Create Your Own Salad

Want to make your gut happy? Make two different chopped lettuce salads for the week and alternate which you eat each day so you can amp up your fiber and micronutrient intake.

Create Your Own Salad

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

​INGREDIENTS	DIRECTIONS
Handful of Leafy Greens - arugula, baby collards, beet greens, broccoli leaves, cabbage, carrot tops, celery leaves, chard, endive, kale, kohlrabi greens, lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, pea leaves, radicchio, radish tops, sorrel, spinach, sweet potato leaves, turnip greens, watercress	Toss your leafy greens with your desired vegetables, herbs, fruit, nuts and/or seeds in a large bowl. Add protein, if desired. Drizzle with dressing immediately before serving.
3-4 Different Veggies - asparagus (raw, broiled, grilled), avocado, beets (raw, roasted, steamed), broccoli florets (raw, steamed), broccoli slaw, carrots (sliced, shredded), celery root, cucumber, fennel, jicama, kelp noodles, kohlrabi, mushrooms, olives, onion, radish sprouts, radishes, sea vegetables, sunflower sprouts, sweet peppers, tomato, turnips, wakame noodles, zucchini (or other summer squash)
Fresh herbs - basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, tarragon
Fresh or dried fruit, if desired - apples, apricots, Asian pears, berries, citrus segments, fresh figs, halved grapes, mangoes, melon, pears, pomegranate seeds, peaches, raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots
Raw Nuts and Seeds, if desired and tolerated - sliced almonds, chopped Brazil nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, pepitas, shelled sunflower seeds
Protein, if desired - bacon bits, shrimp, salmon, tuna, scallops sliced steak, leftover chicken, sliced leftover sausage
Whole foods salad dressing

Chef Tips

Chop enough the lettuce and other vegetables for a week's worth of salad. Store vegetable mixes for each type of salad in mason jars so all you have to do is grab a bowl, toss in lettuce, dump the vegetables, and add any extras like nuts, seeds, and dressing. Create 2-3 different types of dressings for an entirely new flavor profile each day!

Batch cook your protein ahead of time. Separate into small quantities and freeze so you can place it in the refrigerator the night before you prepare your salad and toss on top that day. I love to put chicken breasts in the slow cooker, shred it, and wrap in 4x4 inch foil packets to freeze. They are perfect when I need a quick protein for a salad or a stir-fry.

Recipe adapted from Paleo Principles by Sarah Ballantyne (2017).