Building blocks to a SATIATING salad!

Salads? Boringgggg - or are they? Think of salad as a base to a wonderful array of proteins, healthy fats, energy, and vitamins/minerals. There are a couple of key ingredients to make a delicious , hearty, satiating salad.

1. Greens - When choosing your lettuce it is ideal to go for dark leafy greens - richer the color the more nutritious. Great rule of thumb to follow for all fruit and vegetable content!

Great Salad base ideas!

Kale - massage with EVOO for 1 minute for maximum deliciousness

Spring mix - all the color means all the nutrients!

Baby spinach & arugula- FABULOUS pairing

Bib lettuce - buttery taste

2. Protein - Protein can be meat or plant based both will taste amazing with the right pairings!

Protein

Shredded chicken- quick and easy either from leftovers or simply boil until able to shred , no need to flavor adding dressings will add enough flavor

Lentils - add an amazing kick of BOTH protein and fiber so you can stay satiated for hours

Hummus - talk about a three for one ! Ideal source of healthy fats, protein, and has delicious flavor all packed in!

Roasted Chickpeas - go for a crunchy texture instead but keep the excellent source of fats and protein - check out my delicious dishes page for the recipe!

Plain greek yogurt - mix in your shredded chicken and add your favorite spices! (I'm digging smoked paprika and everything bagel seasonings right now)

Ground Turkey- again a quick and easy addition when using left overs from last nights tacos

Edamame- plant based protein that contains 17 grams of protein per serving!

Shrimp - cold cooked shrimp can upgrade any salad from boring to FANCY

3. Vegetables/Fruit - time to add some COLOR!! The more variety in color the more nutrient dense the salad! Also great for adding texture dimension - CRUNCH

Vegetables/Fruit

Tomatoes - rich in vitamin C and lycopene (phytochemical)

Bell peppers - rich in vitamin C

Cucumbers- very low calorie but give an amazing CRUNCH

Berries- Vitamin C - antioxidant

Oranges - Vitamin C

Apples - rich in fiber and Vitamin C

Celery - rich in fiber

Onion - rich in flavonoids (antioxidant compound)