Amounts for a salad Topic

Micah680 01/27/16
I want to simplify measuring my salads, but I am not sure how much to use. is there a standard measurement for "one serving" of romaine lettuce or mixed greens, for example? What is the easiest way to simplify so I can make several salads at once and know that my calorie count is at least close.

DavidDD 01/27/16
Micah,

I made a "standard" salad that is pretty close to what I always make. A mix of greens, with an apple, some nuts, etc. I weighed each ingredient as I made the salad and then converted that to a single recipe I called David's Apple Salad. I then weighed a single serving (my favorite salad bowl) and recorded that as a single serving.

Now, even if my salad is slightly different, I still use the same base for calorie estimation. I figure I'm within a margin of 10% or so.

Micah680 01/27/16 replied to DavidDD
David,
Thank you very much for replying. Is your salad a meal salad or a side salad? How do I figure out what a normal size portion of greens is? If I am wanting to go by a "cup amount," do i smash them down in the cup or just let them sit loosely?

Thanks, again, for your help!

Micah 680

Dietitian 01/27/16 replied to Micah680
Hi Micah680, if you are making a large batch of mixed salad, then enter all ingredients in amounts used for the big bowl. Then I would simply measure out how many "servings' it makes - use the typical salad bowls you have at home. Most of us are creatures of habit when it comes to the salad we eat at every dinner. You can learn more about recipes in this short blog post: http://www.mynetdiary.com/tips-for-accurate-recipes.html

I have measured what typically goes into one salad bowl and have made a recipe that is just 1 serving. Then I just add extra salad ingredients that are unusual on the days I include them (e.g. I rarely use fresh tomatoes in winter so I don't include them in my basic salad recipe).

DavidDD 01/28/16 replied to Micah680
Micah,

I usually weigh my food for portion sizing. I find that to be more reliable and repeatable.

Amounts for a salad