Mardathas meal planning thread

jenster

dont know about anyone else but couscous isnt my thing

so i use Bulgar wheat more of a nutty flavour

just use 3 oz pour over boiling water leave for 30 mins
and drain off any excess water - add soften onions done in olive oil
add parsley / chives what ever herbs takes your fancy
i add cherry toms and eat that with my salad - job done .. and low in fat too!

mumoftwo

Do you like beetroot Mardatha? I buy the vacuum packs in the veg section, then add my own balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper. Beetroot is very good for you
Or you can buy it in jars but they are too vinegary for me,

Or homemade coleslaw: grated carrot, white cabbage, onion if you like it (I am not keen on raw onion) and I mix low fat mayo with some fat free plain yoghurt as a dressing and eat that with a green salad

spice up your salads with some pine nuts.

I agree the dressing makes the salad much more tasty.

knithryn

I put everything and anything in my salad. Today I had strawberries in it, I also use grapes, slices of apple etc.
If you want some protein, buy really strong cheese and cut it into tiny pieces and toss it through the salad. With strong flavours, you can get the taste without eating a large piece.
Aldi do a very good smoked applewood style cheese which is great.
Use a variety of herbs etc in your salad greens, eg tarragon, parsley, basil, anything - just chuck it in - it makes the greens more interesting.
Grated carrot with a few sultanas in it is good as a side salad too.
With plenty of strong flavours in the salad, you can have a different combination in every mouthful (a bit like buying those flavoured jelly beans and eating three at once).

Drink lots of water too, as dehydration can be mistaken as needing food.

Finish off with a fruit salad, ie chopped fruit in orange juice and youu're well on the way to your five a day. Perhaps add in a low fat yoghurt too.

mardatha

OMG I was doing ok until you mentioned jellybeans ! WAAAAAAAAHH !

hairdye

I really like a caesar salad from cook yourself thin cook book, it's basically garlic, anchovies, pinch of salt, yoghurt and a small handfull of cheese, it is sooooo good, and if you use low fat yog/ creme fraiche etc its pretty low fat too, yum! Great with grilled chicken and salad, or fish, or just salad, mmmmm!

villagelife

Waldorf salad is good and so is homemade coleslaw much nicer than shop bought.

mardatha

Waldorf salad makes me think of Basil Fawlty and I giggle

pookiewn

Cottage cheese is very low in fat, great with a jacket spud and salad.

meritaten

Its just a guess - but perhaps you dont like RAW food?
salad ingredients CAN be cooked you know and in a healthy way. lettuce such as little gem can be blanched, spring onions taste wonderful from a griddle, tomatoes can be grilled (all of them can be tossed on the bbq or on a george foreman grill).
warm broad bean salad is brilliant - just cook the broad beans with some fresh or frozen peas for about five minutes or so then pop them from the skins and keep warm in some hot water, then mix together some mayo or fromage frais (low fat stuff if you must) , chives or finely chopped spring onion (please include the green part - I hate seeing chefs waste that ) and season to taste. add your broad beans and peas and serve straight away.
beetroot is absolutely gorgeous as a hot vegatable and once cooked can be roasted quite quickly with any root veg, some olive oil and herbs.
just a few ideas to get you started - I am not keen on cold food myself and it has to be really in the nineties outside for me to not want hot food!

charlies-aunt

How about trying low fat natural yogurt instead of mayonnaise/cheese?.

You can mix in spices like chilli powder / garlic / black pepper or chopped chives / chillies / ginger / blue cheese / tomato pueeetc to make it tangy and interesting without overloading on the calories.:D