Who wants to eat a boring old salad?  Nobody. So make an interesting salad that you will actually enjoy eating.  How do you jazz up a salad to make it tasty?

Start out with the greens.  Use different ones — not just iceberg lettuce.  Throw in some spinach, kale, or romaine.  Or mix them up.  Check out the varieties of greens in the produce department and try something different.

Add fruit to salad.  Strawberries, blueberries, or grapes will give your salad a new zing.  So will a chopped up apple or slices of orange, or even pineapple.  Dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, and apricots are good when fresh isn’t available.

Toss in some nuts.  While they aren’t low calorie, they are low glycemic and deliver good fats as well as protein.  Throw in some walnuts or pecans, or add a few cashews.  Seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds add some interest to the salad, too.

Throw on some cheese.  Don’t overdo it here — but cheese also has a zero glycemic number and makes the salad feel like more of a meal.

To make your salad a complete meal, add chicken or beef.  I like to save back leftover grilled meat from supper to make a filling salad for lunch the next day.  Boiled eggs are another easy protein source.

Other things you might want to add?  Well, there are the standard salad vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery.  Why not check out something different in the produce department or farmer’s market? I picked out a jicama while on a quest for a new vegetable. We didn’t care much for it on its own, but it added body to a salad and made it filling and crunchy.  Experiment and see if you can find a new taste or taste combination.

Here are some other add-ins:  chick peas, black beans, pinto beans,  kidney beans, black olives, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and mushrooms.  These are low glycemic and add taste and texture to your salad.

So don’t have a boring salad for lunch.  Have a fascinating one, instead!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown