Recipes for Healthy Post-Holiday Salads

It's around this time that post-holiday events start to stress a lot of people out after seeing their weight scale increase. My first inclination is to yell at my weight scale or better yet toss it out in hopes that it was not functioning correctly. Thankfully my mental conscience becomes the better of me and talks my irrational self out of doing such an action. My plan of action is a bunch of healthy post-holiday salads to enjoy while losing the weight.

Here are some of my favorite post-holiday salads:

Salad #1: Hummus Salad

There are so many scrumptious hummus selections on the market, especially in health food stores such as Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe's. My absolute favorite hummus is purchased at Trader Joe's and is called Kalamata Olive Hummus. It is a constant item on my grocery list each week for the family. If you are not lazy like me, you can make your own hummus in very little time and flavor it the way you like it. Then what I do is have a nice bowl/plate of mixed salad greens and shred about two tablespoons worth of hummus on the mixed greens. Hummus is not only a healthy option; it is also very low in calories. The hummus is used in exchange for any salad dressing. Hence, an entire plate of hummus salad is less than 200 calories! (Calorie count does depend on your hummus selection.) Sounds basic but is wonderful! You can even add it inside of a flour tortilla and take the salad to go.

Salad #2: Spinach Salad

There are times when I am out of mixed greens so I tend to return to spinach when this happens. I love to get a large bowl/plate of spinach leaves and top it with some healthy toppings. My favorite homemade recipe is spinach topped with cucumber slices, cooked garbanzo beans, walnut pieces, and dried unsweetened cranberries. You may use sweetened cranberries however this will add about 150 calories per ½ cup and also a few grams of sugar. In addition almonds may be substituted if you have no walnut pieces around the kitchen. The various toppings have a slightly tart, sweet and savory reaction on your tongue so you do not have to worry about salad dressing which can add more calories that are not needed.

Salad #3: My Kind-of Greek Salad

Many websites and cookbooks have Greek salad recipes however I just prefer to keep things simple and pack mine with different flavors. Start off with a full bowl/plate with mixed greens and a handful of spinach leaves. Place sliced cucumbers, a few tablespoons of unsalted sunflower seeds, a ¼ cup of feta cheese, a sprinkle of fresh ground mint, a few minced kalamata olives and a minced Pepperoncini. Feta cheese gives you the calcium but not the calories such as other types of cheese. The different toppings add enough flavors that you really do not need any salad dressing. The salad is sweet and salty at the same time. If you are in need of a little dressing just mix a little olive oil with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and drizzle over the top.