It’s that time of year again . . . worrying about our waist lines has become nearly a full time job. Whether you are trying to trim up for the holidays, get a jump on healthy ideas to kick the New Year off right, or just love having salad as a main dish, these yummy add-in options will top your plate of greens off in style.

• Crispy chow mien noodles. The La Choy brand is what comes to mind, but I’m sure there are others out there. They’re a light and fun alternative to croutons with a touch of visual pizzazz.
• Dried cranberries. I’ve always loved these for baking, oatmeal topping bars, and healthy homemade snack mixes. It’s only been recently however, that I’ve been introduced to them as a salad ingredient. Tangy, unexpected, and just plain yummy.
• Crumbled or grated specialty cheeses. While some of them may be a bit much per pound for the person on a budget, purchasing a smaller piece to grate or crumble on a pair of salads can add tons of drama and zippiness for that special romantic dinner.

• Raisins. I particularly like these with spinach based salads, but I’m sure they are just as yummy with other greens and vegetables. A great way to take an affordable baking and snack ingredient that’s traditionally considered a bit hum-drum and take it to another level. Depending on your base green, golden raisins can also be used for a bit more panache.
• Soup topper cross over items. Those of you who had a chance to check out the previous post on stylish soup toppers will remember several items that could receive equally fabulous reviews as salad add-ins. Some examples? French fried onions, Linsey Knerl’s super crispy homemade pumpkin seeds, sunflower kernels, homemade croutons, etc.
• Sautéed, slightly cooled sliced mushrooms. I’m sure several kinds would work, but doing this with baby portabellas ROCKS! The preliminary cooking of the mushrooms really brings out the meatiness of them, and adds an entirely new texture into the salad mix. Worth the splurge for a special dinner salad.
• Warm, crisp bacon bits. Freshly cooked and slightly cooled, these add a fair amount of “wow” to the salad as a meal.
• Hard boiled eggs. For those of you who follow Wise Bread regularly, you may recall Philip’s recent post on real eggs, as well as my companion piece on money saving strategies for these yummy little bundles of protein. One strategy I focused on specifically in the piece was using alternatives to eggs in baking in order to have more of them available to feature in menu items where eggs are more of a main ingredient. Sliced and quartered in a crisp salad is a great way to do that.

• Homemade salad dressings. These really are fairly simple and inexpensive to make. A couple of quick ones to try would be the DIY berry vinaigrette I posted a while back, as well as this super yummy pumpkin vinaigrette, which has turned into our homemade dressing of choice for the fall and holiday months. We tend to prefer it with cider vinegar as opposed to the rice vinegar they recommend, and we also tweak the ratio of vinegar to olive oil a tad to suit our personal taste. The flavor combinations are otherwise right on, in my opinion. We make this one quite a bit now, and it’s a great way to use the ice cube tray savings strategy.
• Sliced or chopped left over dinner meats. Whether it’s chicken, ham, bargain beef or turkey, I’m a huge fan of stretching large pieces of sale purchased protein for as many meals as possible. Salads are a great low carb way to do this. Some of my favorites are taco salad, Cobb and chef’s. Go with what you love, though. That’s what’ll help you stick with your calorie and budget plans.

• Nuts. Roasted or sliced almonds, walnut pieces, pan toasted pine nuts . . . the list goes on. Nuts are a great way to add protein for the meat lover and vegetarian alike.

• Salsa. Talk about a healthy option for a salad dressing! Low fat and zippy, this one really amps up the veggie factor!
• Fruit. Sliced peaches and mandarin orange sections are two affordable canned options that come to mind, if fresh produce is something you need to cut back on financially. Got a few more scones? Sliced strawberries with walnuts and spinach leaves is a particularly slamming alternative.

• Corn. Pan roast some of the cheaper frozen stuff to take it from hum-drum to hubba-hubba.
• Fresh oregano. I’m sure there are a number of other fresh herbs which work wonders when chopped fresh and sprinkled on a salad. Fresh oregano though, is my number one pick for sprucing up a basic green salad, followed closely by torn basil leaves over tomatoes and mozzarella.
• Pepperoncini.  These things are cheap in large bulk jars and make a zippy affordable salad add-in, as well as working wonders on hot oven sandwiches. Other pickled items are great salad add-ins too, such as marinated carrots, crisp cucumber pickles, and even pickled beets (although not my personal favorite).

• Cooked, chilled noodles. If you really are craving carbs, save a little of the rotini from dinner and set it aside in a covered container to toss in with dinner salads. It will add color and texture, as well as my usual favorite bonus . . . kids dig it!
• Sun dried tomatoes. While these can be a tad on the expensive side, a few of them go a long way, and they are great for adding tang and drama to a salad.
• Beans. Got a problem with meat add-ins as a protein booster for your dinner salad? Rinse off and chill some canned garbanzos, black beans, or red kidneys to spoon on for extra "oomph".

That’s it, folks! Salad add-ins to take even the humblest green salad to the next level and help you stay psyched about trying a few restaurant variations on your own. If you don’t feel up to assembling individual salads for a family dinner, try a salad topping bar. Kids will feel they have a choice on how they want to dress up their veggies, and grown ups can know they are doing their part to promote healthy eating on the home front.