6 Quick Easy Salads
/I’ll never forget one of the first New Year’s Eves my (now) husband and I spent together. He picked me up at the airport around 6:00 and brought me to his place so I could get ready for the nice event we were attending together while he made dinner. Before my trip, I had brought everything I needed over to his place; from the fancy dress, heels, and jewelry to a hairdryer, curling iron, and hairspray. I was returning from my Christmas trip to see my parents and sisters in Belgium, and I knew that I would be getting ready for a night out when it was already the New Year in the time zone I had just left. Meaning… it was going to be a long night. I honestly can’t remember much of the evening overall or who was there other than two of our close friends, but what I do remember was dinner.
Rob had asked me a couple days earlier when we were Skyping if there was anything in particular that I wanted for dinner that night and even though it was days (and miles) away, I knew the answer immediately.
A salad. I knew that I would be craving a salad.
I always crave salads at the end of an international flight. I crave the taste, the texture, and the flavors. As I’ve learned more and more about nutrition and how it impacts our bodies, I realize it’s also my body craving the nutrients.
When I told Rob that I wanted a salad, he said okay, but what else. When I explained that that was what I wanted for dinner, he was shocked. That was the first time I started to realize that some people’s idea of a salad was literally some kind of green, cheese, and dressing. Basically, Rob thought I was asking for romaine, shaved parmesan and ranch.
Um… no.
Over my years working with clients on their nutrition I’ve realized that my sweet hubby isn’t the only one who had that idea when it came to salads. I’ve heard it time and time again, “I don’t like salads,” “I just can’t eat salads,” or “salads are boring.”
Say what?!? Salads are anything but boring! That’s one of the things I love about salads. There are SO. MANY. OPTIONS.
However, I realize that if you haven’t been exposed to anything but the standard side salad at a restaurant it can be hard to come up with ideas for salads that aren’t boring.
To get you started, here are a few of my favorite combinations:
See?!? Salads absolutely do not have to be boring. Not only that, but they can easily be modified to your dietary needs. Dairy-free? Easy, skip the cheese. Keto? Great, add extra avocado and go light on the fruit and vinegars. Vegetarian? Paleo? High Protein? Yup, you got it- just alter your ingredients to fit your needs and goals.
And don’t stress, I’m here to help with that too! I’ve created a list of ingredients that are great in salads to help get your creative juices going. The list is not an extensive list- as you can put anything you want in your salad. You can look through the list anytime you need for ideas, or print it out and cross out the things you don’t like and add items you do.
Oh, and to finish the story I started with, I told my then boyfriend just what I told you. While I was getting ready for our night out he made what I remember to be a pretty dang good salad for his first attempt. I don’t remember exactly what he put on it, but I do remember it was more than romaine, cheese, and dressing. And that was exactly what I wanted.
