Why is pre made salad always more appealing?

[howdyougetuptgere]

I really want to lose weight- I need to. I find that pre-made salad, fruit etc is really easy to consume, especially when it come in those fancy cardboard circular tubs. I'm not fussy when it comes to food but I can't seem
To make it appealing.

Have you got a nice easy lunch type thing that's easy to knock together at night ( I'm so time poor which doesn't help)

Just prep the same salads as you like (the pre-made ones) yourself, store it in tubs and keep it in the fridge. Ditto fruit.

Waldorf salad is easy to prep, and will keep in the fridge for a few days if you make a bowl of it. The walnuts are very good for you. You could do a yoghurt based dressing rather than mayonnaise to reduce calories a bit. It goes well with smoked mackerel or ham.

Cous-cous is another idea, make it up with stock from stock powder. It will keep in the fridge for at least two days. Add things like chopped dried apricots or dates, diced celery, grated carrot, grapes, olives, radishes, spring onions (depending where you work!) pomegranate seeds, chickpeas, diced chicken or cubed cheese. Add a vinaigrette dressing to finish.

I’m addicted to Pret but to save some money I often my my own version of their salmon protein box - handful of baby spinach, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 slices smoked salmon, handful of cooked edamame beans, little pot of vinaigrette and 1/4 avocado. Can make up a couple of days at a time if you don’t mind brown avo.

I also sometimes buy a melon, big tub of berries, couple of mangos and make up a few pots of fruit salad for the week.

I think it's often the nice mix of colours. three shades of green, red, orange yellow.
Are you using lots of colour?

Look at what is is the ones you like and copy them. I agree with above make two or three in advance and box them up.

@howdyougetuptgere

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-bowl-recipes

But some nice pots or Tupperware and make your own salads and cut up fruit. It’ll save a fortune and all that single use plastic.

My favourite is cous cous with roasted vegetables. (onion, peppers, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes) Cook the veg then toss it into the Cous cous. Add feta, fresh toms, grated carrot and two types of lettuce. Dollop of humous on the side. Very tasty and filling.

I like really simple salads so just a quarter of an iceberg lettuce finely sliced (takes 30 seconds) with one grated carrot (I don't peel it first), some grated red cabbage, plus a few spoons of tinned sweetcorn is my base. On top I add hot chicken or salmon then some mayo as a dressing (I hate vinegar based dressings).

I buy the bags of cut up lettuce etc and some dressing and toppings like cold cooked chicken, croutons etc.

I add other things to it like sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, whatever seems to work to make it like the packaged ones.

This way is cheaper than buying several pre made salads but easier than making from scratch.

It does take a bit of time, but obviously a lot less than a cooked hot meal, so maybe try to think of it like that. I like to make a "mexican" salad:

Mix of any of these...
Leaves
Spring Onion
Sweetcorn
Red Peppers
Radishes
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Avocado
Etc

One or two of protein...
Pre-cooked chicken (Lidl Piri piri seasoned is nice!)
Half a tin of black beans, borlotti beans, kidney beans or canellini beans
Grated Cheddar
Few dollops of sour cream

Toppings...
Chopped fresh coriander
Tajin spice

The tajin spice makes it, if you can source it. It means I don't need to use a dressing!

To keep avocado green cover in lemons or lime juice and wrap in cling film. If mashing it put it in a little pot and cover with either lemon or lime juice and then seal

Greek salad- cucumber, Tomato, black olives, red onion and feta

Roasted butternut squash, kale, quinoa, chickpeas and tahini

Tuna salad with rocket, red onion, cucumber, olives, tomatoes and light mayo

All last a couple days in fridge and can be prepped pretty quickly!

I hear you @OP!

I can, and sometimes do, make a nice salad at home/to take to work, but end up with too much of many ingredients, that I can never eat before they go off. The rest of my household are not salad lovers.