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Boring lettuce salads never make me feel full, personally, so I try to add things with protein and substance to fill it out a little but it can be hard to decide what to buy to put on there while still trying to stay healthy (why must bacon bits be so bad for you?)
Today I had light canned tuna (packed in water) on top of my mixed greens with half a roma tomato (the other half made a bid for freedom and fell on the floor. bummer 
) and light Italian dressing. So, my salad is totally lame today. ^_^
What do you like to add to your salads?
The best thing to fill you up is having some kind of meat, like grilled chicken. Maybe some nuts or dried fruits as well?
eggs are good, as are hearts of palm. if you cook tofu in soy sauce, it is filling and flavorful and really good on salads. and don't forget nuts and low fat cheese! Newman's own (not sure if I spelled that right) makes a light red wine vinegarette that is really delicious and makes anything taste good.
nuts of all varieties! but especially raw almonds. yum.
Olive oil is supposed to be better for you than dressing, and more filling.
I add lots of veggies, some protein, and even a little cheese. Also, choose a more "filling" lettuce -- such as spinach or arugula instead of iceberg or romaine. Also, some avocado.
I make these two salads that I find quite filling and delicious (easier to make for dinner than bring for lunch)
Steak fajita salad: steak, peppers, onions, tomatoes, avocado over arugula or spinach. You could even put a dollop of sour cream or some salsa. A sprinkle of lowfat cheese. Before putting everything on it, toss the lettuce with a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, lime juice, and salt and pepper.
Chicken portabella salad: grilled chicken, portabella mushrooms, onions, tomatoes over spinach. Throw a little parmesan, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
slivered almonds, or sunflower seeds. I cheat and put cheese on it too! :) try chicken, or turkey.
I like grilled chicken or shrimp, very thinly sliced onions, pimentos, a TB of blue cheese (little goes a long way), almonds or unsalted sunflower seeds (i drop half a handful in if i don't have chicken or meat on it), a diced tomato, and thinly sliced cucumbers. Pretty much the kitchen sink....The more I put in there, the more variety it has, so the more it "tricks" my mind that I'm actually getting a full meal.
I also like spinach salads--I heat them up ever so slightly, heat up a tb or two of vinegary dressing, toss in some sliced red onions, and just do that. I fact I had a cold one for lunch today--spinach, diced carrots, onions, and dressing, all for about 20 calories.
I figure as long as I'm adding lots of veggies, it's a good salad, and whatever salad dressing I buy, I make sure I only bring a few TB to work (two or three, tops) and that it's a low sugar/calorie kind. I have a Zia's one (from a local restaurant) that is 10 Calories/TB. Ridiculous.
Chickpeas or even other types of beans like black beans and pinto beans.
I second (or third?) hard-boiled eggs. Super high impact food. :)
Protein + fat have sticking power for me. Fake crab meat is a favorite of mine, as are hard boiled eggs, low fat cheese, mandarin oranges, carrots, cabbage... (OK, not all of those together!)
I second the chick-peas and avocado! AND using olive oil instread of dressing. If I could I would bathe in it, I love it so much.
Canned garbanzo beans! A little crumbled blue cheese is good b/c it's so flavorful. Apple slices, dried fruit, artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms (not all together!).
I usually try to add some sort of protein--grilled chicken, nuts (walnuts are my fave--you only really need like 1/4 cup) garbanzo beans or even edamame. I'm not a big fan of boiled eggs, but that would do the trick for you too.
I love dried cranberries and nuts. Imitation crab meat and avacado is also a great option!
low fat crumbled feta, toasted walnuts, drained cannelini beans, leftover broiled salmon from the night before! And avocado is always welcome (and super good for your heart beause of the polyunsaturated fats, same for nuts and fatty fish). Something with fiber AND protein is always good because it will take you longer to digest it.
I also always make my own salad dressing--1 tbs white wine vinegar (or lemon juice, or any other vinegar) + 1 tsp dijon mustard + 2 tbs olive oil, whisked all together, covers a big salad for 2-3 people and is super delicious and not as sweet as bottled dressing (and nutrition research has indeed found that women who eat salads with oil+vinegar dressings absorb more nutrients!)
I agree with the advice to use other lettuce. Iceberg lettuce basically has no nutritional value at all!
The most important thing is to swtich up your salad ingredients. and not just add something to your plain salad. I think any vegetables and proteins can be put in a salad. All types of fruits and nuts, avocadoes, and anything taht the above-posters have put. Other things that may not come immediately to mind when you think of salads include: Tomatoes and basil salad, grilled fennel, cole slaw (made with vinegar and juice & sesame oil/olive oil, no mayo), grilled portabellow mushrooms, strawberries, tangerines (any citrus), crab meat (any seafood), yogurt (instead of regular oil-based dressing), maple syrup, herb (dill, cilantro, etc)... possibilies are endless.
Oooooo do you like broccoli salads? I totally dig them! My mom makes a really fattening one that is mayo based but i do one that's vinegar based and even though it has some cheese and sugar in it, it's still not real bad for you if you are smart about it.
Also tomato mozzarella is good if you go easy on the mozz cheese. I use cherry tomatoes in the summer and some pesto. So delish.
On easy meat that I put on the salad is the healthy/lean chicken basil sausages. I get them Costco. YUM.
yummm... i love me some tomato/ mozzarella/ fresh basil / olive oil salad too! add some chix for protein and its so good and satisifying :)
Oh, I never use iceberg. It's like crunchy water, you know? Nothing to it. ^_^
(hit submit too soon :P)
Thanks for all the great suggestions on how to mix it up! Some of these sound delicious. ^_^
Do you like butter lettuce? I always like to mix some in with what I've got--it's got a smooth and creamy texture.
I don't think I've had butter lettuce...I tend to stick with spinach or the mixed bags of romaine, raddichio (sp?), spinach and all the other stuff they toss in there. ^_^ It's hard to get good fresh veggies sometimes at the grocery stores near me, so sometimes it cuts down on the options, you know? :P
I am ALLLLL about spinach! I like putting cherry tomatos, shaved parmesan, french vinaigrette (not the pink/orange kind. the one with olive oil, shallots and dijon mustard in it), and a fried egg on top of mine. Sometimes, when I want to feel extra full, I slice up some cooked chicken apple sausage (the kind that has the chef on it...Aidell's?) and throw it in. It tastes super yum.
I add foods with good fat or protein. So lean meat, egg whites, avocado, or nuts. Sometimes I'll add low fat cheese. And when I am in the mood to cheat, I'll make myself a chopped nicoise salad--mmm, tuna, red potatoes, green beans, olives. I stay away from dressing and use olive oil and vinegar, and sometimes I use macadamia nut oil bc it's better, but I hate using it bc it's so darned expensive!
I make my salads with romaine, jicama, cucumber slices, red pepper, hard-boiled eggs or chicken, roasted sunflower seeds, parmesan and my homemade raspberry poppyseed dressing. I make the dressing with erythritol so there's no sugar.
@Lovesthebear- Don't know what your paying for coconut oil, but I get a 54 oz. container of organic, virgin coconut oil for $20 at vitacost.com
I do grilled chicken or marinated tofu and I love using a grated parmesan or other hard cheese for both flavor and protein. Sunflower seeds are delicious too. I like mine toasted. Sometimes we'll add pine or hazelnuts.
Might I just say that I'm so glad I read this thread? There are so many good ideas!
I often make a huge batch of salad stuff on Sunday night that lasts us for a few days for work lunches. I basically chop up any-and-all vegetables and fruits that we have in the refrigerator. Normally, a salad could contain any mix of: red/yellow/orange/green peppers, blanched green beans, snap peas, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, wedged baby tomatoes, crisp apples, juicy grapes, pears, cucumber, baby corn, etc. I love having a good mix of colors. It doesn't sound like it would be delicious, with all those different flavors, but it is SO good.
Plus, I normally make some whole wheat pasta spirals so we can throw a handful of those in each day to bulk it up. My husband likes boiling potatoes to add them in, but that's not my favorite. I'll grill some chicken breasts and chop them to add in-- haven't tried the hard-boiled eggs yet, but maybe need to incorporate those. Sometimes we do some chilled shrimp or (real) crab meat for variety. Sometimes add nuts/beans, depending on what we have in the cupboard. Sprinkle on a little cheese, and have a wide variety of dressings on hand (or make my own)-- yummmmm!
So much easier and faster to just prepare and chop ALL this stuff up at once and put it in big storage containers in the fridge on Sunday nights-- that way, we can just toss in the cooked protein or pasta and any other add-ons before work, add in a couple of handfulls of spinach or lettuce and a container of dressing, and be on the way. I don't think we want me near sharp knives in the morning! :)
Avocado, turkey or ham from the deli cut up, low fat cheese, boiled eggs, sunflower seeds....I am getting hungry!!!!
My favorite is Italian Mix lettuce with 1/4 cup of Craisins, 1/4 cup low-fat bleu cheese, and 2 Tbsp of Kraft Light Balsamic Dressing. I'm following WW and it's only 5 points for this huge salad! I'll have that for lunch and then maybe around 3 I have a serving of Wheat Thins Fiber Selects and a to-go pack of salsa (Chi-Chi's makes them in applesauce-like cups). It's perfectly filling and is salty/sweet enough to get me through the day.
I like to add some protein to my salads- they always seem to fill me up more. I'll normally do hard-boiled eggs, turkey or chicken. Also adding lots of veggies is good too and avocado is always a good add in for me too.
Nuts and dried fruit do the trick for me, and also those grape tomatoes because they're so juicy and filled with water.
i usually use the spring mix which has larger leaves than the other lettuce mixes and makes me feel like i am eating more (hence fuller) i am a HUGE feta cheese and olive oil drizzle person... with grilled chicken, OMG heaven!!
Hummus! Hummus on salads is so good and takes the place of salad dressing.
I also really like Mexican-type salads - romaine, spinach, black beans, corn, assorted other veggies (whatever you have on hand - cucumber, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, etc), avocado, and a little black bean hummus. So delicious!
It depends on the day. Some of my favorite toppings are:
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