Salad doesn't have to just be a side dish! Get fit with hearty salads during your computer breaks.

Taco Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 pack taco seasoning mix
1 package shredded cheese
Lettuce, tomato
White taco chips / hard taco shell bowls
salsa & sour cream to taste

Brown beef and stir in seasoning mix. Place some of mixture into taco bowls or over chips or lettuce. Top with cheese, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream.

Eastern Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 cup celery hearts
2 green onions
16 sprigs cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 medium tomato
1/2 cup cucumber
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 head butter lettuce
1 bunch watercress
2 hard cooked eggs
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sugar substitute
5 Tbsp. lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. fish sauce

Cut onions in half lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Slice celery hearts thin. Cut tomato in half and then it and cucumber into very thin slices. Take out inner leaves only of the lettuces to use. Remove large stems from watercress. Separate whites and yolks of eggs.

Then combine the cilantro, mint, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, celery, green onion and watercress. Thinly slice the egg whites and add to the mix.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic turns pale gold. Remove from the heat and let cool. Mash the egg yolks. Add the sugar substitute, lemon juice and fish sauce. Beat in the garlic and oil. Toss with the salad, lightly pressing the ingredients together.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
8 oz white chicken
3-4 T lite mayonnaise
1 c shredded Cheddar (or your favorite) cheese
1 T spicy mustard
1 T ea chopped: red pepper, onion, parsley
4 slices bacon

Take bacon and cooked until crisp, then crumble it up. Mix with all other ingredients in bowl. Store in refrigerator to cool or bake at 350 for 20 minutes until hot. Serve hot or cold.

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
4 oz. blue cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Crumble blue cheese. Than mix all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight, one week max. Season as needed.

Sprinkle Spice Mix

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
2 dried red chilies

Roast all in a dry frying pan using medium heat until fragrant. Cool and finely grind in a coffee grinder. Sprinkle on salads to taste.