Not a big salad fan but I'll eat it if it has rocket, as well as some potato salads. I despise most lettuces.

A restaurant near me does a very nice Rocca salad with honey mustard and Wagyu Beef Strips. That's the only salad I've ordered multiple times so it's probably my favourite.

I recently made one which was just a mess of things I liked. Rocket, pasta, boiled eggs, cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, tuna, a few olives. It was alright.