We know you’ve heard it too many times, but salads are just good for you. They’re good for your gut, help keep the weight off, and they deliver on the nutrition front. But learning how to make good salads at home can be elusive when you’re working hard and feel like you don’t have much time.
If you grew up with a basic chef salad or lettuce with a couple of greens, you’ve been misled.
Salads can be so much more, with the right ingredients, and a little adventurous spirit. What can grow out of an extreme distaste for boring roughage can blossom into daily cravings that tempt your tastebuds like you’ve never known.
Start off easy with a salad ingredients list
Salads can be anything you want, really. The only limit is what you essentially can’t stand. Try this amazing list of things that make salad better:
| Onions | Sunflower seeds | Dried Cranberries |
| Shredded carrots | Pecans, walnuts | Raisins |
| Shredded cabbage | Sesame sticks | Baked cheese croutons |
| Cucumbers | Deli meat | Dried apricots |
| Broccoli / Cauliflower | Crumbled Bacon | Apples / Strawberries |
| Cherry Tomatoes | Slivered Almonds | Avocado slices/chunks |
| Spinach | Salmon / Tuna / White fish | Garbanzo beans |
And who has time to make good salads at home? You do.
Start with a big tub, and put in your staples: lettuces, spinach, carrot, and any produce that will keep a week. Or, make individual reusable bowls that you can pull out each day. Cut up your meats, or other items that will not get soggy while you wait for lunch time. In another container, or baggy, pack your dry ingredients together. Combine at lunchtime. It’s worth noting that cranberries and raisins will soak up moisture in salads and plump up if they sit too long. Also, putting your nuts in salads will also soak up moisture and not give you the crunch or texture you’re seeking.
There are ton of low- to no-calorie salad dressings too. This article discusses healthy salad dressings and is a good resource.
If you’re plum out of ideas, or just need a little inspiration, the National Onion Association has 16 recipes that show you how to make a healthy salad. As you get more adventurous, spice ‘em up, doctor them to add more ingredients that make your belly happy.
