Make eating salad as easy as possible with these salad ideas and easy salad recipes for every day of the week. Preparing salad dishes has never been easier!
Love these salad recipes? Check out the How to Eat a Salad Every Day eBook for more amazing salad ideas, dressings and tips to simplify your salad prep!
With this eBook, you’ll have this information at your fingertips whenever you’re shopping for groceries, planning meals, or just trying to eat more salads.
“How to Eat Salad Every Day and Like It!” you could also call “My FAVORITE salads {aka Fritos Every Day Diet}.”
This salad prep post was first published three years ago and almost immediately became one of the most popular posts on this site. I’m updating the post today to answer some of the more frequently asked questions.
Many of you have commented on my daily salads that I share on Instagram and you have asked for a post sharing tips for making the daily salad.
Salad Ideas
Today I’m sharing all of my favorite salad prep tips: the recipes, the toppings, the fillings and more in one huge blog post. I promise you now that if you try, this might rock your salad-eater world.
I made you this video to show you how I do it. Must see! There are endless salad ideas and so many delicious ways to keep things interesting when making salads.
While I’d like to say that I’ve always been a fan of salads, it wasn’t always the case.
Salad topping ideas
I have always tries I love eating salads, but unless I put in the effort to make a really great salad (something that has often felt like a lot of effort in the past), most days it was hard to commit to it to inspire eating a salad.
That changed when I first topped my salad with a handful of Fritos. I know this sounds completely ridiculous, but I’ll tell you now Fritos are a salad game changer.
Not only does this easy corn chip add great salty flavor and crunch to any salad, the frito fits perfectly on a fork, it’s bite-sized, and it’s a fun way to tell all the greens there’s more to salads than just veggies.
Still not convinced? I can’t even tell you how many people have snapped pictures of their salads with fritos on top for me while laughing and telling me it’s my fault for their newfound love of salads + fritos.
I swear there really isn’t a better way to top a salad.
Salad Meal Prep
There are tons of ways to make a killer salad just the way you like it, so today I’m sharing some of my favorite salad-making tips. The key for me is to prep all the veggies and greens for the salads about once a week; I usually do this on Sundays.
It takes me about 30-45 minutes but I ended up making lunch for the week and it keeps my healthy eating on track without having to worry about it midweek.
I use 6 large containers that I line with a paper towel. The paper towel absorbs moisture, which helps vegetables and other vegetables stay fresher for longer. (I use these containers and these containers to store the prepared salads.)
Easy salad recipes
Any combination of the following ingredients will keep in the fridge for several days:
chopped veggies: usually a mix of romaine lettuce, spring mix, spinach, arugula, or butter lettuce (rarely all, just the ones I have on hand)
Tomatoes: sliced or chopped
Cucumber: sliced or chopped (I often remove the seeds, but it’s not necessary)
Corn: canned, frozen or fresh
Peppers: thinly sliced or chopped
red onions: thinly sliced
Spring onions: thinly sliced
The proteins can be made just for the salads or simply saved as leftovers from dinner throughout the week.
Every time we grill steak or chicken, I thinly slice the leftovers and save them for my salads.
I cook and crumble a few pounds of ground beef or turkey that’s generously seasoned with Mexican seasoning (store-bought taco seasoning works great too), then portion into ½-cup portions and freeze to use as needed .
Every time I make pulled pork, I portion the leftover pork into individual containers and freeze them to reheat for salads.
protein for salads
Ground beef or ground turkey: Cooked and seasoned generously with Mexican seasoning or taco seasoning
Taco Meat: with black beans and corn
Pulled Pork or Carnitas: shredded and chopped bite-size
Boiled or fried chicken: shredded or diced
Ham: diced
hard-boiled eggs: chopped
Canned tuna: well drained
boiled shrimp or fish
Beans: black, kidney, or pinto beans
Salad toppings
Cheese: shredded, diced or crumbled
Avocado: sliced or diced
Fruits: apple or pear cubes, orange slices, fresh berries
lots of crunch: croutons, tortilla chips or my personal favorite fries
fresh lime
salt and pepper
Your Choice of Salad Dressing: Italian, poppy seed, white balsamic vinaigrette, and the absolute BEST homemade ranch dressing are some of our favorites.
Salad ideas for meal prep
- Carnitas (or pulled pork), avocado, cotija cheese, lime, salt and pepper
- Grilled chicken, bacon, hard boiled egg, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing
- Chicken, berries, feta cheese, almonds or walnuts, poppy seed dressing
- Tuna, strawberries, avocado, lime, salt and pepper
- Chicken or bacon, red grapes, shaved Parmesan cheese, candied walnuts, white balsamic dressing
- Taco meat, beans, corn, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese mix, lime, salt and pepper
When ready to serve
Warm the protein and chop into bite-sized pieces if needed. Add the protein to the pre-prepared lettuce and veggies. Add your choice of toppings, although Fritos are never optional.
Squeeze the lime generously over the salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Or toss it with your favorite salad dressing.
Do you love these salads? Check out the How to Eat a Salad Every Day eBook for more amazing salad recipes, dressings and tips to simplify your salad prep! (Link to the eBook is at the top of this post!)
With this eBook, you’ll have this information at your fingertips whenever you’re shopping for groceries, planning meals, or just trying to eat a little healthier.
{originally posted 1/7/17 – recipe notes updated 1/24/23}
Do you love these salads? Check out the How to Eat a Salad Every Day eBook for more amazing salad recipes, dressings and tips to simplify your salad prep! (Link to the eBook is at the top of this post!)
With this eBook, you’ll have this information at your fingertips whenever you’re shopping for groceries, planning meals, or just trying to eat a little healthier.
Source link