The Trick to Making Salads a Week Ahead of Time and a Simple Salad Recipe

Sandra sent me this salad recipe awhile back. She said that she had no idea what to do for lunch one day, and needed to make it simple. So, she looked in her cupboard & fridge to see what she had – and here is what she came up with.

For the Salad:
• Bowl full of Mixed Greens
• ¼ c up chopped apple
• ¼ cup chopped zucchini
• Handful of raisins
• ½ cup chopped leftover turkey

For the dressing:
• 1 ½ TBSP of olive oil
• The juice from ½ can orange
• Dash of cinnamon
• Dash of red wine vinegar

Need help getting back into the swing of things, eating healthy again and to save you time in your busy schedule? The key is to plan out your meals in advance and prepare them ahead of time if you can. Here’s a simple trick for preparing salads for you lunch for your work week on Sunday:

1. Get enough containers for each of your lunches you are preparing. Tall ones for the salads and small one for the dressings.

2. Wash and thoroughly dry all your greens you will be using. I mean thoroughly dry, no drop of moisture. Portion out all the greens for each days lunch.

3. Gather & prep all your ingredients you would like to use. Eating the same thing everyday can be boring and you will be more likely to eat something you shouldn't. So, VARY what you put in your salad.

4. The trick is to layer your salad. Place heaviest items in first. Items that sink to the bottom and crush the lettuce will make for soggy salads, as crushed veggies release moisture. The lettuce should be the last thing in the container.

5. Place nuts and fruit in separate bags and place on top of the salad container. Nuts absorb moisture and fruit contains a lot of moisture, so packing them separately is best.

6. Make your dressing(s) and place in the small separate containers.

7. Store all in the fridge.

How simple is that? This takes approximately 1 hour on a Sunday, and you have a week’s worth of lunch. This will save you time during your weekday mornings AND help get you back on track. There is now no excuse for going through the drive through or hitting those vending machines.