What kind of salad greens does your family like? What kind do you actually serve?

[Julie in CA]

If my family members had their way, they'd eat iceberg lettuce only. ETA: I only buy iceberg for topping tacos.

We've reached a compromise though, and now we do a half & half mix of romaine and baby spinach leaves. I have a feeling that's as adventurous as we're going to get, because when I buy other kinds the kids complain that we're eating bitter *weeds* (I secretly feel that way too ;)).

 

What does your family like best, and is that what you actually serve? :D

 

ETA: I *MEANT* TO PUT IN THAT I ONLY BUY *ICEBERG* FOR TACOS. We eat romaine/baby spinach for everything else.

Edited August 25, 2010 by Julie in CA

[BikeBookBread]

Romaine, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, spring mix, Italian mix (raddichio, etc...). I've tried to get them to eat Napa straight, but it was not a hit with the girls. DH and I like it, though, in an Asian salad with sweet/sour dressing, oranges, noodles -- you know, the standard "Asian" salad at chain restaurants. I bet if I mixed it in with other stuff they'd eat it, though. I don't really hold back on the pungent flavors, but I do mix them in with milder flavors.

[OnTheBrink]

Romaine and spring mix. I won't buy iceberg and I don't care for raw spinach.

[herbalgirl]

Romaine, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, spring mix, Italian mix (raddichio, etc...). I've tried to get them to eat Napa straight, but it was not a hit with the girls. DH and I like it, though, in an Asian salad with sweet/sour dressing, oranges, noodles -- you know, the standard "Asian" salad at chain restaurants. I bet if I mixed it in with other stuff they'd eat it, though. I don't really hold back on the pungent flavors, but I do mix them in with milder flavors.

 

:iagree: This is how it is in our family, too. We mix the more bitter ones in with the milder varieties. Dh and I can stand more of the bitter types in ours than the kids can, but we're pretty adventurous.

 

The red leaf and green leaf lettuces are pretty mild, but have lots more nutrition than iceberg.

[Crissy]

We usually eat spring greens with a bit of spinach mixed in. I also like romaine, but I prefer to serve the darker greens at most meals.

[Parrothead]

Mostly we eat organic spring mix. I do like to fill it in with a bit more organic baby spinach. If I can't get those I will buy Romaine lettuce. Iceberg is not welcome in our house.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I buy all kinds of greens. I eat every kind of green imaginable. Dh will eat most greens I serve, as long as they have no dressing on them. DS1 won't eat any, and DS2 will eat Romaine, green leaf, baby spinach, and baby spring mix.

[Crimson Wife]

My kids would prefer nothing but iceberg but I compromise by mixing it 50/50 with healthier greens. My salad I make separately with just the darker greens.

 

They don't mind butter, baby spinach, or green leaf. They complain about romaine, mesclun, and anything purple/reddish.

[bbsweetpea]

We eat and I buy spring mix, baby spinach leaves, romaine, and red leaf. It depends on what the store has as to what I buy. We do not like iceberg at all.

[lisabelle]

One year we grew butter lettuce from seed and decided that was the very best lettuce in the world. So that's what we buy now.

[Aggie]

Spinach. This is pretty much all my dc know.

 

Once in a blue moon I'll buy something else, but it's rare.

 

Spinach is very easy to grow, too. Think your dc could plant a small spinach garden?

[Pretty in Pink]

We eat romaine and spring mix mostly. I like mixed herbs as well but they are not my family's favorite, IYKWIM.

 

ETA: Oh, we like red and green leaf as well. I use green leaf for tacos and lettuce wraps.

[GoVanGogh]

DH and I love most salad greens and I buy whatever strikes my fancy at the grocery store. I grow mixed lettuce greens and microgreens in the fall and winter. And I always have fresh herbs, like salad burnet and rosemary, to mix in with our salads.

DS will ONLY eat raw spinach salad - nothing else on it or mixed in with it.

[Jen in PA]

I love red leaf, so that is what we have 90% of the time. I do try to add in other things, but the red leaf is the most nutritious of the ones the kids like, so we end up sticking with it.

[angela in ohio]

We eat baby spinach by the pound here. We don't even put dressing on them, we just eat them with our fingers with other raw veggies.

 

For salads, I mix red leaf and romaine. Sometimes, if I go to the really good store, I get spring mix, too. The cheap spring mix has too much stem in it.

[Carol in Cal.]

Romaine is our favorite. I refuse to buy iceberg except for brief forays into making Chinese food served in lettuce cups. In theory I would also use it for taco salad, but romaine works pretty well for that, too.

 

We also like radiccio, esp with bleu cheese. Spinach with a fruity dressing is one of my faves, but is only tolerated by others. Spring mix is great, as is spring mix with fresh herbs.

 

Cucumber salad with sour cream dressing is a fave, though unhealthy.

 

Quartered tomatoes, with or without cucumber chunks, in balsamic vinegar and EVOO is a great favorite.

 

I also buy random lettuces and fresh veggies and mix them, now that I have a really good, industrial strength salad spinner. (Pampered Chef, if anyone wants to know. No, I don't sell them. Yes, I highly recommend them.) A good combo might be butter lettuce, romaine, and red leaf with halved cherry tomatoes, carrot slices, and little cucumber chunks. Little tiny pieces of diced, strong cheese are great in that one--extra sharp cheddar is particularly good.

[TrixieB]

All of my family members like the packaged romaine hearts from Costco, so that is what I typically serve. The price is good too. :)

[Dawn in OH]

The kids will eat iceberg, romaine, green leaf and spinach. I like others and introduce them slowly and mixed in with the others.

[Rosie_0801]

Ds is too little, but dd will eat some occasionally. For the most part, we have baby spinach and rocket. I won't buy iceberg any more, but occasionally we have cos lettuce and sunflower greens when I bother to grow them. (Note to self, get a bag of potting mix today and start another batch.)

 

Rosie

[StaceyinLA]

Romaine, leaf lettuces and spinach are standard, but I'll throw in the spring mix on occasion. The thing is, whereas I love all greens, I HAVE to have crunch in my salad. Romaine adds that for me and gives the salad substance. I can't do the flimsy greens alone in salad.

[kalanamak]

Mostly we eat organic spring mix.

 

I call that Yuppie Chow. I like red leaf and radicchio and romaine, best. I love some thin-sliced cabbage in the mix. For sprouts, try just a pinch of radish sprouts in your salad. Lovely tang.

[DianeW88]

Anything and everything but iceberg. That stuff has never darkened my doorstep and my kids don't even know it exists. :lol: I also cut up lots of other raw veggies for them to snack on during the day and put them on the table when we're doing school. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, pepper slices, jicama, cherry tomatoes, etc. They can dip them in hummus if they want.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

[BridgeTea]

Spinach and romaine are standbys, with the occasional red or green leaf lettuce.

 

The whole family will eat greens of any kind, really, but everyone's favorite is spinach.

[AHASRADA]

Romaine and baby spinach, mostly. Once in a while we're bad and use iceburg in a mixed salad, but these are what we all like and agree on (in addition to cabbage for coleslaw, of course, but that's not exactly green :001_smile:).

[Crimson Wife]

Anything and everything but iceberg. That stuff has never darkened my doorstep and my kids don't even know it exists. :lol:

 

My IL's eat nothing but iceberg & my kids first started actually asking for salad during a visit to their house. For me, it's a lesser of two evils thing. A small portion of iceberg-free salad has less nutrition than a large salad of 50/50 blend. Iceberg isn't BAD for you, it's just not as nutritious as the other greens.

[MamaT]

Most of the time I serve romaine or spring mix. Sometimes red leaf or green leaf, and I do use iceberg for tacos.

[HRAAB]

Romaine, red and green leaf lettuce and spinach. Right now we're eating from our garden; it's some sort of gourmet mix, all dark green or red, some are rather spicy. We love it. While my girls would probably eat iceberg, they don't get a chance since I don't buy it. :D

[LauraGB]

The staple salad consists of even amts of romaine, baby spinach and spring greens. Then I add cucumber and red onion. The romaine, cucumber and onion provides the satisfying crunch if you don't use iceberg. If I'm feeling liberated with time, I add green pepper and shredded carrots (and tomatoes for me). The dressing is lemon, olive oil, a bit of dijon, a pressed garlic clove, salt and pepper. Sometimes I change the lemon to red wine vinegar. I top the salad either with feta or parmesan. Sometimes I'll add raw sunflower seeds or thawed frozen peas.

[Matryoshka]

Romaine, baby spinach, or a mix of the two.

 

I don't do those schmancy mixes. I don't eat salad dressing, and without dressing those weedy mixes are sooooo bitter!

[KidsHappen]

Wow, my kids will any kind of salad green. I never gave it much thought so I guess they didn't either. I don't buy iceberg but if it is in a food served somewhere else, they will eat it.

[Jamee]

We're lucky, the kids don't like iceberg. We eat a lot of spinach and romaine here, red leaf. I also like the Italian mix. So long as it isn't iceberg or red--we have to pick all that out,:glare:, they're good.

[prairiegirl]

We eat alot of romaine, green and red leaf, and spinach. My ds and I also love arugula. The girls don't like it, saying that it has a weird taste.