Preparing to Succeed with Salads

Preparing my lunches for the week is definitely the best way for me to kill my inner Saboteur.  I know that in order to eat the breakfasts and dinners that I want to eat, I have to have a very low point lunch.  That means salad.  When I first started having salads for lunch I would make them one by one every morning.  I hated it.  I dreaded it.  Well, then my work schedule changed and I had to be at work at 8am instead of 10 am on quite a few days of the week.  And every day would be different and my schedule could possibly change at the last minute.  That meant I could get a call at 7am requesting I come in at 8 that morning.  So that didn't work out for my salad a couple of times.  So I had to begin preparing them on Sunday nights.  And you know what?  I only had to dread making salad once a week.  And I had a foolproof way to stay on plan all week.

I never have gotten tired of the salads.  I have had to buy about six different kinds of dressing and I always vary the ingredients.  Sometimes my salads are a few points higher or lower but that helps me keep my dinners varied as well.  I also pre-track the night before so I know what snacks and dinner will be and what my total points are.  That way I can make an informed choice when I am confronted by someone bringing in donuts or offering me sweets.  I usually say no, but sometimes the donut bringer has brought The One.  The Nemesis of all  of my resolve:The Chocolate Glazed with Shredded Coconut.

This week I tried a new fruit for my salad: Pomegranate

I never peeled one before although I have eaten the seeds in some fancy salads.

I also recently bought these amazing Glad containers which come with a little salad dressing holder.  It's very easy to measure out the dressing since the container holds only 1.5 oz.  I like only 1oz of dressing because the points are very low, so I measure mine on a scale.

 I used to worry that the salad wouldn't last but I buy the artisan lettuces that are a little more expensive but they last longer and stay crisper after being cut than the others.  Hearts of Romaine work well too.

Favorite Salad toppers to mix it up:

Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie packs
1oz goat cheese
1oz fresh Mozzarella Pearls
1oz Walnuts or Nuts of any type
Dried Cranberries or Cherries
2-4 oz leftover chicken, shrimp, steak

Zero Point Ingredients of Choice:
Broccoli Slaw
Purple Cabbage
Sugar Snap Peas
Shredded Carrots
Cucumbers
Radishes
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (decreases the slime factor over sliced tomatoes)

I try to keep the toppers in the 2-4 points range.  I mean Points Plus.  That's the new Weight Watchers program that I ADORE!