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Three Simple and Satisfying Salads for Effortless Meal Prep and Healthy Eating

Salads do NOT need to be boring. I repeat, salads SHOULD NOT be boring. If you’re anything like me, spending a long time making a new lunch salad every day isn’t realistic when you’re working, running a household, and the to-do list is never-ending. But with a little effort to do some meal prepping, you can set yourself up for nutrition success. 

These three recipes are what I call “fridge salads.” This means they can hold up in the fridge for a few days without getting soggy. No one likes soggy salads!

Have you ever had a salad at lunch and felt hungry an hour later? You likely needed a little more nutritional “oomph” with more fiber, protein, or fat. 

Each of these salads contains ten or fewer ingredients, are focused on seasonal produce, and can be sourced locally. Remember to check out the local farmers’ markets and keep the small farmers going! They need our support. Happy Spring and Summer with these delightful and easy salads.

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Three Summer Meal Prep-Friendly Salads

Broccoli, Edamame & Peanut Salad

Serves: 5-6

summer salads

Ingredients:

Salad

-5 or 6 cups chopped broccoli

-1 cup shelled edamame

-1/2 cup roasted and salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Dressing

-1/2 cup natural peanut butter (just peanuts + salt)

-2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos for GF)

-1 Tbsp. sesame oil

-juice from 1 lime

-2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup

-2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped broccoli, edamame, and peanuts. 
  2. In a separate small bowl, mix all dressing ingredients together with a whisk. Thin the dressing with 1-3 tablespoon water (or more) until you reach the desired consistency. 
  3. Add the dressing to the bowl of broccoli, edamame and peanuts and stir to evenly coat everything. 
  4. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

*Will keep in fridge for about 4 days. If opposed to eating raw broccoli, feel free to lightly steam or roast the broccoli in advance of preparing the salad.

Beet, Honey, Pistachio & Goat Cheese Salad

Serves: 4-5

summer salads

Ingredients:

-1 lb. cooked beets, sliced into ¼ inch circles

-4 oz. goat cheese

-1/4 cup toasted and coarsely chopped pistachios

-2 teaspoons honey

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

-1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

-coarse sea salt & fresh ground pepper 

Directions:

  1. Layer cooked sliced beets on a large plate. Top with crumbled goat cheese. 
  2. Drizzle honey, olive oil, lemon juice over the beets. 
  3. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Store, covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Elote Shrimp & Kale Salad

Serves: 4

summer salads

Ingredients

Salad:

-6 cups of shredded kale 

-2 ears of corn, cooked or grilled (or about 2 cups)

-1 lb. cooked shrimp or prawns

-1 cup garbanzo beans 

-1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

-1 whole carrot, chopped into small pieces or 1 cup shredded carrots

-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

-1/3 cup olive oil

-1/4 cup fresh lime juice

-zest from 1 lime

-generous pinch of salt

-2 teaspoons elote seasoning (find at Trader Joe’s or make your own

Directions: 

  1. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to combine. 
  2. Add the dressing ingredients, one at a time, into a small bowl. Stir everything together and taste. You may need to adjust the flavors with more elote seasoning, more salt or even add a touch of cayenne for an extra kick.
  3. Dress the salad ingredients as you like. Cover the salad and store in the refrigerator. Will keep well for about 4 days. Enjoy!

Monika Jacobson

After growing up in the Inland Northwest, Monika Jacobson earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at Washington State University. She moved to the west side and worked as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in a myriad of settings–from luxury health clubs, to coaching athletes with sports nutrition, to home health clinical nutrition and various start-ups in Seattle-focused scientific wellness and genetics. After moving to Spokane with her family, she created Eat Move Thrive-Spokane because she wanted to transform people’s lives by teaching them how to make healthy food taste good. At Eat Move Thrive-Spokane, Monika teaches adult and kid cooking classes (online and in-person) and coaches clients one-on-one with their wellness goals centered on nutrition. She discusses how stress, sleep, hormones, and overall mental health affect the decisions we make about food. 

Read all of Monika’s articles here.

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