Tasty Tuesday : Salad Pointers

Tasty Tuesday is a weekly feature designed to share low-carb and / or healthy recipes. 

So, as I was making my lunch today, I had an IDEA. Yep, so big that I needed to shout it out in CAPS ;) Many women, but not all, who have PCOS also have a problem with losing weight. Some women turn to low carb diets, others to the paleo diet, etc etc etc. Regardless of the program, however, we could all benefit from a few more veggies in our lives including SALAD. I know, I know - you're thinking that salad gets old. Salad gets boring. How could I possibly ever (EVER) eat another pile of leafy green YUCK?

Let me be the first to admit that I understand. I get it. Salad is not the first food I reach for. There are days when it is difficult (read, impossible) to choke down a salad no matter what yummy accoutrements I adorn it with. But there are ways to counter that. There is still inspiration to be found when it comes to the salad. And so, as I was crafting my very own pile of leafy green YUM, I had an IDEA.

In addition to Tasty Tuesday, I'm going to be starting another food-related series here on the ol' blog. I think I'll call it "Salads on Saturday" just because I adore alliteration ;)

The posts will be specific combinations of ingredients that will hopefully inspire you or offer up a new combination you haven't yet thought of. To kick things off, today's Tasty Tuesday post features salad pointers - things to make your life easier, things to make it so that eating a salad is more enjoyable and less of a "choking it down" experience. If you have any ideas of your own on how to make salad-eating more enjoyable, please feel free to comment!

Six Salad Pointers to Take Greens from So-So to Sensational

1. Pre-cut and prep as many ingredients ahead of time as you possibly can. It seems common sense, but how many of us actually do it? I know that I fail at this task a good 75% of the time. It's something I intend to do, but sometimes fall short. In an effort to avoid wasting food and money, I do want to be better about this. It's super easy, really - whatever produce or salad fixin' you bring home from the grocery store, immediately wash it, chop it, prep it however it needs to be prepped so that you can quickly and easily make salads over the next few days. If you buy lettuce by the head instead of the pre-chopped and pre-washed bags, you can easily chop it, wash it and bag it yourself. It will keep for a few days in a Ziploc bag. Throw a paper towel in the bottom of the bag to catch any extra moisture. You can hard boil eggs and peel them at the start of the week so that they are ready to be chopped, wedged or sliced - however your mood strikes you. You can pre-shred carrots and cabbage, pre-slice mushrooms, peppers and onions, pre-wash and cut broccoli.... I think you get the point. (PS - You can also pre-make homemade salad dressings!)
2. Balance time and money. This directly relates into #1. If you are a busy woman living a hectic lifestyle, you might not have the time to wash and chop your own veggies. There is absolutely no guilt in buying the bagged salad mixes. To help you out, you can buy pre-shredded carrots, pre-sliced mushrooms - even eggs that are already hard boiled! But, if you're like me and the grocery budget is on the smaller side because the overall budget is on the smaller side - it is definitely more economical to buy the produce in its most whole state and prep it yourself. You also can control the quality a lot more that way. Case in point: I like Romaine Lettuce. I do not like the ribs that go up the center of each leaf, however. If I buy the bagged salad mixes, the Romaine Lettuce still has all those ribs so I end up sorting through the salad and pulling out the obnoxiously large pieces of rib. If I buy a whole head or a bag of Romaine hearts, I can separate each leaf from the remainder of the head and cut out the rib of each leaf. Does it take more time? Yes. But am I happier with the lettuce at the end? Yes. For me, it's worth it. To you, it might not be - and that's OK. Know what is realistic for you and what you need to make happen in order for you to eat that salad. 
3. Don't ignore the leftovers. Last night's dinner can easily become part of today's salad. Leftover steak, chicken breast or piece of fish? Slice it up and throw it on top. Leftover taco meat? Make a southwest salad. You can even "cheat" a southwest salad if you have leftover chili or sloppy joe (wimpie) meat. Leftover steamed veggies? Throw them on too! This tip is fantastic if there is a little bit of something left over that isn't quite enough to be a meal. 
4. Don't forget the protein! Protein will help give your salad some staying power in terms of fullness and will help to ensure that the salad goes from a side dish to a well-rounded meal. Protein can be meat, but it doesn't have to be. Eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, nuts and beans all add protein. 
5. Duplicate your favorite restaurant salad. If you have a salad at a restaurant that you absolutely love, don't be afraid to purchase the ingredients to make it on your own! The first installment of Salads on Saturday will be one of these salads. 
6. Remember - salad didn't get you here. Salad did not give you the extra pounds around your middle. Certainly it is a good idea to not overdress your salad and to watch the extra fats and sugars that are sneaking into your salad bowl - but the veggies themselves did not get you to the point where you are trying to lose weight. The eating program that I follow requires counting, and I've seen some women get very hung up on the value of a carrot. Seriously? That carrot didn't put those pounds on you. Learn when to be flexible and learn when to moderate your foods. The benefits of eating a salad tend to outweigh the negatives, as long as you are mindful of the traps - like overdressing the salad. (As an interesting factual side note, certain vitamins are not water soluble. Instead, they are fat soluble. This means that your body cannot absorb them without some fat being present in your diet, preferably at the same time as when you ingest the vitamin. So, getting some fat with your salad, whether through the dressing, some nuts sprinkled on top, or some avocado slices is actually a GOOD thing!)