So I fully admit stealing this idea from Sweetgreen (an awesome chain of healthy food with many vegetarian/vegan options), but I needed my fix at home one day. I’m always looking for meat-free lunch and dinner options that are also filling and I was excited to find Veggie Patch Falafel Chickpea Balls at my grocery store. These things are super tasty, easy to bake and a good source of protein. Throw in another favorite snack food of mine, Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips, and you are going to have a crunchy salad with tons of protein and at least 3 servings of veggies that is going to keep you feeling satisfied for hours to come.
Here’s my at-home version:
Salad ingredients:
1 serving Veggie Patch Falafel Chickpea balls (4 balls) (bake in a toaster oven according to instructions and quartered)
1 oz Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips (crushed or use the ones at the bottom of the bag like I did!)
1 oz fat-free feta cheese (like President Herbed Crumbled Feta)
1/2 chopped red pepper
1 chopped roma tomato
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup spinach
Dressing ingredients:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Combine all your dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Combine all your salad ingredients in a larger bowl and toss. Pour in dressing and toss again to coat evenly.
This salad is only 445 calories, 53 g CHO, 17 g fat (almost all mono- and polyunsaturated fat) and a whopping 19 g protein!
The best thing is that you can scale up or down to meet your energy requirements. You can make the recipe work for you and your partner without too much fuss.
- You can add another two chickpea balls for only 80 calories.
- You can dial down the pita chips to 1/2 ounce and save 65 calories.
- You can add another ounce of cheese for only 35 more calories and 7 more grams of protein.
This salad is tasty, filling and ensures you Eat2Win!
Eat2Win Nutrition 