A healthy lifestyle changes your life!
What better way to start than to change the way you eat with healthy and easy salad recipes!
If you think salads are all about leafy greens, tomatoes and cucumber – think again!
A salad is so much more!
It’s loaded with nutrients that make you strong and healthy. To overcome the changes in menopause, your body needs a boost of nutrients. Salads are the perfect food to give you all the vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and proteins you need.
Ready to make healthy and easy salad recipes at home? Get tips, resources and recommended kitchen tools to make a salad in under 5 minutes!
How to Make Easy Salad Recipes that are Delicious and Healthy!
Healthy salads are not only for busy people or healthy buffs. It’s for everybody! Feeding your body with the right food should be a top priority. Start changing how you eat by consuming more greens, veggies and fruits every day!
Prepare your ingredients in advance! It’s exciting to open your fridge and see containers or jars filled with your favorites. Experiment, have fun with it. Make a green base and top it with different things every day. Eggs, nuts, avocado are some of my favorites!
Where you get your vegetables also matters! Going to the supermarket is convenient for most of us. But there’s an even better place to go, the farmer’s market. You will find super fresh products, pastured meat and eggs, organic cheeses and more! It is also a good way to support your local farmers.
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6 Salad Prepping Techniques to Make Easy Salad Recipes!
When everything is ready, it’s time for the fun part – ingredient prepping! Here are some simple tips that you may want to follow.
1.Wash your vegetables well. For your leafy greens, include rinsing the creases and spaces to remove the dirt and soil. I have a set of these mixing bowls, makes it easy to rinse veggies. They are also great for many things, and I like that they are made of steel.
2. Dry your salad with a spinner. I use this Salad Spinner LOVKITCHEN. It’s handy and I also keep my salads inside the fridge in this.
3. Start the slicing and the chopping! There is no rule to follow when it comes to this. You can make shapes using a spiralizer. Slice hard vegetables such as carrots, celery, cucumber and bell peppers first. These veggies last longer. Soft vegetables and fruits such as berries and avocado become soggy. It’s better to mix them on the day you want to eat them.
4. Put your veggies in different containers. Tight sealed containers are better, because you’ll be able to slow down wilting. I use these glass food storage containers because they’re BPA free.
5. Add-ons. Hard boiled eggs, chicken and sweet potatoes are good add-ons for your easy salad recipes. Nuts and sardines are also great to add. Pick your favorites as long as they are healthy ones!
6. Don’t forget about your salad dressing! Olive oil and apple cider vinegar are the go-to for salad dressings. Adding different herbs and some Dijon mustard makes it tastier. Right now, I am into all sorts of hummus. It has tahini, which is rich in nutrients. Make the base and add different “extras”!
Make Easy Salad Dressings!
Watch this video from Tasty, where they show you 4 different hummus recipes. Really yummy to have on your easy salads or to dip carrots, celery stick and more [2:12]:
Mixing up your salad dressings will make your easy salad recipes a “new” meal every day! Olga Bykina of Fab Lunch shares a few more tips on dressings you can make [4:36]:
In this video Clean & Delicious shows how you can prep your veggies [4:46]. Great tips!
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13 Great Tips to Make Healthy and Easy Salads
1. Use organic ingredients. They’re not only fresh and healthy, they are also insecticide and chemical free.
2. Choose ingredients that are in season. They are easier to find and are affordable too!
3. Add some healthy fats to your easy salads, and everything will taste better! Adding fats will make you feel fuller and satisfied. Don’t be afraid of fats, but be sure to choose the healthy ones!
4. Add nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a rich source of B-complex vitamins! It tastes a little like Parmesan cheese and it’s great to sprinkle on your easy salad recipes. Pick one that has vitamin B12, it’s important especially if you’re plant-based eater. I myself use Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning for my salads, you should try it!
5. Wilt and marinade your ingredients! Place your chopped veggies in a bowl and add your choice of marinade. You can use Coco Aminos (a type of soy sauce) and organic apple cider vinegar with the “mother” (like Bragg’s) label. You can also use balsamic vinaigrette. Make sure to mix everything and let them stay for 15 minutes.
6. Add herbs. Be creative. Cilantro, parsley, basil, dill all add more aroma and flavor to your healthy salads. Herbs can also help your body get rid of heavy metals.
7. Use spices! Pump up your salads with curry, cumin, turmeric, Cajun seasoning or garlic salt. Experiment and see what flavors you can create!
8. Balance your flavors. You should experience a burst of different flavors when you taste your salads. Flavors such as salty, sweet, acidic, spicy and bitter are the best way to go.
9. Color matters. Appealing salads are definitely more appetizing. This is why you should make a colorful salad to brighten your senses. But it’s not because of aesthetics! A vibrant and bright salad has the best nutritional value, and it looks good!
10. Toast nuts to add more flavor. Nuts are good toppings, but they’re not given much attention when prepping. Bring out the nutty flavor and make almonds, cashews and walnuts crunchier by toasting them in the oven.
11. Try different oils. Healthy oils such as avocado oil, almond oil and walnut oil are great for all kinds of healthy salad recipes.
12. Try a luxurious topping once in a while. Why not add seafood like langoustine and lobster or cheeses like mozzarella, Chèvre, Gruyère?
13. Eat your fruits separately from other food. Fruits tend to digest quicker than other food groups. They can slow down digestion and create a traffic jam in your stomach.
Downshiftology by Lisa Bryan has many easy salad recipes that you can remake at home! Get all her tips, ideas and good stuff by checking out their site!
Get creative and prepare your healthy salads inside a mason jar! Lacey Baier has an inspiring video where she shows her amazing honey mustard chicken salad recipe [4:53]:
More Resources to Make Easy Salad Recipes!
Spiralizer
Are you a pasta lover?
I used to be until I tried the spiralizer. Make easy salad noodles from zucchini, carrots, cucumber and more with this equipment. It opened a new world for me! Actually, even my hubby started to eat salad as a meal when the spiralizer came into our kitchen.
Salad noodles taste great and they look fancy too! This is the spiralizer I use:
- BPA-free
- Includes three blades made of ABS plastic frames and stainless-steel blades.
- Made especially as a vegetable spiral slicer.
For more tricks on how to use a spiralizer, watch this interesting video by Downshiftology [6:56]:
Salad containers
Don’t have containers at home to store your veggies or dressings? Below are the containers I use for my salads and smoothies. They are super handy, and you’ll love them!
Premium Mason Style Spice Jar Set By Cucina Di Marco with a freebie
- Made from premium quality materials.
- 12-piece complete jar bundle is good for storing herbs, condiments and spices.
- Comes with a great looking chalk marker labels that you can use label the jars yourself.
- Has a beautiful and classic design that adds appeal to your already yummy salad!
Ball Pint Regular Mouth Jars and Lids BPA Free
- Set of 12 jars, durable glass construction.
- Custom time tested ceiling compound, ensures a quality air-tight seal with each lid.
- Allows you to refrigerate your goodies up to 3 weeks, freeze up to 1 year, and fresh preserve and store up to 1 year.
- Completely BPA-free!
If you want to choose your own glass or mason jars, you can check out Amazon for a wide range of other choices!
More Healthy Salads Please!
We hear you ladies. We know you want more salad recipes and you can find them in the following books below!
Ready to make easy salad recipes?
Well, I gave you a lot of tips, didn’t I? 🙂
So, don’t just read about it. Get busy in the kitchen and make one yourself!
And if you feel like it, come back and tell us how you did it!
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Have a happy journey!
References:
realmomnutrition.com/how-to-make-a-healthy-salad/
eating-made-easy.com/the-5-essential-tricks-to-making-a-good-salad/
mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-to-make-salad-taste-good
bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/cooking-skills/healthy-salad-dressings
eatright.org/food/planning-and-prep/snack-and-meal-ideas/healthy-salads
heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/add-color/how-to-make-a-hearty-healthy-salad
onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/easy-tricks-to-make-salads-taste-better-instantly/
paleoleap.com/8-ways-make-salad-interesting/
Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.