I love candy. I love the way the sugar bursts in my mouth when I pop in a Jolly rancher, I love the way the peanut butter flavor lingers on my tongue after I eat peanut butter fudge, and I really love chocolate (any kind, it doesn’t matter).
Of course, that really means I gain a few extra pounds during the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I’m quite happy with my weight, but I can’t afford new jeans every two weeks, so I have learned to cut back the fudge and head for the greens.
If you’re thinking salads are not even close to M&M’s, you’re absolutely right! But, I have some easy to prepare salads here that will make you forget you’re eating something that’s actually good for you (and your body will thank you!).
#1 Greek Salad
A Greek salad has all the wonderful vitamins you need, and some mouth watering flavor as well! Plus, it’s easy to make. You will need: Romaine lettuce, 1 sliced onion, 5 Greek olives, a chopped tomato, a sliced cucumber, crumbled Feta, 5 banana peppers, a dash of Oregano, and a dash of black pepper.
All you have to do is mix it all together and put a squirt of lemon juice on top. You can even use lemon juice from the plastic bottle. If you have Greek dressing, go ahead and top it on your salad.
#2 Strawberry Chicken Salad
Strawberry chicken salad has a few things to keep your sweet tooth in check (while allowing your jeans some breathing room). The ingredients are simple: 7 strawberries sliced lengthwise, a bag of mixed lettuce, a few ounces of cubed already cooked chicken, some pecans or almonds, and a dash of vinaigrette.
Mix all of the ingredients together and serve with a side of blueberries. Also, this recipe is excellent if you have some leftover chicken from dinner last night!
#3 Eggplant Salad
Eggplant is one of the tastiest vegetables out there. I love sliced eggplant fried in oil, eggplant parmesan, and now I love eggplant salad. You’re going to need: 1 Eggplant, 1 large tomato, a little Basil, and some olive oil.
For eggplant salad, unlike the others so far, you have to do a little cooking. Usually people slice the eggplant in quarters and fry it (or bake it) in a little olive oil.
I suggest grilling your eggplant if you can (it tastes so much better). Once you’ve cooked your eggplant slices, simply lay them on a plate (over some pita bread if you like), add a few sliced tomatoes and then drizzle with olive oil. Top it with Basil for some added flavor!
#4 Moroccan Olive Salad
Moroccan Olive Salad is probably the easiest salad of them all. You have four ingredients: Moroccan olives (which you can get at your local grocery store), cubed watermelon, Feta cheese, and Mint.
Mix all of the ingredients together and serve. You can substitute the Feta cheese for thick Mozzarella cheese, which adds a wonderfully unique taste!
#5 Cucumber Tomato Salad
I can’t tell you how much of this salad I’ve eaten in my lifetime, but I can tell you that it’s been a lot! My ex husband was Arab and this was his favorite side dish to make whenever he cooked dinner (I have to admit, I purposely burnt dinner when it was my turn to cook so that he would do the cooking more often).
This salad is amazing. All you need are cucumbers, tomatoes, Parsley, and lemon juice. Purchase the small cucumbers (they usually come four in a package) and cube them, add them to a bowl of cubed tomato, squirt some lemon juice on top (the plastic kind is still good), and then sprinkle with fresh Parsley. You’ll love it.
#6 Garlic Shrimp Salad
Do you want a salad that tastes like real food? This is the one for you. Garlic shrimp salad is also a simple salad with few ingredients: A handful of small shrimp, some spinach leaves, some Cajun spices, butter and garlic.
Fry your shrimp in a little butter and garlic. Now, before you protest, butter is a little higher in calories than olive oil, but I find that shrimp tastes better when fried in butter and garlic. Once your shrimp is fully cooked, toss in a dash of Cajun spices (you can buy this in the spice section), and then pour over your pile of spinach leaves. It’s a fulfilling and healthy meal.
#7 Tomato Avocado Salad
Chances are, if it has avocado, I’ll eat it. You can make an amazing avocado salad with: An avocado, a little Tahini sauce, lemon juice, a diced tomato, some garlic, pita bread, and lettuce.
Core the avocado and mix in a teaspoon of Tahini sauce. Next, add a dash of garlic, a dash of lemon juice (plastic is fine) and then toss in a little bit of diced tomato. Make sure you taste the avocado mixture and add flavoring to suit your personal preference. Then, serve over a bed of lettuce with a side of warm pita bread. It’s quick, healthy and so very tasty! You can get Tahini in many grocery stores and almost all international food stores.
All of these salads are quick and easy to prepare and will assist with weight loss. However, they are also meant to be tweaked to your taste. If you don’t like Cajun spices, you can sweeten things up with orange zest instead. If you can’t find Tahini sauce, use a few sesame seeds in the mixture (that’s what Tahini really is).
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Let us know your favorite (and easiest) salad! The more the merrier!
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