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Hearts of romaine have a decent shelf life and if stored properly can last the whole week. (I like to keep mine in a large sealed Rubbermaid container.) Bags of prewashed baby spinach and other greens are plentiful, convenient, and often on sale.The weekly veggie chop is a super quick and colorful addition to every salad. If you don't have a fresh apple or pear, having staples like dried cranberries and raisins in the pantry can add a sweet touch. Need something crunchy? Throw in some nuts, seeds, soy nuts, Chinese noodles or a couple croutons but be careful - the crunchies can also be a huge source of calories if we add too much. Think 1 Tbsp max. Same with the addition of cheese: go light. Cheese high in flavor like blue, feta, goat, or Parmesan can pack a flavor punch with just a small amount. Again 1 Tbsp should do it. If you're going for a complete meal, the addition of a little chicken, diced lean ham, slices of pork tenderloin, edamame, turkey or veggie burger, or a hard boiled egg does the trick. Adding about 2-3 ounces of protein will keep you going. A little avocado goes a long way to add some creamy mouth feel and excellent healthy fat.
Keeping all of these components accessible and available is key. Set yourself up for salad success ahead of time by chopping and slicing veggies, cooking a few hard boiled eggs at a time, and relegating lean protein from main meals to be used later in the week in salads. Otherwise it all sounds like "too much work for a salad" - I hear clients say this all the time. Sometimes I want to smack them for it....
And then - the dressing. Here's where most of us get in trouble. We've just made this beautiful nutritious salad and then we smother it with 200 calories (or more) of dressing. Why bother. Go get a burger. No, just kidding. But really. There are some great light or fat free dressings available. You may have to experiment to find the one you like. Walden Farms makes a line of calorie free dressings - the balsamic vinaigrette is AWESOME. I have no idea how they do it - it's calorie free, fat free, and sugar free. There are some ingredients I can't pronounce but it is really good.
Recently there have been some studies that say we need small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids to absorb the phyto-nutrients in all the veggies of our salad, especially lycopene, lutein, and beta carotene. Now we add a teaspoon of olive oil to our salad before we pour on a little Walden Farms dressing.
Another alternative is to make your own. Here are some simple variations that are quick, easy, and cost efficient.
Balsamic Blue Cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup safflower oil*
Asian
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp reduced sodium soy souse
1 tsp minced ginger
2 Tbsp chopped scallions
1/3 cup safflower oil*
Citrus Cilantro
1/2 tsp hot sauce or tobasco
3 tsp lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/3 cup safflower oil*
In each version, puree the ingredients in a blender and then add the safflower oil in a stream until emulsified. Makes 1/2 cup.
*Researchers think adding a tablespoon of safflower oil to your daily diet may help shrink your belly -- the amount of linoleic acid in the oil may help keep your body from storing fat.