My Favorite Food For Lunches - Chicken Caesar Salad
My mouth begins to water just thinking about tomorrow when I can bite into a nice chicken caesar salad. It’s easy to make, yummy, low in calories and high in protein. I love them!
Here’s the details behind my salads:
Lettuce - I use lots of it and the more the merrier. I tend to purchase the lettuce mixes that you purchase at the grocery store. They usually have a mix of romaine and some iceberg. If it’s on sale, I’ll purchase one that also includes some darker greens. A good sized bowl of lettuce is very low in calories. 10 Calories
Shredded Parmesan Cheese - I do not always get enough calcium, so I sneak in some here and there. I discovered that the cheese used in McDonalds salads is simply shredded parmesan cheese and I have been hooked on it ever since. Including one tablespoon adds a lot of flavor. 21 Calories
Bacon Bits - I have a weakness for bacon. When bacon is on something, it just tastes better. So I put about a tablespoon of bacon bits on each salad to add some flavor. 25 Calories
Chicken Breast - To add some protein to my salad, I use about a cup of chicken breast pieces. What I have started to do is cook a bit of chicken up early in the week so I have a supply to use during the week. I cut up the raw chicken breasts and place in a pan with some water on the bottom. I add garlic and parsley (my two favorite spices) and cook using a lid on the pan. When done, I have moist flavorful chicken for my salads. 220 Calories
Caesar Dressing - I used to always eat salads with Italian dressing, or no dressing at all. But then I discovered good ole caesar dressing. So yummy! But as with most salad dressings, it can severely impact your calorie intake if you are not careful. A single fast food dressing packet can have over 200 calories alone! Since I like the taste, but not the calories, I actually measure out one teaspoon of caesar dressing into a little container (I save the little containers from Crystal Light drinks for this purpose). Instead of putting the dressing directly on the salad, I dip the salad into the dressing. It turns out that I didn’t need all of the dressing I had been using. 78 Calories
Total Calories - About 350 calories, give or take a few.
When I eat this type of salad, I don’t feel like I am on a diet at all. It’s filling, it tastes great, and it’s something I would eat regardless of being on a diet. It also works with my busy schedule.
How many hours until lunch again? 
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Comments
Hi Tricia! Sounds yummy, I agree. One of the counselors at the weight loss program I’m going to gave me this idea for chicken, and it’s great, too. Put chicken breasts in a leak-proof bag with an entire bottle of fat free italian dressing and a couple shakes of low sodium soy sauce, in the fridge. I leave it there for a couple days before grilling it. Oh.My.Word. Sooooooo flavorful, and with no guilt. Gotta love it. I put it on salads or just by itself with a salad or veggie. Even my family likes it, which is sayin’ somethin’ over here!
Blessings to you on this journey (both journeys, actually). You’re doing great!
It is a good thing that you are measuring your dressing intake. That is where all the calories are. I do believe a little bit of very good tasting dressing does wonders. If you like honey mustard dressing, KEN’s Steakhouse has a fat free version that is awesome!
Good tip on the dressing. In many restaurants they serve it with a TON of dressing which is high calories and really ruins the health benefit.
I love caesar salads but I generally use Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.
sounds really tasty. what i do is buy the romain lettuce (i find its cheaper to buy it whole than to buy it prepackaged and cut) and then add some chicken or tuna. then i add some virgin olive oil as the dressing. fills me up real good.
Your chicken Caesar salad sounds delicious! I also make this often but use shredded swiss. Now you have me wanting to go out and get the ingredients to make this tomorrow.
Chicken caesar sounds like a good lunch, but we have been eating salad for dinner most nights lately. I’ve been eating leftover ghoulash for my lunches lately.
I love those salads too! I need to get back into the habit of making things like that for lunch. Kids just aren’t all that into salad, so I’ve gotten lazy about it.
I made a great salad recently though that my non-salad-eating husband even loved. I browned 93& lean ground sirloin and seasoned into taco meat. I used colby/jack cheese, and a mix of salsa and sour cream as the dressing. Yum! He ate his with taco shells broken up, but I didn’t think it needed it, so I saved the calories.
By the way, romaine lettuce is much more nutritious than other kinds, except spinach. It has more trace elements. Iceberg is mainly water!