Salads are a great way to trade-up the nutrition of your meals. Even adding a small side salad to what you normally eat is an easy way to get more nutrients into your diet.
Here are some of my favorite salad ingredients and their NuVal scores:
- Romaine hearts (NuVal score: 100)
- Onion (NuVal score: 93)
- Tomatoes (NuVal score: 96)
- Red bell pepper (NuVal score: 96)
- Chopped walnuts (NuVal score: 82)
- Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
- Strawberries (NuVal score: 100)
- Hard-boiled Eggland’s Best eggs (NuVal score: 44)
- Avocados (NuVal score: 89)
- Sweet potato (NuVal score: 96)
- Cucumber (NuVal score: 93)
- Carrots (NuVal score: 99)
- Shrimp (NuVal score: 75)
- Zucchini (NuVal score: 99)
Lots of high-scoring goodies, right? Aren’t salads the best? 
My new favorite salad addition (besides avocado) is homemade croutons! They are delicious, SO easy to make, and a great addition to a regular ol’ salad. Plus, you don’t have to waste old bread! 
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients:
- 1/2 loaf of day-old French bread
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- Garlic powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400*F
- Cut loaf into “crouton-size” pieces
- Add bread and olive oil to a large bowl; coat bread with oil
- Add garlic powder (or your choice of seasoning)
- Spread croutons on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes
- Allow to cool before serving
Makes 2-3 cups
Trading Up Downtown Giveaway
Don’t salad + croutons just scream salad bowl!?
This week’s Trading Up Downtown giveaway is a brand new palm tree-lined salad bowl with bamboo serving utensils. Wouldn’t this be perfect for a summer meal?
To enter: Leave a comment on this post about your favorite salad ingredients. If you include NuVal scores with your comment and win the giveaway, I’ll add a NuVal t-shirt to your prize! A bunch of NuVal scores are listed on the NuVal website and even more are on the NuVal blogs, so make sure you include some!
I’ll randomly pick a winner tomorrow morning. Good luck!
Developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts, the 
My favourite salad ingredient will always be broccoli! It’s actually probably my favourite vegetable, especially roasted! Anything in salads that’s salty and full of flavour is great to me, actually. And spicy, too! I love salsa on my salads.
Do you ship to China? That bowl is absolutely adorable!
Wei-Wei
I love grape tomatoes and cucumbers in my salad! Salsa is very good also, I mix it with a tablespoon of low-fat ranch dressing and throw on some black beans for a southwest flair to my salad. Yum!
What a beautiful salad set!
I love cottage cheeese, TJ’s chipotle hummus and avacado (89)!!!
I love roasted vegetables! One of my favorite ‘winter’ salads includes roasted cauliflower, beets, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, eggplant and onions with hummus as the dressing.
When I want something different, I like slicing up oranges (100) and topping those on my salad.
My favorite salad is arugula w/ strawberries, walnuts and goat cheese!
I like adding craisins, walnuts, chia seeds or roasted pine nuts to change up the flavors of my salads…
My favorite salad ingredients: spinach (NuVal score: 82), almonds (NuVal score: 76), Onion (NuVal score: 93), Tomatoes (NuVal score: 96), Avocados (NuVal score: 89),Carrots (NuVal score: 99), and cranberries (couldn’t find the NuVal)
In the summer, I love adding fresh sliced strawberries & blueberries with a little feta cheese, pecans, and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. YUMM! Homemade croutons are awesome too.
My favorite salad ingredients are artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. And, of course, cheese. Yum!
I love romaine: NuVal 100
asparagus: NuVal 100
tomatoes: NuVal 96
Delicious!
I like spinach salads with almonds and feta, with juicy tomatoes for dressing (96)
I LOVE chicken breasts (39) and any type of fruit! It makes the salad so light and fresh…but SWEET too!
Every now and then, I enjoy a good crunchy romaine (100) salad topped with pine nuts and raisins (neither of which I could find scores for). Thanks for the giveaway!
I love fresh greens topped with egg and tuna, so satisfying
I am a salad minimalist. I like a mixture of romaine (100) with raddicio, plus a chopped tomato (96), and fat free Italian dressing. I put some cracked black pepper on top, and it’s good to go!
Instead of croutons for crunch, I like to add almonds (Nuval score: 81)!
Spinach with avocado, carrots, cucumber and carrots, with some vinaigrette on the side. Yum!
I love adding cheese and seasoned grilled chicken to my salad. I love veggis but adding these ingredients to the veggis adds the protein and flavor I need for a well balanced lunch!
I love love love adding hummus to my salads!! It makes them seem so much richer. I also love raisins and fruit!! After living in Spain for a semester I started adding salty olives, again richness factor, and dressig with good olive oil and white wine vinegar. This is especially delicious with seer corn added.. Mmmm. Love the bowl set!!! I like having glass ones so you can layer the salad and see all the colors on the side
food is fun!!!
I love adding chick peas (NuVal score 88)!!
My perfect salad includes:
Fresh Spinach (100), Broccoli (100), Tomatoes (96), Carrots (99), Red bell pepper (96) and Balsamic vinaigrette. Gotta get those colors in there!
I have too many favorite salad additions to pick one, but I especially love black beans and greek olives! Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite salad ingredients are beets and goat cheese, couldn’t find the scores for these on the site.
Thanks!
Ann
I love my salads to include: Carrots (NuVal score: 99), Spinach (NuVal score: 100), Romaine Leaves (NuVal scoe: 100), Avocados (NuVal score: 89), and sliced Tomatoes (NuVal score: 96).
Grilled chicken over spring mix!
Love avocados and carrots on my salads
Fave toppings for salads are shredded beets–even though they are messy–and homemade croutons for crunch!
chickpeas for me!
I heart craisins in a salad and I love adding shrimp (75) for my protein.
I think I love adding beans to my salad for its texture and protein! This is something I’ve never seen or would have thought acceptable until just a few months ago : P
Really love pine nuts, feta and radishes on my salad, so fresh!
Mmmm my favorite salad has spinach (NuVal score: 82), cucumber (NuVal score: 93) tomatoes (NuVal score: 96), strawberries (NuVal score: 100), avocado (NuVal score: 89), and carrots (NuVal score: 99)!
My favorite salad ever is romaine lettuce (100), cucumbers (93), tomatoes (96), carrots (99), grilled chicken breast (39), and chickpeas with a vinagrette dressing of some sort. Love it!
I love adding craisins… they’re the perfect touch of sweetness!
Lightly salted sunflower seeds–great taste and texture for any salad.
My latest favorite salad ingredients are avocado (89) and hard-boiled eggs (44).
I love dark leafy green likes romaine (Nuval score: 100), tomatoes (Nuval score: 96), chopped onion (Nuval score: 93), avocado (Nuval score: 89), shredded carrots (Nuval score: 99), and black olives! I also love beans and sometimes throw them in
I love all these ideas for salad toppings. I am a big fan of fruit in my salad, pineapple(99), oranges, dried cranberries, apples, pears, grapefruit(99).
I love adding all sorts of leftovers to salads – I call it “everything but the kitchen sink” salad. One of my faves is grilled zucchini (Nuval score of 99!). thanks.
My faves include: feta cheese, green onion, roasted red pepper, fennel (roasted or raw), cuc, tomato (fresh or sun-dried), and any type of fresh herb I have on hand: cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, etc. Just chop it up and throw it on top!
I love adding fruit – chopped strawberries, apples, and dried cranberries!
I love avocado…as well as beets, chickpeas and feta!
My favorite salad ingredient is avocado (NuVal score: 89). So delicious!
I love spinach (100), carrots (99), broccoli (100), tomatoes (96) and avocado (89), I also love adding hummus (instead of salad dressing)
I love salads with fruit – especially blueberries, which have a nuval score of 100! Holler!
I love adding artichoke hearts, tomatoes (96) and mozzarella!! yummy!!
I love adding sunflower seeds, almonds, broccoli (100) and chickpeas, as well as avocado (89) and walnuts..mmmm
This salad set is great! Everytime I make a big salad for a get together I am always ashamed of my old plastic mixing bowl I serve it in
. My favorite salad topping is for sure hard boiled eggs (44), black beans or chickpeas (88) and salsa!!
I love adding strawberries (nuval score of 100), blueberries (100) and almonds (76).
I’ve been doing a lot of walnuts, dried cranberries and spinach. We also make a mandarin orange chicken salad at my house (spinach or romaine, sugar-glazed almonds, grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, bleu cheese, and I throw in the dried cranberries – plus a little raspberry vinagrette). Yummy.
I love a salad with romaine, avocado, feta cheese, and tomatoes with champagne dressing. Add a piece of grilled chicken on the top and it is the perfect summer supper!
Some of the must haves for my salad include: feta cheese, chopped apples, raisins and nuts!
My homemade croutons never look as good as the ones you made! They look perfectly crispy. My favorite salad ingredients in order are – spinach,feta, red peppers,carrots, banana peppers, and avocado.
I love this asian coleslaw someone brought to a party years back. I try to recreate it with cabbage, scallions (nuval score:93), carrots (nuval score: 99), and the best part toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I add some vinegar, olive oil and sugar homemade dressing – so good!
i love using hummus instead of dressing for my salads..its healthy,creamy, and delicious!
My favorite thing to add to a salad is AVACADO! ♥ ♥ ♥ Nuval socre = 89!!!
I like arugula, add walnuts and gorgonzola cheese with balsamic dressing!
My favorite salad topper right now is Craisins (dried cranberries)! They add the perfect amount of sweetness to your salad.
I love big salads with dried cranberries, goat cheese and pear….in addition to lots of veggies.
I love salads. My favorite combination at the moment is mesclun greens, tomatoes(96),red cabbage, radishes, goat cheese, pistachios and dried cranberries with my own homemade balsamic dijon mustard vinaigrette.YUMMMM!
I also love adding Avocado to my salads.
I love lettuce topped with turkey, a little cheese, green olives <3, a hard boiled egg, and raspberry vinegarette! =) and that bowl is awesome!
I love broccoli sprouts on mixed greens, shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, celery, and always some onion. Sometimes I add tomatoes, sometimes craisins, sometimes rinsed canned beans. I love salads!
I LOVE adding mango (score: 93) to my salads… along with avacado (score: 89) it makes for one heck of a tropical salad!
I love me some Spinach (82) with shrimp (75) and avocado (89)… yum!
My favorite salad: Spinach, beets, goat cheese, cucumber, tomato and avacado with shrimp!!!!
my fave salad ingredient is either dried fruit or nuts. or even items from the hot bar.
My favorite salad ingredients include spinach, beets, corn, cucumbers, kidney beans, lima beans, tomatoes and carrots. Mmm!
I always, always use baby spinach! My favorite salads are the fruit and nut (and cheese) variety! Goat cheese, pecans and pears…OMG
My most recent favorite salad additions are avocados (89) and broccoli (100). Beyond those, I usually start with a base of iceberg lettuce (82) because it’s so cheap and add my staples including carrots (99), cucumbers (93), and onions (93).
I love salads! A special one around the holidays includes spinach, segmented grapefruit (NuVal score 99!) and red onions. Oh so tasty!
BACON!- and i am purposely not including a nuval score.. my favorite add on may not score very high! But man, its delish. Although, another yummy topper is to add some Grape Nuts (I know, right?) sounds strange, but adds an awesome crunch!
I loooove chopped ripe avocado’s (Score: 82, not bad at all!) and sweet potatoes! I’m so surprised that SP’s scored to high on the NUVal scoring system at 96. Gotta go pick some extra’s up from Trader Joe’s the next time I go huh?
I love olives, tomatoes, green beans, blue cheese, onions, and beans!
I couldn’t find the NuVal scores for any of these items, but one of my favorite salad combinations is kale, pine nuts, and dried cranberries. So good!
my salad ingredients: red leaf, mache, grapefruit, avocado!
These are my favorites: Spinach (82),Tomatoes (96), Avocados (89), Cucumber (93) and Chickpeas (88)
I love tomatoes (Nuval: 96) in my salads and dried cranberries and chickpeas!
Lovely salad bowl. My fav ingredients are broccoli(100), Strawberries(100) and walnuts(82)
LOVE the bowl!
My current fav salad is baby romaine lettuce with chopped pear, blue cheese, and candied walnuts… oh so delish!
I have recently enjoyed adding spinach and feta hummus to my salads as well, no need for dressings!
I love pretty much any green salad as long as it has avocado
I seriously can’t get enough!
I have two favorite salads; one is wilted spinach with garlic olive oil and bacon! I’m sure the bacon detracts from heatlh a little, but spinach has a score of 82! And another is baby greens with the bruschetta (sp?) sauce from Trader Joes with a can of sardines and/or tofu. I had this for lunch for months on end I loved it so much! and according to NuVal sardines have a score of 88!
My favorite salad consists of baby spinach (82), Avocados (89), Tomatoes (96), Parmesan cheese, Cannelini bean and some sort of lemon/olive oil vinaigrette. YJM
I love spinach salads, score of 82!
Thanks you so much for the opportunity! My favorite salad ingredients would be spinach(fresh 82 or canned 76), roasted brocolli(100, buy maybe a little less after roasting with cooking spray), tomatoes(96), and smashed avocado(89).
I think raisins (88) are the best addition to a salad. They really make the dish! Also dried cranberries, goat cheese and avocados, though =)
SPINACH is my favorite salad ingredient (NuVal score: 82). I am 1/2 israeli, so I also love salads made with tomatoes (NuVal score: 96) and cucumbers (NuVal score: 93). Perfect for topping falafel with!
I love spinach salads (82) with tomatoes (96) and wheat berries (?).
I love adding fruit to my salad, like strawberries, grapes, apples and pears. The perfect topping is a nice goat cheese too!
My favorite salad ingredients are for sure tomatoes & cucumbers, as well as roasted broccoli, mushrooms, onions, peppers…oh, this list could go on & on…=)
I love adding sun-dried tomatoes to just about ANY salad! They add a great, tangy flavor. And of course, for me a salad just isn’t a salad without avocado!
Tomatoes (NuVal score: 96)
Red bell pepper (NuVal score: 96)
Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
Carrots (NuVal score: 99)
Hard Boiled Eggs
Cottage Cheese
Sesame Seeds
Banana Peppers
firm believer of using all left overs! Therefore, my salad never comes out the same way twice! Whatever protein from the night before goes in ie, (salmon 87) but love berries (100) nuts, chickpeas, dried fruit, etc…….
I eat salad daily – my fav mix ins are romaine lettuce, avocado, tofu or shrimp, green onion and cucumber. sometimes black beans and corn make an appearance too. i make my own dressing with this muscat vinegar from trader joes, tarragon, mustard, olive oil, S+P and it’s quite tasty!
My favorite salad ingredients are:
avocado (89)
black beans (53
corn (91?)
romaine lettuce (100)
hard boiled egg (44)
and hummus (?)
I love a salad with: arugula, beets, vinaigrette, feta cheese, and some kind of nuts!
Favorite salad ingredients definitely include broccoli (100), chick peas, romaine lettuce (100), hard boiled eggs (44) and some chow mein noodles or tortilla strips for a little extra crunch!
I absolutely have to have tomatoes in my salad! Plus they get a Nuval score of 96….great!
My favorite salad is a simple mix of strawberries (100) and spinach sprinkled with some flaxseed and a little bit of raspberry vinagrette.
I love spinach (82) and carrots (99), but I also love adding beans now because they make any salad SO much better!
My favorite salad ingredients include spinach, red bell pepper, carrots, cucumber, and avocado!
My favorite salad has spinach, marinated mushrooms, asparagus, roasted red peppers, roasted beets and sunflower seeds with balsamic vinegar!
Favorite toppings are nuts, dried cranberries, chopped apple, shredded cheese, with honey mustard or poppy seed dressing. Romaine lettuce or baby spinach for the greens.
In the summer – fresh vine ripe tomatoes!
I love salads with the sweet thing goin’ on! Baby spinach, romaine, pear, candied pecans, avacado, tomatoes, red onion, blue cheese and a vinegrette!
I love spinach and feta salads with dried cranberries.
I love tomatoes(96) especially cherry tomatoes!
Tomatoes(96), Alfafa sprouts and Cucumbers(93)!
Dried Cranberries, Gorgonzola and Avocado!
I love the combo of fresh sliced mushrooms and chickpeas on my salad. Thanks for the chance to win!
I LOVE Romaine hearts (NuVal score: 100)
•Onion (NuVal score: 93)
•Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
•Cucumber (NuVal score: 93)
•Carrots (NuVal score: 99)
•Shrimp (NuVal score: 75)
as well as some nice feta cheezzzeee on my salads <3
as well as portobello and white cap mushrooms!
Avocado (89), Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, dried cranberries and blue cheese/goat cheese are a few of my favorite salad add ins.
I like spinach salads with almonds and feta too!
and sometimes i like to add avocado (NuVal score: 89)
I love to add cucumbers (93) and avocado (89).
I love Avocados (NuVal score: 89) in my salad too. Such a good fat and tasty!
I love romaine (100), blueberries (100), and walnuts (82) with raspberry vinaigrette. Simple and delicious!
I love that bowl – it reminds me of Hawaii!
Mango (93) and Broccoli (100)are great salad additions, although not necessarily together.
Perfect Sunny Summer Salad:
*Fresh Spinach(100)
*Asparagus
*Strawberries (100(
*Avocado(89)
simple,fresh and delicious!
Romaine – 100, blueberries – 100, granny smith apple, walnuts – 82, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette! Yum!
I like romaine (100), almonds (76), onions (93), avocados (89), and carrots (99)!
I love adding crab meat (57), old bay spice, and some black beans.
I like to add crackers to my salad with cheese aswell. The score for the the crackers are 14 and cheese’s score is 20.
My go-to salad features romaine, spring mix, cucumber, red pepper, feta, and my homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Yum!
I love spinach, feta cheese and roasted almonds.
my favorite summer salads have spinach, chicken, goat cheese, walnuts, peach slices, and a light vinaigrette!
I love salads with grilled shrimp, sweet bell peppers,chopped onion and sweet dried tomatoes yum! Score= 360
Absolute salad fav is: lettuce mix (romaine, spring and butters), carrot shreds, radishes, peppers (green/red/yellow), snow peas, avocado, red onion and garbanzo beans with EVOO and balsamic vinegar!
My favorite salad ingredients are:
Iceberg lettuce (82)
Tomatoes (96)
Avocado (89)
light sour cream and salsa mixed for dressing
Shredded cheddar cheese
Morningstar Black bean burger
Baked Scoops tortilla chips – crushed
My favorite ingredient for sure would be avocado (NuVal score: 89). Yummy! What an adorable salad set!
I LOVE avocados in my salad (89), it makes it so creamy. For sweet salads, I like to have chicken breast (39), blueberries (100), strawberries, and almonds.
my favorite salad ingredient is lime juice. It is the perfect dressing for nearly any salad. My favorite salad is romaine, spinach, tomatoes, and cucumber. YUM!
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