How to Make Your Salads Packed
If you’re eating a salad for the purposes of losing weight or just having a light meal, it would be pointless to have it and still get hungry in the middle of the night and get up to reach for a slice of bread, a soda, etc. then it beats the whole sense of having gone for a healthy meal in the first place right?
Good news is, a salad doesn’t have to be the meal that gives you the contrary results and makes you eat unclean. You can still feel full, get all the needed nutrients and go all the way through the night with just a salad. For this, you’d want to pack it with the veges-of course, and sufficient proteins and carbs.
For the last two, doesn’t have to be the traditional heavy/unhealthy types.
Here’s what you need to know about the proteins and carbs:
- Carbs:
. Go for the complex carbs. These are carbohydrates that digest more slowly than simple carbs. They are mostly foods that are high in fibre, which, in essence, digests slowly hence keeps you fuller for longer
. Go for other options of carbs that aren’t the usual ones you’d have in a heavy meal
2. Proteins:
There are lots of protein options that make your salad heavier than without them. The point is: To have a meal that looks light, but is instead very packed and filling.
Options For Packing up Salads:
Avocado- Fiber, healthy fats, proteins (a little bit)
Avo can be very filling and is a source of protein, because the rate at which it is broken down is slow. It’s also a source of healthy natural fats hence clean
Seeds-Proteins, carbs, fiber, healthy fats.
You could make a plate of salad that looks super light but will leave you feeling satiated simply because there’s lots of seeds in it. Also, the seeds are a very good source of natural proteins! Examples of seeds are: sunflower, sesame/simsim, chia, flax & pumpkin seeds.
Boiled eggs-Proteins, fats.
Only one boiled egg in your salad can make a very big difference in terms of nutrition and quantity without looking bulky. I love making mine long range because…you know….clean eating!
Rice-Carbs, fibre, protein (a little bit)-(Go for brown rice which qualifies as a complex carb)
Now, here’s the thing; I said the point is to make your salad packed without necessarily loading it with all the carbs you have in your usual main/heavy meals. Here’s what to do with rice-Add only one or two tablespoons of rice in the salad. I looooove the way it tastes. Also, I get to earn the carbs & fiber by adding juts a little. The veges are also fiber, so rice is only to supplement. Plus, it gives a surprising twist to the veg salad.
Sweet corn-Carbs, fiber & a little bit of proteins.
A handful of sweet corn does magic to a salad! It is not only a great source of complex, healthy and not-so-heavy carbs, but also adds a surprising sweetness every time you bite the corn amidst the veges. A handful is enough to make it heavy. Sometimes I char mine to make it more crunchy before I add it to the salad (toss the corn in olive oil and place on a pan with very low heat, turn until it browns to your liking)
So there you go. These are just but a few of the options you can use. They are my favorite and go-to because they are easy to use-just cut/boil/take out of the freezer and add to the bowl. They are also versatile.
So instead of having a salad that has lettuce, tomato & cucumber only, try adding an avocado and sunflower seeds and see the difference! Here’s one free recipe you can try out.
Salads are all about playing with the ingredients to find what makes your taste buds tick.
Avo-Sweet Corn Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Veg-Options: Lettuce/chinese cabbage/curly blonde.
1 medium-sized avo
3 tablespoons of sweet corn
1 medium tomato
Onions
Dressing-vinegar (can be replaced with freshly squeezed lemon), 1 tavlespoon olive oil, parsley, salt, paprika & green chillis (if you like it hot)
Procedure:
1. After washing the ingredients, cut each of them to pieces and add to a bowl. I prefer tearing my veges by hand.
2. a) You could mix all the dressing ingredients together in a separate small bowl and pour over the salad, OR…
b) Add them one by one-Sprinkle the dry ingredients onto the salad and mix, add the vinegar and mix, add olive oil-mix, leave for a minute to soak in the dressing, serve and enjoy!
Pro tip:
1. Best to make your salad when you want to eat it and not earlier for later use. This is because making it earlier soaks in the dressing makes it very soggy, which just makes the salad extremely bad! It might leave you swearing never to eat salad again.
2. If you need to prep for later, pack the dressing separately. When I want to carry a salad as packed lunch, I prep my dressing in advance and carry it in a small tight-lid container, then put my ingredients-pre-washed-in another container. At lunch time, all I do is quickly cut them up, add the dressing and go. It takes minutes to get a yummy, healthy and packed meal.
3. Want to add a little twist to you salad? Add pieces of a ripe mango, they give an amazing taste when they mix with the salt!
