As a working mom for several years I was always rushing to get myself ready and out the door, and did not have much time to prep a decently nutritious lunch. I didn't like to rely on eating out for lunch (both for cost and nutrition reasons), nor could I bring myself to eat uber-processed frozen meals. I discovered that I could quickly prep this salad either the night before or in the morning by putting everything but the dressing in a medium-sized (about 1 quart) ziploc container. Then I'd tote it and a bottle of dressing in my lunch bag to work, and at lunchtime all I had to do was pour a little dressing on, give the container a good shake, and I had a nutritious and filling lunch salad in less time than it took my coworkers to peel the cellophane off the top of their frozen entree!
Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, my lunch salad has not fallen by the wayside. I find that I am still turning to it frequently for those days that I'm packing lunch for an outing with the kids or just need to fit something in quick so that I can get the kids down for nap time. Now the alternative I'm avoiding is daily repetitions of peanut butter and jelly, but the idea is the same. This gives me a quick, easy, and portable lunch that I can feel good about!
This "recipe" is constantly changing, with new combinations on a daily basis. I'm always looking for good ideas to liven things up ... Let me know what your favorite salad toppings are by leaving a comment!
On-the-Go Lunch Salad
1 SERVING
PREP: 5 minutes COOK: 0 minutes READY IN: 5 minutes
| SIMPLE | HEALTHY | YUM |
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INGREDIENTS
- Greens (2-3 cups) - this is the base of your salad, and is going to give you a ton of great nutrients. The more green, the better!
- Spinach - This is my go-to, mostly because it's so darn healthy and because it's easy to buy and store.
- Kale or other Mixed Greens also work great.
- Other bite-size vegetables are good to throw in, if you have them on hand:
- frozen peas
- broccoli spears
- cauliflower florets
- baby carrots
- grape tomatoes
- cooked squash cubes (If I have some cubes of butternut squash sitting around with nothing to do, these are awesome to throw in!)
- Protein (about 1/3 cup) - you'll need some sort of protein for the salad to be filling and give you energy through the afternoon.
- Canned beans (super convenient!): Red (kidney) beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, white/cannellini beans - anything really works
- Canned tuna or chicken
- Cooked lentils
- If I have leftovers of something, such as cooked falafels or cooked meat (i.e. rotisserie chicken) that can be cut up, I'll sometimes throw that in.
- Salty something (1-2 tablespoons) - this is mostly for flavor.
- Crumbled Feta - my absolute fav!
- ..... ummm, I like feta so much I really don't have many other good ideas here!
- Sweet something (1-2 tablespoons)- again, this is mostly for flavor, as well as some nutritional value.
- Diced apple
- Dried cranberries or raisins
- Crunchy something - I find that this isn't essential, but adds some nice texture. Plus, if you choose well, you can fit in some more protein here.
- Nut pieces (walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds ... any nuts work pretty well)
- Dressing (2 tablespoons) - I like light store-bought dressings because of their convenience and the great variety of flavors to match what I'm in the mood for. The ones I typically rotate between are Balsamic Vinaigrette (or other similar vinaigrettes) and Sesame Ginger (or similar Asian-style).
DIRECTIONS
- Combine your desired ingredients (except the dressing) in a portable container with a tight lid.
- When ready to eat pour on 2 tablespoons of dressing, cover and shake vigorously.
- Enjoy!
NUTRITION FACTS (calculated using my most common combo: spinach, kidney beans, feta, craisins, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette)
3 cup serving 259 calories 11.8 g fat 27.1 g carbs 12.7 g protein 7.0 g sugar
1 comment:
This is our basic go-to recipe as well for lunch OR dinner! The flavors and textures really combine deliciously.
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