Healthy Spring Salads That Will Shed Weight Quickly

Healthy Spring Salads That Will Shed Weight Quickly

As the temperature begins to warm up, it’s important that you think about what you can do to lighten up your diet, slashing the calories so you can get a jump on the summer fat loss process. By beginning now that it’s spring, you can ensure that you have plenty of time to reach your goal weight before you have to sport a tiny bathing suit on the beach.

Salads are a great addition to your diet and will help to bring the total calorie count down while boosting your nutrition.  The key with salads is to make sure that you are adding enough healthy fats into the dish since they are typically lower in carbohydrates so that the meal sustains you for the hours to come.

Let’s look at a few healthy recipes to consider.

Broccoli Salad

1 cup sliced broccoli
3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
2 tbsp. vinegar
2-3 tbsp. sugar substitute
1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. slivered almonds
1 tbsp. dried cranberries

Slice broccoli up into tiny bite sized pieces. In a small bowl, mix together the fat free mayonnaise, vinegar, as well as sugar substitute.  Drizzle over top of the broccoli and then top with sunflower seeds, almonds, and cranberries.

Oriental Tangy Salad

1 cup cabbage/coleslaw mix
½ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup sliced snow peas
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. sweetener
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
2 tbsp. finely chopped walnuts

Toss the cabbage, snow peas, and bean sprouts together. In a bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, and sweetener, and then drizzle over salad.  Toss and then top with poppy seeds and walnuts.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

2 cups spinach leaves
½ cup sliced strawberries
2 tbsp. slivered almonds
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar substitute
1 tbsp. orange juice

Toss the spinach leaves and sliced strawberries together.  Combine the olive oil, vinegar, sugar substitute, and orange juice in a bowl and drizzle over spinach.  Top with almonds. Note you can also add a few grilled shrimps to this salad for protein as well.

Apple-Chicken Salad

1 grilled chicken breast, sliced
2 tbsp. dried cranberries
1 tbsp. slivered almonds
½ cup green apple, cut into small cubes
1 cup spinach
1 cup iceberg lettuce
low-calorie raspberry vinaigrette

Grill the chicken breast on the grill and cut into bite sized pieces. Slice the apple and then toss together the spinach, lettuce, apple, cranberries, almonds, and chicken.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and then serve.

The next time you’re on a mission to find something light to serve up for one of your meals, consider any of these salads.  The great thing about salads is that they’re relatively quick to prepare and can easily be transported to work as well if you need something for your midday meal.

Pair any of these with a piece of fruit for dessert and you’ll be all set to enjoy great tasting food without the calories.