To think my salads are shit?

[Acunningruse]

Or at the very least, trapped in the 80s?!

We go on holiday in 30 days and I want to lose a ton bit of weight before we go so am planning on salad for lunch every day. Today I have ham, egg, lettuce, tomato cucumber and a bit of mayo. I think it'll be nice, but also like being transported back to my 80s childhood?!

The shops are full of exotic and tempting looking salads but I seem incapable of recreating anything similar at home. I tried one with chickpeas the other day and it was just chickpeas floating round my plate with a bit of onion and tomato.

What are your top homemade salads? Disclaimer I live in a very non exotic small town and do not have access to fancy delis etc.

Thanks!

Great thread! I want to try all of these.

For a shop bought dressing this is actually really good (shake it well) and no weird ingredients

https://www.ocado.com/products/mellow-yellow-honey-mustard-dressing-45656011?ULPCAMPAIGNID=108&dsrl=1291426&dsrl=1291525&gbraid=0AAAAADi6iHkgdWn26upUH03EQ3smyQn&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoICyz4OXgAMVRsPtCh2ccgdYEAQYASABEgKdZfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I also get these to add to salads

https://www.ocado.com/products/merchant-gourmet-glorious-grains-with-red-rice-quinoa-235055011?dsrl=1290929&dsrl=1291426&gbraid=0AAAAADi6iHmC6rROPAcAbsmqHT1qY72&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm7qW7YOXgAMVxuPtCh2b2g2PEAQYASABEgJn1vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Pickled red onions and gherkins are good in salads too and always season!

No mayo if you're dieting!

I just had sliced cold meat and carrots for my lunch the other day. (Also wanting summer weight loss! )

0% greek yoghurt works well though, thinned down, mix with some vinegar/lemon/seasonings
Depends what you like. I would rather skip a snack or breakfast and have dressing on my salad

You can definitely fit moderate amounts of oil within your calories. I’ve lost 25kg over the last two years and while I skip the oil for most things, I do use it in my dressings.

Sometimes advice like this is really not the best for everybody. The people who are very easily able to adapt the eat for fuel mindset required to have dressing free salads and other foods of suffering are probably already slim. A massive dressed salad is better than a massive plate of pasta. Everything doesn’t need to be perfect or it just gets discouraging.

Now I’m starving, that sounds delicious

I like lettuce, cucumber, grapes, red or yellow pepper, chicken/tuna/ham and sweet chilli sauce

My favourites are probably:

Roasted baby potatoes with cumin, lemon juice and capers mixed with finely chopped celery, spring onions and radishes.

Finely chopped apples and fennel mixed with dried cherries, dill, parsley, toasted chopped almonds, juice and zest of lemons and oranges.

Carrots roasted in olive oil and salt served with a dressing of yoghurt, minced garlic, dill, olive oil and added seeds on top for texture.

Ripe baby tomatoes, de-seeded and mixed with olives, lots of chopped basil and a dressing of white wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and dijon mustard. Plus plenty of salt!

Orzo pasta with caramelised red onions and garlic, capers, olives, red pepper, toasted flaked almonds, lemon juice, lots of olive oil, parsley and basil.

And halloumi rolled in beaten egg then semolina, fried in olive oil then mixed with some cucumber or celery etc for crunch and served with a warmed honey dressing, sesame seeds/ nigella seeds and oregano.

I agree.

I’ve lost over 20 kg a few years ago.
My (personal) solution was to stop trying to starve myself thinner and actually eat real portions with the intent of nourishing my body (and mind).

I did the no dressing/ no oil low fat diet, low carb diets, vegan whole food diets, super low calorie diets, intermittent fasting, replacement meal shakes/bars etc. (<= all the different diets I’ve tried, probably missed some). But those weren’t sustainable for me.

eating real food that actually satisfied me in normal amounts (and logging it/writing everything down) combined with a sustainable exercise regime (cardio, some weight training) was what I needed.

a (ca) 600 kcal salad (with some olive oil, maybe some feta cheese cubes etc) would genuinely satisfy me and keep me full. No late snacking, no biscuit binges etc.

a bowl of carrots with lemon juice might be much less calories. But the shortbread, cheese pasta [or whatever] I’d binge in the evening would probably end up costing me so much more calories! And it would make me feel really bad about myself.

A dietician once told me that fibre and protein lead to satiety, so that was what I tried to do: Always have at least one source of protein and add lots of fibre (especially fresh vegetables). But also made sure that I felt full and sustained :-)

Or, if feeling super lazy:

Chop avocado in half. Remove stone. Pour olive oil into stone hole. Add a little balsamic vinegar. Copious salt and pepper on top then tuck in.

coban salads are lovely

I normally use up what is leftover from dinner as part of my salad. I also have a big pot of homemade sauerkraut to add and have a couple of rye crackers with unpasteurised cheese as I am trying to increase my fermented foods.

Here is a typical example, left over chicken and fried rice, sauerkraut, mixed leaves supplemented with whatever is in the garden, beetroot and walnuts. I usually make a quick dressing of apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard and ev olive oil.

I love this thread, my salads are also boring as hell.
Can I save this whole thread, please ?

Olive oil and full fat yoghurt are good for you, as are the fats in avocado etc. People need a balanced diet to be healthy. A bit of dressing on a salad isn't going to make someone fat. 😆

Moroccan chicken salad

chicken coated in a couple of sprays of oil and Moroccan spices- cook then cool slightly or completely.

bag of mixed leaves
red onion sliced thinly.
diced cucumber
tin of green lentils

dress the veg In juice of a lemon an à tablespoon olive oil (for 4 people, adjust accordingly) and season well with salt and pepper

top with chicken, then drizzle over a dressing made from Greek yogurt, chopped mint leaves and garlic powder (loosened with some water)

Oh yes: crunchy lettuce, friend pancetta, mozarella, sundried tomatoes, basil, artichokes and figs with a vinaigrette is also delicious.

*Fried! Not friend. 🤣

top with chicken, then drizzle over a dressing made from Greek yogurt, chopped mint leaves and garlic powder (loosened with some water)

It's wven better if you use kefir to loosen it up. 5* flavour

My favourite yoghurt dressing is an ottolenghi one - yogurt, wasabi, olive oil and lemon. Served with a grated slaw.

My stand-by is a simple salty-sweet-peppery-(super) crunchy combo that always gets compliments.

Rocket, a generous handful of pistachios which I toast and salt in a frying pain (only takes a couple of mins), and sliced pear.

Vinaigrette - lemon juice, olive oil, generous pinch of ground cumin, pinch of salt, chilli flakes and some golden syrup or honey. A clove of crushed garlic if you can be bothered, but doesn’t lose much if you don’t add it.

Simple and quick and I always get asked for the ‘recipe’.

I need to write some of these ideas down in a notebook!

recently discovered how nice artichokes are in salad. Buy a jar of them in oil and add them to salad

Sounds amazing. I bet Stilton would go with that nicely.

It’s super simple, but the combo is perfection. Yes, blue cheese would be amazing - add some creaminess to it!

I strangely don't much like exotic salads- my favourite is a simple Waitrose salad Niscoise to which I add an extra 1/2 tin of tuna and a few more black olives - very filling

Most of the suggestions include dressings made from oil/mayo/yoghurt AKA calories.

What do you mean "AKA calories"?! All food has calories. That's kind of the main point of eating. Foods like natural yoghurt and olive oil contain good natural fats which are satiating, nutritious and help keep you fuller for longer and therefore less likely to reach for snacks.