Take the “sad” out of salad by mixing it up

April 11, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

Salad.

Even the word sounds like penalty issued for a heinous crime.

“I’ll just…. have a salad.” The phrase itself sounds like the last words you’d hear before a hanging. Like it should come with a violin accompaniment, playing some lachrymose ballad, anytime it’s uttered. It’s a digestive disappointment. A funeral for fun. Of course, we want to lose weight, but, when I think “salad”, images of wilted iceberg leaves fill my mind. Perhaps a smattering a squishy tomatoes. Or quartered cucumber bits. And, as an afterthought, maybe there’re some mushrooms past their prime.

(Yes, this one def puts the “sad” in salad)

But what if I told you (*pops on Morpheus specs*) salad needn’t be so tedious?

What if I told you salad can be the mullet equivalent for lunch: party on the palate, but business in the tummy? Something that can aid in your weight loss, minus all the misery? That’s right. With minimal amounts of those filler greens (or none, really) that you don’t even like, you can still reap all the healthful benefits of salad, without the tongue punishment. Why? Because, if we all summon Miriam Webster for a bit’ve edification, that traumatic montage of gastronomical horror illustrated above, isn’t what salad’s about at all. All salad is (as stated by my Google machine) is a dish of a chilled mixture of raw or cooked plant stuff. But, beyond that, it’s nada specific. (Okay, yes, we gotta draw the line at cold, leftover pizza – even if it’s vegan.)

Alright. So now that I’ve freed you from this incarcerated mindset, what could that include?

A plethora of deliciousness.

A plethora that meets your macro balancing needs.

First, there’s proteins: From garbanzos to lentils, beans are a beautiful means to pack in your protein, while also filling yourself up on fiber. My personal preference? Edamame. Equally pleasing to the palate, satiating, and fun to pop out’ve their pods and into your bowl. (Yes, I like playing with my food.) Likewise, tempeh, tofu, or seitan are all brilliant additions. And, since each are plant based and taste amazing, it still counts as salad and you meet your protein needs. Boom.

And what goes great interspersed with those proteins? The easy ingredient: carbohydrates. Any veggies, from carrots to cauliflower that you pop in there, can carb-ify your plate in a way that doesn’t flood your blood with sugar, the way that some other carbs tend to. Green beans. Snow peas. Zuchinni. Have some fun with it, even, and spiralize your most prized food into it, noodle style.

Then, finally, comes the fat. Peanuts, cashews, and nuts in general are one fun, crunchy topper to serve as the Christmas tree star of your salad. (Bonus, they also meet more of your meatless protein needs, since most’ve ’em are high in the stuff.) But, if you’re not so nuts for nuts, you know what’s an uh-mazing substitute? Avocado. While they say half an avocado a day’s the max you should aim for (for optimal weight loss), let’s be honest: you’re likely not having avocados everyday. (Not unless you live in Mexico, where they don’t cost a quadrillion dollars a pop.) Which means you can carry on shamelessly enjoy these orbs of emerald goodness to complete your salad-y meal.

So, lettuce all Romaine on our weight loss paths by freeing our minds from images of salads past.

Time to toss those dated definitions like a Caesar and seize some’ve these updated recipes instead!