The FastDay Forum

I'm particularly thinking of fasting days as I've not really been a lettuce muncher, ever, maybe it's a 'bloke thing'

I like my sort of salad, tomato, cucumber, onions, celery, sweet corn, beetroot, carrots and rocket, but I know it sort of needs lettuce in there as well! (and ditch the cottage cheese on fast days)

However I try and make it more appealing by adding some boiled egg and sprinkle with a good quality flavoured balsamic vinegar, a little goes a long way Pomegranate & Fig or Orange & Ginger are the current favourites.

For fast days, I tend to use mixed spring greens instead of straight lettuce, and still use low calorie additions, such as shredded cabbage, cucumbers, chopped celery, maybe a chopped mushroom. Then I take my protein source (usually a nice piece of fish) and lay it on top of the mix. I usually pan fry a piece of fish so I take the extra bits in the pan and spread it on top since I have already tracked/counted whatever oil I used in the pan to keep the fish from sticking. Sprinkle with vinegar, salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of splenda.

Maybe not helpful for fasting days as you mentioned but I've just had a lovely salad for lunch:

Mixed leaves with spring onions & cucumber tossed in English Provinder honey & mustard light dressing then chopped radish,pepper, cherry tomatoes then half a sliced avocado & a couple of pieces on Marks & Spencers crispy bacon strips crumbled over the top, there would have been a small sprinkling of low fat feta cheese to but I've run out

I had boring salads & I hate salads with no dressing even more!

I add blackberries, pecan slivers, melon chunks and squeeze lime juice over it. Makes for a nice combination of sweet and tart flavors. If you can afford a few more calories, you could grate some parmesan as well...

As a dressing I like a tbsp sweet chilli sauce mixed with a tbsp of balsamic vinegar. And loads and loads of different veggies in the salad. We had one on Friday with raw mushrooms, beansprouts, carrot slivers, courgette, celery, lambs lettuce, cucumber and red pepper. With Asian style poached chicken this was absolutely delicious!

Hi Old Nog - just curious as to why you say "but I know it sort of needs lettuce in there as well!"

You are adding rocket why does it need lettuce? I never put lettuce in a salad - lettuce is probably the most tasteless thing ever grown IMO.

My salad for fast days has, tomato, cucumber, home pickled red onion, peppers,olives, capers, radishes, beetroot, courgette, cornichons, basil leaves, mint leaves, rocket, raw mushrooms and a small amount of feta cheese mixed in a big bowl and tossed with a dressing of 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp grain mustard, 1tbs lemon juice and a little water.

A serving is c. 100 cals and have this with fish or grilled chicken for my main (and only) meal to make up my 400 cals (400 because my TDEE is 1600)