Salads +
One of the many reasons that I failed to make the transition to plant based before was because of salads. Not because I don't like them, I love them, but because I'd be super hungry about 30 minutes after eating. And of course, I didn't make good choices then. I read some where that a "regular salad" is a calorie negative food. Basically, you burn more calories making and eating the salad than it gives you. Makes sense why my early versions of salads lead to so many failures.
Here's what I figured out.... make the salad a calorie positive meal. It needs bulk. Plain lettuce and veggies don't cut it. The simplest solution for me - open a can of beans, rinse well, and dump them on. Not a gourmet solution but it sure works quickly and in a pinch. The difference of adding bulk to my salad has been huge. Now, I'm experimenting with what that bulk should be. I found that cooked and cooled potatoes work for me especially since I don't use regular salad dressings any more but use a liberal dose of balsamic vinegar. It's like a potato salad with my lettuce salad. I adore potatoes (another blog on that later) so I shouldn't be surprised that I like them cold as well. I make sure to roast more in the evenings that I'll eat for dinner and use the leftovers (spices and all) in my salad the next day.
Another quick solution is brown rice. The perfect solution is to make a big batch and then freeze in smaller containers but I haven't done that yet. I've reverted to using the boil-in-a-bag or pre-made organic brown rice bowls I can get from Costco. 60 seconds and done.
The final big change I made is the reduction of the amount of lettuce in my salads. There's still some in there but it now plays a less prominent role than it used to. I make sure to cut up more veggies now and try to catch all colors of the rainbow. My salads are typically this: bulk on the bottom (rice or potato or beans), then 1/4 recipe of lettuce, and then half a bowl of veggies (sweet peppers, radishes, carrots, celery, cauliflower, and onion). Depending on my weekly CSA, I may have kohlrabi in there (love it) or some broccoli. I adore capers too so I may throw a few on, especially on running days, to satisfy my salt cravings.
Now that I've figured out how to make a filling salad, I do a lot of veggie prep on the weekends. It's easier for me to cut a whole head of cauliflower into flowerettes then do it during the week. That makes lunch prep super easy in the busy mornings. With these changes, I'm not super hungry right after eating a salad and I know I'm getting a better mix of nutrients than before.
Next challenge = different forms of bulk like Quinoa or Barley and maybe adding a sweet component like oranges.
Here's what I figured out.... make the salad a calorie positive meal. It needs bulk. Plain lettuce and veggies don't cut it. The simplest solution for me - open a can of beans, rinse well, and dump them on. Not a gourmet solution but it sure works quickly and in a pinch. The difference of adding bulk to my salad has been huge. Now, I'm experimenting with what that bulk should be. I found that cooked and cooled potatoes work for me especially since I don't use regular salad dressings any more but use a liberal dose of balsamic vinegar. It's like a potato salad with my lettuce salad. I adore potatoes (another blog on that later) so I shouldn't be surprised that I like them cold as well. I make sure to roast more in the evenings that I'll eat for dinner and use the leftovers (spices and all) in my salad the next day.
Another quick solution is brown rice. The perfect solution is to make a big batch and then freeze in smaller containers but I haven't done that yet. I've reverted to using the boil-in-a-bag or pre-made organic brown rice bowls I can get from Costco. 60 seconds and done.
The final big change I made is the reduction of the amount of lettuce in my salads. There's still some in there but it now plays a less prominent role than it used to. I make sure to cut up more veggies now and try to catch all colors of the rainbow. My salads are typically this: bulk on the bottom (rice or potato or beans), then 1/4 recipe of lettuce, and then half a bowl of veggies (sweet peppers, radishes, carrots, celery, cauliflower, and onion). Depending on my weekly CSA, I may have kohlrabi in there (love it) or some broccoli. I adore capers too so I may throw a few on, especially on running days, to satisfy my salt cravings.
Now that I've figured out how to make a filling salad, I do a lot of veggie prep on the weekends. It's easier for me to cut a whole head of cauliflower into flowerettes then do it during the week. That makes lunch prep super easy in the busy mornings. With these changes, I'm not super hungry right after eating a salad and I know I'm getting a better mix of nutrients than before.
Next challenge = different forms of bulk like Quinoa or Barley and maybe adding a sweet component like oranges.
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