I met a young lady who was complaining about the “Freshman 15” that she has gained thus far her freshman year at a university here in North Carolina. She couldn’t understand it; all she was eating was salads! She was eating healthy, or so she thought.

Once we talked, the light bulb that went off over her head was blinding. It occurred to me that if this bright coed on full academic scholarship was confused about the calorie content of salads, then she wasn’t alone! So I wanted to write about this and share with y’all.

The bottom line? All salads are not created equal. And sometimes good salads go bad. Let’s break it down.

1) Iceberg lettuce is pretty dismal nutritionally speaking. Look at it, no color=no nutrition. Choose other lettuces if you can.

2) You will not go wrong with raw veggies—pile them on. Remember to eat by color (dark green leaves, bright orange carrot shreds, radishes, onions, etc.).

3) Watch the add-ons, like croutons, cheese, bacon bits, hard boiled egg, bean salad (plain beans, yes. However, bean salad is usually swimming in fatty dressing).

4) Speaking of dressing, BINGO, that’s the kicker. Just ONE tablespoon of ranch dressing is 73 calories with 7 grams of fat. 1 ladle full of dressing equals 2 to 6 tablespoons of dressing! Do the math!! YIKES!

5) Bread aside. If you’re only having a salad for lunch or dinner, it would seem logical to pile on the bread. Then add some butter to that. Yep, you’re right…just more insult to that injury!

So there you have it…a seemingly innocent salad taking up residence in my poor friend’s thighs and all because she didn’t know!

Now she does know better and so do you. CHOOSE carefully when eating salads. And remember, if you’re going out to a restaurant and order a salad as your entrée, you might want to look it up before you order. One time I ordered a Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad from Chili’s or Applebees or one of those places, thinking it was the best choice and ended up my day’s worth of calories in that one meal!

Here’s to the light bulb on enlightenment! May yours go off continuously this New Year!

Chop what you have and set aside (some good ones are carrots, celery, cabbage, zucchini, turnips etc.)
1 small onion chopped
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, sauté the onion till almost clear. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth you just made and seasoning. Let simmer till vegetables are tender and serve with plenty of bread and butter.

Makes TWO meatloaves
Serves 6, twice

1 package Italian turkey sausages (removed from casings; about 6-8 sausages)
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 large eggs
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1 large finely chopped onion
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 cup quick rolled oats
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup spaghetti sauce (your favorite jarred variety or homemade)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and stir in tomatoes, onion, parsley, oats, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Then mix in by hand the Italian sausage and ground turkey just until blended. Make into 2 large meatloaves on a baking sheet (like a jelly roll pan), patting to remove any air spaces. Bake for one hour. Top with spaghetti sauce and continue baking 15 to 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Per Serving: 259 Calories; 12g Fat; 20g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 96mg Cholesterol; 888mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.

SERVING SUGGESTION: cooked pasta, steamed broccoli and baked butternut squash.

Serves 6

3 cups brown rice, cooked
1 1/2 pounds turkey cutlets, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium green onions, sliced, using green too
1 carrot, grated
1 medium fresh lemon, cut into 10 thin slices and slivered
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 (10-oz.) bag fresh spinach, washed, drained and chopped

Cook rice according to package instructions to yield 3 cups cooked (1 1/2 cups raw).

In re-sealable plastic bag, combine turkey, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and lemon pepper. Shake bag to coat turkey thoroughly. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

In large skillet, over medium heat, sauté turkey and marinade in oil 2 to 3 minutes, or until turkey is no longer pink. Add onions, carrots, lemon slivers and garlic; continue to cook until onions are translucent. Stir in spinach and cook until just wilted.

Serve over brown rice.

Per serving: 411 Calories; 14g Fat; 30g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 74mg Cholesterol; 170mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain (Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: A nice green salad is all you need.

Serves 6

3 turkey bacon slices
1/2 small green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 small red bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups tomato puree
2 puréed chipotle peppers (OPTIONAL)
1/2 tablespoon cayenne
Salt and pepper, to taste
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 pound dry pinto beans, soaked overnight

In a large skillet, cook off the turkey bacon. Then add green and red bell pepper and chopped onion; sauté 5 minutes; add 3 garlic cloves, chicken stock, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cayenne, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste; add 1 pounds dry pinto beans. Transfer everything to a crockpot and cook on low 8 hours.

Per Serving: 327 Calories; 3g Fat; 19g Protein; 57g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 6mg Cholesterol; 2261mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.