SO It’s time to start with those New Years resolutions! I know many of my clients have said they are committing to eating better and ESP committing to incorporating more veggies in their diets, BUT they hate veggies and salads…I personally LOVE salads and eat them if not once but twice a day; but I add a bunch of different stuff so it never gets old to me! Soooo I thought I’d show everyone a fun & easy way to make some fabulous salads this year (not to mention a great way to get those extra veggies in!)
ENJOY!
Salad Formula…
• 1-2 types (or more) of lettuce/salad greens +
• 1-3 additional veggies (to save time, slice up a bunch of veggies and store them in Tupperware in the fridge…I personally prepare bell peppers, cucumber, snow peas, onion & baby tomatoes and keep handy. This way it’s easy to make a salad or grab some veggies to snack on!)
• 1 fruit* +
• 1-2 protein sources** +
• 1 healthy fat
Lettuce ( use as much as you want & mix the varieties up!):
• baby spinach
• bibb lettuce
• Boston lettuce
• red leaf lettuce
• romaine
• spring mix
• iceberg lettuce
• arugula
• Belgian endive
• cabbage
• radicchio
• watercress
• kale
Additional veggies (choose however many you want!)
• beets
• carrots
• cherry tomatoes
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• zucchini
• squash
• sugar snap peas
• cucumbers
• edamame
• mushrooms
• asparagus
• peppers: green, red, yellow,
• orange
• radishes
• sundried tomatoes
• red onion
• scallions
• snow peas
• artichoke hearts
• baby corn
• roasted red peppers
• banana peppers
Fruit (optional…pick one)
• apple slices
• blackberries
• blueberries
• dried fruit: (cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins, etc.)
• grapefruit slices
• grapes
• mandarin oranges
• orange segments
• peach slices
• pear slices
• pineapple
• pomegranate seeds
• raspberries
• strawberries
Protein Sources (pick 1-2)
• Beans (about ¼ to ½ cup): garbanzo, black beans, white beans, kidney beans,etc.
• cheese (just a bit..choose the stronger cheeses- adds lots of flavors with just a little!);
• cheddar cheese
• parmesan cheese
• feta cheese
• goat cheese
• gouda cheese
• blue cheese
• hard boiled eggs
• mozzarella cheese
• meat (about 3-4 oz):
• salmon
• tuna
• chicken
• turkey
• lean steak
Healthy Fat (pick one…this does NOT include the oil for dressing)
• almonds
• olives
• avocado
• pecans
• pine nuts
• pistachios
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• walnuts
• cashews
Dress Salads With:
Zero Fat/Low Calorie
• salsa
• lemon juice
• lime juice
• balsamic vinegar
• red wine vinegar
• apple cider vinegar
Healthy Oils:(These have the advantage over bottled dressings in that they have no sugar, no added chemicals, and no added salt. Use sparingly because they are still 100% fat…my favorite is a wedge or two of fresh lemon and a drizzle of olive or sesame oil!
• extra virgin olive oil
• flaxseed oil
• organic sesame oil
• organic walnut oil
• organic pumpkin oil
By Teresa October 14, 2012 - 6:14 am
Abby I sympathize! I have the same pbolrem. And it’s not just on vacation my friends love to eat out and restaurant food is ALWAYS more caloric than the way I would prepare it at home. I have two ways that I deal with it. First, I order a salad and a small plate instead of an entree. So many of the restaurants we go to offer an appetizer size portion of the entrees. The other thing I do is eat half and take the rest home. Or sometimes I can convince a friend to split the entree. Actually, we have been known to order one dessert for the eight of us. You take a bite and pass it to the next person. (It’s only gross if you go around a second time!)Speaking of restaurant meals I was horrified by the calorie count at California Pizza on Sunday. Huge! I’m going to PF Chang’s tomorrow, so I looked up the counts online. They all looked so reasonable! But NO then I noticed the portion size. An entree is meant to serve three or four!!! Those sneaky bastards .. I guess it’s caveat emptor or in this case let the eater beware!