I eat a lot of salad.
One question I get over and over again on this blog is: Does a salad really fill you up?
And the answer is unequivocally, yes. But not just any old salad. To tame an appetite like mine, it must have certain things. Here are my filing salad must-haves
1. Size: large – that tub up there was my lunch today. You know those plastic containers that hold something like 5lbs of spinach leaves, that is my bowl. A salad in a cereal bowl? That wouldn’t even put a dent in my appetite.
2. More than lettuce – lettuce is fine. But 10lbs of lettuce is like what…10 calories? It needs to have bulk. A few of my favorites:
- avocados
- peppers
- raisins
- roasted vegetables
- sweet potatoes (any squash, really)
- cucumbers
- chickpeas
- potatoes
- nuts
- seeds
- croutons
3. Dressing – oil and vinegar just don’t cut it for me. I need a lot of flavor and some heartiness. I usually add almond butter or peanut butter to my salad dressings because I love the taste and it bumps up that bulk factor.
4. Make is special – I think part of the hurdle (for me) in getting a salad to fill me up is mental. It can easily feel like I’m depriving myself if I don’t make it special. Things like a hunk of bread on the side, roasted almonds, wonton strips, homemade croutons – I need these special items to make a salad feel like a meal. Otherwise my brain tells me to eat a piece of pie afterwards.
So there you have it. Make it big, make it bulky, and make it special.
I love a big salad with lots of texture components and a good dressing. YUM!
katie, what kind of dressings do you use? or do you make your own? almond, peanut butter? really? how much in addition to the dressing? the salad looks divine, by the way…just the way i like them! thanks, pam
I make my own. It just depends on what my hands find in the pantry that day! Todays was a blend of mustard, lemon juice, almond butter, olive oil and water. I’ll try to post them more often!
haha i had a salad…and pecan pie for lunch! hahaha.
Do you have a specific dressing recipe with pb or do you just toss it on top? I have a peanut sauce recipe that I love but it’s a little intense for a salad.
I totally agree with you about making it special. The addition of wonton strips, peanuts, etc can totally take you from side salad to main meal.
I always make my own…just throw stuff in a blender. Usually it’s something like mustard, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, almond butter, olive oil and water. I’m always experimenting. Some are better than others!
Love it. I also eat giant, bulky salads filled with yummy things like avocados and nuts and fresh mozzarella. But that’s key to staying full! I also love having a nice cup of tea after eating my salad. It totally curbs the sweet cravings that come barreling in after EVERY. SINGLE. MEAL, and makes me feel finished. Just like having an espresso after a fancy dinner!
I love hot drinks after eating, too! I am partial to coffee – but tea is perfect for dinner when I don’t want the caffeine.
Nut butters to a salad? Very interesting. I like it.. think I will have to try it out!
I’m so with you on it needing to feel special otherwise I feel like all I want to do is eat the rest of the afternoon!
Those aren’t salads. Those are vegetable casseroles, with a little bit o lettuce.
Haha, I’ll rename them.
Oooh I love this post! I hate salads that are basically a heap of lettuce with a tomato on top. That could not be any more boring. However, a salad with nuts, fruit, interesting veggies, beans, sprouts, etc. is sometimes way tastier than anything else I could have.
I’m the same way. I love a salad but it has to have a little something extra than the basic veggies, lettuce, and dressing. Love the thought of raisins in a salad. Never done that before but I’m sure I would love it.
So you’re saying you need carbs with the salad?? A girl after my own heart!
Salads are ALL carbs, don’t you know!? Well…carbs and fat. That’s why they’re my favorite food.
I ALWAYS eat my salads out of ridiculously large tupperware.. it’s only right!
that is sooooo smart to use those spinach containers!! I love it, then its like a boat of salad instead of a shrimpy bowl! and I agree a salad can be made or broken by its topping factor, dense ingredients = happy tummy…..Do you like goddess dressing?! just had to shout it out because it could be the best dressing in the world
My coworkers always look at me like: “You’re eating a ‘salad’…again?” I mean, I eat HEAPING plates full of salad. My base is usually spinach, then I use a lot of what you recommend. I’ll roast a whole sweet potato, zucchini, or yellow squash all chopped up. Maybe half of a diced avocado. Also, veggie burgers or tofu make for a great protein. Mushrooms and sundried tomatoes are a staple as well. I think I get all my vegetable servings for the day in my salads…which are MOST filling. Right now, my go-to dressing is Trader Joe’s Ginger-Sesame. It’s sweet. Very Asian. It goes well with spinach + avocado + mandarin orange slices + almonds. Sidenote: I’m not really a big “baby person”, but your baby makes me smile every time, she is adorable! I love when she gets all sloppy in your food =) Absolutely precious.
I like crackers in salad. Am I werid? I like ak maks and tricsuits. I’m also a big fan of dried currents. In the end, its not a salad….is like a cold mish mash of food. But for me, always filling.
Although not as exciting as a burger
I have a salad every day for lunch and I totally agree with you. I have two rules – it needs to be bigger than my head and it needs to be loaded with all kinds of stuff. I also add hummus or mmm sauce to my dressing. Bulks it up, and makes it tastier.
I love both of those as toppings, too!
i totally agree on this one! having it spread out so it looks like a lot is also helpful. there’s a poster up where i work that shows what your stomach looks like with 400 calories of food, comparing chicken to bread to salad, and the salad/beans one is full to the top- so salad can totally fill you up! the special things totallllyyy make the salad too
This post is making me sad because all I have in my fridge right now is romaine lettuce. Most BORING salad ever. I cannot wait to go grocery shopping!!!
Perfect salad! I love a good full of flavor and texture salads, then it feels like a meal.
O.M.G.
I need that salad in my face right now.
Otherwise my brain tells me to eat a piece of pie afterwards.<— lol
I can't agree more! My salad today : 1 tomatoe, 1 cucumber, about 1 big tablespoon of feta cheese, 3 or 4 anchovies, 1/2 of an avocado, 1 small sweet potatoe cooked and cooled, salt, peper, fresh basil leaves and balsamic all over. Everything cut into pieces. Believe me, this is filling… and takes 5 mins to make (microwaved potatoe).
Other filling I like : Mary's crakers in pieces, Amy's veggie paties, hummus, and… last night dinner over salad…
I am so with you here – I tend to get a fair amount of ‘tude when I tell people my go-to lunch is a salad but what they don’t realize is that I just mean “a bunch of stuff in a bowl.” How else could I justify the bizarre mixture of proteins/vegetables/fruits that my taste buds so love?!?