5 easy categories are the secret formula to an exceptional salad
Hey mama! If you like this “recipe”, download a cheat sheet here to put on your fridge.
A good salad can be soooo satisfying, while a bad salad can make you want to eat peanut butter cups for lunch. (Done that? Me too.) A couple of years ago my husband decided he wanted to start eating salads regularly. He would show me pictures of other people’s salads from Instagram or restaurant sites and say “why can’t we make that?“ Since I was in charge of grocery shopping, I was tasked with sourcing “awesome” salad ingredients. But salads weren’t my thing, and even if they were my tastes are VERY different from his, so the first year was… interesting. Once I started seeing the value in adding a pile of greens to my daily routine, I was much more motivated, and I’ve come up with a pretty reliable formula. I’m sure I’m not the only mama who has struggled to make salads that are delicious, so I’m sharing this formula in the hopes that it might help others!
So: how do you make an exceptional salad?
Category 1: something green
Lettuce: the foundation of all salads! Everybody has a different preference, so pick a green (or two) you really like and go for it. Baby spinach, baby kale, mixed greens, arugula… choose something green that’s got a lot of nutritional value. For example: iceberg lettuce is delicious, but it doesn’t make the nutritious cut when compared to kale or spinach. My personal favorite is baby kale mixed with baby arugula, because then I’m getting the nutrition from the kale and a little spicy kick from the arugula.
Category 2: something that makes it feel fancy
This is my favorite category, because it can really make a salad feel like something special. You can go with something fruit or veggie that’s a little “extra”, like dried cranberries, those little packages of precooked beets, pomegranate seeds, or strawberries. Or you can go with a fancy kind of cheese, like grated parmesan, crumbled feta, blue cheese, or goat cheese. Even cheddar cheese cut into cubes works! I love blue cheese on everything, so if we have it in the house it’s going on my salad. Go crazy, pick TWO fancy somethings!
Category 3: something crunchy
Having something in the salad that’s crunchy gives the salad texture, so your mouth doesn’t get bored chewing lettuce leaf after lettuce leaf. My go-to for crunch is any kind of nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds. Not only do they add a nice texture, they’re also a super healthy addition to your salad, AND will make the salad more filling. (See here for one study that suggests eating nuts can make you feel more full). If you really don’t like nuts, you could go for those dried chickpea snacks, but they get a little pricey so depends on your salad budget. You can also go for a crunchy veggie like carrots – see category 5!
Category 4: something high in protein
This is what turns a salad from a light side dish into a real meal with everything you need to power you through the rest of the day. Protein can be some kind of meat or fish (chicken cubes, flank steak, tuna fish) but it can also be vegetarian. Marinated tofu, or protein rich beans like chickpeas or black beans can make a delicious addition. Even a couple of hard-boiled eggs will really boost your salad. I can’t do “stinky fish”, but my husband (and weirdly, my two-and-a- half-year-old) love anchovies and sardines and will often add those to a salad.
Category 5: some other kind of veggie
You hear people saying “eat the rainbow”, and that’s because different colored vegetables have different nutritional profiles. Colorful veggies can round out a salad both taste-wise and nutrition-wise. Tomato, peppers, cucumber, frozen corn, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, celery, onion… the world is your oyster.
Oh, and don’t forget the dressing! Buy some that you love or make this easy one.
To get you started, here are a few examples that are favorites of mine:
Southwestern: baby kale, avocado, blue cheese, pine nuts, black beans, corn, tomato.
Spicy: arugula, cranberries, feta, pecans, chopped chicken, cucumber.
Sweet: spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts, leftover salmon, avocado, red onion.
Now you’re ready! If you have just one or two options from each category ready to go in your fridge and cupboards, you are equipped for daily delicious salad adventures. I’ve also made this fun sign you can download, print, and post on your fridge for inspiration (or motivation? Whichever you need!).
Side note: I eat salads because the nutrient profile of greens like kale and spinach are just incredible. It’s part of how I’m good to mama on a daily basis. These aren’t necessarily low- calorie salads – I work out regularly, stay super active with the kids, and I’ve been nursing for almost three years now (with a two-month break between kiddos) so I have to keep my calorie intake pretty high. If you’re on a salad kick for calorie reasons you can definitely still use this formula, just be thoughtful about what you pick from each category.