Let's Eat Salad Every Day!

Last time I posted, I reviewed my daily routine in terms of my diet. I stated that I eat salad, chicken, and vegetables on a daily basis in order to get substantial nutrients while maintaining a low carb, low fat diet. Let me make sure that I state that it is very important to maintain a work out routine while you are utilizing this diet. If you maintain a healthy diet and a workout routine (at least 4 times per week) then you can get the results you are looking for (in my case it is to maintain my weight, lose fat, gain muscle, and become toned).

The purpose of eating six meals per day is to maintain a high metabolism all day long, even while you eat. So to educate my audience today, I will describe several different ways to make salad that take no time at all. In some cases these meals will take less than 10 minutes, with the exception of a few.

I will start by describing the type of salad I prefer to eat daily. Any type of "green" is my salad of choice, meaning any leaf that is not romaine, or iceberg, but usually comes with a name such as "field greens." Also, if I can eat organically I try to, because the less crap (well more crap, less unnatural fertilizers) used, the more healthy food generally is for your body.

With this "green" here are my methods of preparing salads to my delight (each recipe calls for about 2 oz. of lettuce, enough to fill a medium sized bowl):

1) Garlic Salad
Ingredients:
1 small garlic clove
1/2 oz. olive oil
pinch of crushed red pepper
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
Using a garlic crusher, mince your garlic into the bottom of a bowl (it is necessary to crush it completely or else you get less flavor). Add your other ingredients. Mix well. Add your "greens" and mix until all the lettuce is covered thoroughly. Add more oil, pepper, or cheese if desired. Optionally, add thinly sliced peppers, red onion, tomatoes, or any other vegetable to may like (I prefer just the lettuce).

2) Sweet Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. olive oil
1/2 oz. honey
1/4 cup of craisins
1/4 cup of walnuts (halved, raw)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
Add your oil and honey to the bottom of a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add your "greens" and mix until well coated. Add the rest of your ingredients and toss. Add more honey or oil depending on your preference.

3) Balsamic Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. Balsamic vinegar
1/4 oz. olive oil
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
pinch of dried oregano
10 croutons
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 can of Albacore tuna (optional)
Add your "greens" to a bowl and throw your first four ingredients on top, and mix with your hand thoroughly (hand is necessary in this dish, wash it first please). Add your croutons and cheese next and toss. If you decide to use tuna, drain the can, add half to a plate to crush with a fork, and the rest in a container to save in the fridge (add a bit of oil to the one you store in order to avoid it getting dry and nasty). Add the tuna you crushed into your salad and mix. Optionally, add thinly sliced peppers, red onion, tomatoes, or any other vegetable to may like (I prefer just the lettuce).

4) Lemon Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. lemon juice (freshly squeezed use 1/2 a lemon)
1/2 oz of olive oil
1 small garlic glove
1 small potato boiled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 can of tuna
1/4 a small red onion sliced thinly
salt and pepper
This is a must-mix-with-your-hands-dish. If you fail to mix it with your hands it will not taste as good. This is my favorite salad. Take your "greens" in a bowl and add all your ingredients (a small pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper). Mix these ingredients with your hands thoroughly. If you need more of anything, feel free to add it. This is a salad made for me by my grandma, she used fresh "greens," potatoes, onions, and garlic. It made my summers special!

5) Chicken Caesar Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 chicken breast grilled and sliced thinly
1/4 cup Caesar dressing
4 oz. romaine lettuce
1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese
Croutons
Mix your lettuce well with the salad dressing in a bowl. Add your croutons, add your Parmesan cheese on top, and finally the chicken breast. Add more Caesar or cheese depending on your preference (I eat this type of salad, or any type of white dressing very rarely, I just wanted to give it as an option). This dish is easy as pie (well....pie is hard, for me anyway)!

Cold Grilled salmon also goes great with any salad dish I just suggested. Grilled chicken breast also tastes great with most of these salads. Get creative. Add vegetables if you want also (just make sure to slice them thinly, or else most vegetables won't fit well with the thin "greens."

One alternative to salad dressing I discovered by accident freshman year of college is marinara sauce. If you add marinara sauce to any salad dish (make sure the sauce is cold or it will wilt your leaves) it will reduce the amount of fat, depending on what you usually put on top of salad.

Enjoy these recipes! They will make sure to keep salad an interesting part of your diet. Make sure not to overdo it with just one recipe or another. Switch off, or else you will get sick of one particular dish and never want it again. Thanks for reading, PLEASE comment if you use any recipes to let me know what you think, or if you think I may have made a mistake. Otherwise good eats until next time.