I would also not recommend salad as it is more difficult to digest than other foods. While it's a good meal it's generally not a good pre-workout or pre-fight meal in my experience. A few slices of turkey works well and even a PB and J sandwich can give you a good energy boost. If I'm really hungry pre-training I'll usually eat a couple of tablespoons of natural peanut butter or a serving of turkey lunch meat. A serving of a healthy trail mix can also be nice.
As your conditioning improves it won't be so bad. And if it does happen at least you know your working hard!
