Small Meal Splurges

Salads are one meal component I am willing to splurge on. Over the years I've learned that buying more greens at a lower price is not necessarily a bargain -- generally, they go bad before we can finish them. It is only a small consolation that I could feed them to the dog.  This week I spent $1.69 on a small tray of baby lettuce -- a mesclun mix.  Four small heads.  IMO this is not a lot to spend on a food that is low calorie and nutritionally dense.  The green portion of this salad was probably only ten calories -- but it's high in vitamin C. I've read that having a leafy green entre helps cut down on the gas potential of a meal -- and we had chili for dinner!

In addition to the greens, I always use grated carrots -- now these are a cheap but high powered source of taste and nutrients.  You can never go wrong with carrots and the vitamin A punch they deliver.  Pomegranate isn't necessarily a budget item -- but if they are in season, they make a lot of sense on a salad.  These delicious seeds are a good source of dietary fiber and folate, and a very good source of vitamin C and  K.

Onions and mushrooms are something I try to prepare, serve and consume every day.  Studies have shown just one mushroom per day can dramatically decrease a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.  My goal is to find 'shrooms for less than three bucks a pound.  We probably go through at least three pounds of mushrooms per week.  They are pound per pound more expensive than meat -- but they are protein dense, a great source of minerals, and low in fat and calories. What you get from an onion, is dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate, potassium and manganese, and a good amount of vitamin C. Onion is said to be a good cancer preventive too.

I really like to put nuts on salads to increase the protein levels and provide Omega3's -- I just got too busy to do that tonight!  However, I did top this off with a small amount of sun-dried tomato.  Maybe they weren't crunchy -- but they were very flavorful!

I will buy bagged salad. I will top my salads with "fancy" ingredients. I will put taste and nutrition before cost when it comes to building a healthy salad... within reason!