Healthful, great tasting, affordable lettuce mix

[tigerlily]

I want to do more salads, but I hesitate to buy lettuce because it often doesn't get fully used and I don't like throwing it out unused.:blush

Whole heads are cheaper, but bags are more convenient. I can't necessarily afford convenient, especially if I want to increase our salad intake. I think it would be great if I could get dh and I eating salads most days for our lunch and really great if the girls joined in (that might take a bit longer).

So, what mixes do you like, what bagged brands/varieties and just mix-your-own? I hate bitter greens and want to avoid those.

If you want to link any favorite simple green salads I'd love to see those as well.
And dressing flavors or recipes!

And I don't have T.J.s or Costco.:snooty I can do Aldi, Walmart, Kroger, or Sam's.

[LadybugSam]

i have no help on a specific brand but i wanted to let you know that if i don't dress the leftover lettuce, it keeps best when i put it in a ziplock bag with a wet paper towel.

[Aerynne]

I like to buy the big tubs of spinach at Costco and make spinach salads. Not sure if you would consider that bitter or not. They have big tubs of spinach at my Kroger as well.

Spinach with apples, pears, craisins, lemon poppyseed dressing

spinach with mandarin orange, chow mein noodles, and sesame ginger dressing

Spinach with red onions, cucumbers, and fresh strawberries with a lemon poppyseed dressing

There are others- that is what is coming to mind right now.

Taco salad is good, too. But that works better with lettuce.

Also I hate cole slaw but I love cole slaw mix (my Kroger has a Kroger brand one for $1.59 a bag) and I mix it with Kraft lowfat sesame ginger dressing instead of mayo. Or this is a cooked idea but I also stir fry it with spaghetti in soy sauce for a quick veggie lo mein.

I've never had luck with buying lettuce mix- it goes bad so quickly. Plus I know they put chemicals on it to keep it from going bad.

If I want lettuce, I buy a head of it, wash and shred it all, and put it in an airtight container with a paper towel (the paper towel absorbs moisture and helps the lettuce last longer)

There's something that has been going around on pinterest about mason jar salads- you might check that out. They're supposed to keep for a long time.

[tigerlily]

Mmmm... those sound delicious. Thanks, I think I'll add them in the next week or so (out of grocery money this month.:shifty).

I do have some leftover spinach from another recipe, so I'll see what I can try at home.

I've done the coleslaw mix before, too -- I forgot about that.:tu (I don't like traditional coleslaw, either).:no

I suppose I could always do the baby spinach if the regular is too bitter.:think

[Marzipan]

Do you like cabbage? It keeps far longer, and imo is much yummier.

[tigerlily]

Yes, I do like cabbage.:yes Which reminds me I think I have a head I need to use right now. I've been slicing it and roasting it in the oven drizzled in olive oil and salt.

that'll be impractical come warmer weather, though. What kind of salads do you like to make with it?

[Marzipan]

This is my favorite: https://www.facebook.com/notes/rachel-mccauley-wylie/my-new-favorite-salad/10150222559234864

I don't really like lettuce, so I made a pinterest board for salads that don't have any. Here it is: http://pinterest.com/toucanpie/salads-for-people-who-don-t-like-salads/

Also, the blog Kalyn's Kitchen has lots of cabbage salad recipes.

[charla]

I buy romaine hearts that come in a package of three. They seem to last for about a week. I usually use two hearts per meal when salad is served as a side dish. I think this lettuce is quite a bit more expensive than head lettuce, however, I have much less waste.

I used to buy one bunch of romaine and one bunch of green leef lettuce and I would wash it thoroughly, tear it into bite-sized pieces, discarding all the ribs (they seem to go bad faster than any other part), dry in a salad spinner and store in a large sealed tupperware bowl and use it throughout the week. I think it stayed good about 5 days if I was careful to get it really dry and keep all of the ribs out of it.

I love salad. :heart

Here are my faves:

Greek: romaine, cukes, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, granulated garlic and granulated onion. Could also add red onion, kalamata olives, tomatoes, pepperoncini, garbanzo beans

Balsamic cranberry: romaine, cucumber, red onion, dried cranberries, feta, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, granulated onion, granulated garlic, salt - would be good with spinach too.

Italian-ish: romaine, cucumber, lots and lots of parmesan cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, granulated onion, granulated garlic, salt

Creamy Greek: romaine, dressing made from one part mayo, one part sour cream, lemon juice to thin, chopped cukes, crumbled feta, oregano, granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt and pepper