I just read this article on a fat acceptance blog and it gave nearly gave me a headache :http://biglibertyblog.com/2010/07/24/the-dieters-clusterf/

Sigh. I dunno, maybe it's less fun to be a low fat  dieter - Susan powter seems to enjoy it, though. Seriously, I do not miss  the way I used to eat one bit - of course it may be because it's summer and I have easy access to incredible local produce. I'd take a basket of Oregon strawberries over chocolate chip cookies any day!

"And praising each other for only finishing half, or for being ‘better’ than they by having a nonfat fiber-stocked twig salad or heavily processed frankendairy sugarfree nonfat yogurt substitute." 

Umm, twig salad, seriously? Actually some healthy fats/oils  help you absob the  nutrients in those veggies. But point taken . I hate lame salads, emphasis on the lame: nothing but iceberg lettuce, hothouse tomatoes, ewwww.  This is why I switch to soups in the winter. However, we're in the middle of summer!

So here it is : My salad suggestion list:

1. The lettuce - hundreds of varieities out there and most people pick the one with  nearly no taste and nutrients- iceberg.Personally, I'd rather have spinach anyway. Butter lettuce and romaine are great choices too. Look  for "greenleaf"  lettuce too -it makes a  great bread alternative  for sadwiches and tacos!

2. the veg- go nuts here.It's kind of fun to use all the veg you have in your fridge as your own personal salad bar. I can't think of one veg I don't like on a salad exept maybe those really tough leafy greens like chard and kale.

3. Protein - here's where it's good to be an Atkins chick! Leftover meat from last night's dinner, crumbled up bacon, shredded cheese,  even cold cuts, anything goes here as long as there's no sugar in it. You can put hard boiled eggs on it too, but that's not very appetizing to me. Eww, cold eggs (shudder)

4.) Fats: I  personally like ranch but once in a while make my own dressing. There are very  few  good ones that don't use sugar, especially if you want an asian dressing.  They're pretty easy to make and fun to experiment with! Avacados are also a good source of healthy fats and such a great addition to a salad. I also like to add nuts ( walnuts are wonderful in a salad  with chicken) , Seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, soynuts, even crumbled up flaxseed crackers add healthy fats, fiber and crunch  

So there you go -  directions for a salad that'll make all your coworkers jealous!  Do I normally do this? Not really, salads don't travel well on the back of a bike. Salads for me are more of a dinner thing at home.

What do I normally take? Cole slaw or marinated cucumber salads.Marinated cucumber slices are my replacement for potato chips. They're a bit like the ones you get at a sushi bar, but I add red onion. 

About that frankendairy? EWWWWWW! I love full fat Greek yogurt, so forget the fake stuff! By the way yogurt is not a meal. It's dessert!