Tuesday, November 17, 2009

How healthy is your salad REALLY?

So I must admit I've gotten a wee bit too excited about the sudden abundance of cash I have in my checking account (just got paid, bitches!), and I know it's not going to last as long as I need it to. So why I ate out for both breakfast and lunch today is beyond me. Mind you, I didn't spend that much—$5 at Starbucks this am and an $8 salad for lunch. But still—that is not cool. My sorry ass is going to be crying all the way from the bank if I don't get it in check and get back to eating the groceries I've already got at home. I digress. Let me tell you about my salad.


Remember this post when I got way.too.excited about having a salad for lunch? Well, this isn't quite as awesome, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. My salad contained: cucumbers, chickpeas, carrots, cashews, an egg, peppers, corn, onion apples and just a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. Pretty healthy, right? At least I think so. I liked the salad, but I wasn't in love with it. I'm still working on "readjusting" my taste buds. Of course, every bite that had a cashew in it was delicious, but every other bite was just a'ight. 

My buddy George made me laugh when he wrote a comment the other week about how his favorite salad came with a huge hunk of garlic bread all the fixins. Sweet. I forget what the exact ingredients were, but I do remember thinking that it sounded like the calorie count was more than what the average person should eat over two days, let alone one meal. 

So what about you: Are you and "Ellen" salad eater or a "George" salad eater? (I used to be a "George" salad eater. In college, I chose to believe that my Carolina Chicken salad from Ruby Tuesday was healthy. Um yeah, I drenched it with Ranch dressing, and later found out it was over 1,000 calories. Scar-y).

9 comments:

  1. Well, i guess even if you put some bad stuff on it, it's better than chowing down on some of the alternatives out there.

    I actually had a salad today at lunch, instead of getting chicken i went for the tofu. I'm not sure if it was just their tofu -- I have had tofu once before and didn't find it terrible -- but this was just not good, i won't make that mistake again. I'd rather save the 59 cents and go protein-less (if tofu even has protein?).

    Not to hijack the thread or anything, but for those of you with iphones, i just recently got one and was wondering if you guys have stumbled upon any must download aps (free of course).

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  2. I'm a lover of unhealthy salads, but I found one at a restaurant here in Greenville that I've made a few times at home and just tweaked the ingredients. It's whole leaf spinach with roasted corn, avocado, bacon, goat cheese, and either blackened chicken or salmon on top. It comes with any type of dressing you want.

    So, at home I use turkey bacon and gorgonzola cheese (the hubs doesn't like goat cheese, plus gorgonzola has more taste so you can use less of it). And then I top it with a lean piece of salmon or chicken and use Bolthouse Farms Green Goddess dressing. Very yummy! You don't need bread or anything else to make this a hearty meal, even for the men!

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  3. Ahhh I LIVE off the stuff. My daily lunch is always the following: Spinach Salad, grilled chicken,6 almonds, small cutie orange and a homemade sweet mustard/salsa dressing.

    It's got good fat, protein, carbs and filling! Success!I never buy my lunch though....too damn $$$$$

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  4. Oh Ellen! This blog is awesome. The topics are always pertinent to my life. I've been trying to be a healthier person, and have been trying to watch what I eat. If I eat at home, it's normally a well balanced meal. Dining out is what gets me into mischief. Why choose a boring salad that I can eat at home, when I could have mac & cheese or something good?!?!

    I love salads and I always have. I eat them almost every day for lunch or dinner. For supper, I normally grill some chicken and then throw that on top of some mixed greens and whatever veggies I have. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar & Newman's Own dressing (the only kind I'll use!), and voila...supper is ready! For lunch, I throw a can of organic chicken breast on top!

    I think it's pretty healthy, but I'm really not sure. It's certainly better than a McDonald's happy meal. :)

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  5. Wow, you guys are HEALTHY. Good going! Yeah, I really do not love tofu. The only way I can semi-enjoy it is if it's mashed up, mixed with mayo and dijon mustard spread on toast.

    Elizabeth and Barbara, I'm totally going to give your salads a try--they sound good and easy! And Rachel, I'm totally with ya about wanting something really yummy when you're dining out. Lately I've been splurging on the appetizer, which I usually split, and then order a healthy entree.

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  6. I used to have this salad for lunch every day: 2 cups spinach, 1 bell pepper, drizzle of balsamic, 3 oz. tuna or chicken. When I started seeing a nutritionist, I expected gold stars for this--but instead she said it was nowhere near enough. So now I have 2 cups spinach, 1 bell pepper, 1/4 cup corn, 1/4 cup croutons, 1/2 cup quinoa, 1 T full-fat dressing, 1/3 cup beans, 2 oz. chicken or tuna. And I feel a HELLUVA lot better!

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  7. Oh that salad sounds delicious. Beans can add so much to so many dishes. I'm actually going to a fun health event tonight (more on that later!), so hopefully I will learn some cool things and be told to eat MORE too! haha

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  8. Wow, I must be the only "George" salad eater here. Usually when I have salads though, I'm buying them instead of making them, so I like to make my dollars count. I pile on the cheese and meats and only skimp on the dressings. I know it's not the healthiest salad I could eat, but it always fills me up and leaves me happy!

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  9. Well, webster, the last time I saw you, you had just run for two hours, so I think you deserve a "George" salad from time to time!

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