To most, nothing sounds more depressing than ordering a salad at a restaurant or making one at home for dinner. Burgers, pasta and pizza are more likely to get your mouth watering after a workout or a day of forgetting to eat. But there is always a compromise--there are ways to make a salad, well, a little more exciting. Grab the following fabulous, healthy and tasty ingredients, keep these salad ‘add-ins' in your fridge, and toss them with your veggies come lunch time. Salad-related ingredients: * Chopped cucumbers (with skin means more vitamins) * Chopped tomatoes * Lettuce (chopped with a plastic knife or ripped up with your hands so they don't brown) * Arugla, gargeer, rocket (a dark green leafy vitamin-stuffed salad essential) For a little extra flavor, you can add: * Cooked chicken--for an easy chicken fix, add mustard to the pan with a little oil and some garlic, pan fry lightly and keep for your salad extravaganzas. * Light feta cheese--not the healthiest of additions but, if you compare it to Camembert or brie, it's your lowest fat option with the highest taste. Also, the creamy nature of the feta (local feta) means that it will distribute itself around your salad and remove any need for salt. Of course, there is the calcium factor. :D * Brown fiber pasta--a smart ingredient to keep around your kitchen anyway, brown fiber pasta like Del Verde or Barilla appears occasionally on the shelves in Alfa Market and Carrefour. With this option, you'll get the carbs without the guilt. Add some store bought pesto to the pasta for extra flavor. * Sauteed mushrooms--another easy ingredient to whip up (and for those who can't stand raw mushrooms). Cook your mushrooms with some mustard (dijon) and some oil but make sure they are on the pan itself to get enough heat to cook well. Piled above means the mushroom cooking experience will take longer and potentially frustrate you. * Red and yellow char grilled peppers (you can buy them in a jar with their oil) or or pan fry them like the mushrooms). Toss any combination of the ingredients above into your salad for that ‘more-of-a-meal-than-a-salad' experience. Enjoy!
