Monday, April 14, 2008

Salad Bar Tricks

Salad bars can be pricey. Did I say 'can be'? Our local store is 6.99 a pound. But the salad bar can still be your friend.

Say you are making a salad that requires red onions, and you generally don't use red onions. It wouldn't make sense for you to pay for a whole onion only to let 3/4 of it rot in your vegetable drawer. But a spoonful from the salad bar will be just what you need, and because it is so lightweight it should be very cheap. (Way less than a dollar.)

I looked at the fresh mozzarella and tomato salad on the antipasto bar. Then I realized I'd be paying $6.99 a pound for cherry tomatoes. So I just bought a small container of the littlest mozzarella balls and headed to the regular vegetable area. A pint of cherry tomatoes costs $2.50, and as my father used to say "a pint's a pound, the world around." Really, it almost is...I actually weighed one, LOL!

So I'm making a caprese salad to go with the pasta we're having for dinner. My son is coming over. We've established Monday as our tradition to eat together. So I always make something he really likes. Actually, Mike makes the sauce. I'm just making the salad, which, as you can figure, is a pretty special treat for the price. Still, it's a lot cheaper than if I had bought tomatoes from the salad bar!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha! I'd have never thought of that. I wonder how it compares at my local grocer....

Thanks for the tip.

Susan @ Blackberry Creek said...

Great, thrifty ideas. Thanks, Clare.

BittersweetPunkin said...

Hi Clare! That sounds yummy....whenever I buy an onion I always cut what I need for salad and then chop up the rest and put it in a tupperware and then it's ready to toss in whatever I want to add it to.
I hope things are great at your house...I am trying to catch up on my blogging...and visiting...I am so behind.
Hugs,
Robin

Anonymous said...

I have thought of putting some pics in frames but I really have to watch my wall space. I don't have much. I do like the idea of changing pixs w/the season.

The (Almost) Amazing Mammarino said...

I love this tip! I have done this many times myself!

You've been tagged! Check my blog. (:

Monica said...

Love this idea! Brilliant.

I've started to post my freezer cooking recipes as I'm making them each night.

A Dusty Frame said...

Good ideas! I think sometimes the blue cheese would be cheaper on the salad bar than buying separately. Ours isn't as expensive per pound as yours is though.
Lizzie