We are three weeks into the New Year and well into those New Year’s Resolutions. Are you sick of salad yet? I wonder how sharply produce sales at the grocery store drop off by this time each year. Not everyone is thrilled about eating like a rabbit. It is not an easy or exciting lifestyle to maintain if your repertoire of salads is dull and lifeless.
I eat a salad most days for lunch, and sometimes we have salad for dinner too. I know all too well that green equals boring after a while. It can start to feel like punishment. The dietary shift can be particularly unpleasant if prescribed rather than adopted. Please remember that doctors are just trying to help with their gentle prodding. No one will live forever, but it might be exciting and worthwhile to live as well as you can while you’re here. Healthcare providers are just trying to coach us in that direction. No one wants to spend their golden years paying for nutritional frivolity with poor physical health.
We can do this! Eat salads every day (I’m almost convinced).
The trick to maintaining a salad-loving view is variety. Collect an arsenal of salad recipes. Make dressings at home and be daring! Obscure and exotic ingredients fill the produce section. You can toss anything in a salad if you have the right combination. Fruits, berries, veggies, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat, cheese, fish, beans - heck, my Grandma’s church lady friends used to put marshmallows and jello together and call it a salad. To be clear, this is not the salad your doctor means for you to eat - but you get the point.
The list of bases to build a salad on is just as expansive. Even a scant grocery store has at least six varieties of green leafy things that you can use alone or in combination. You can also choose grains like brown rice or quinoa as a base. Pasta, with enough healthy add-ins, can constitute a salad too. There is no reason you should ever have to eat the same salad twice. The creative options are endless. Most of the time, we only need a little inspiration. It is worth spending time scrolling the internet for salad ideas and flare. Collect as many recipes and ideas as you can. Email them to yourself. Load up a Pinterest board. Share them with people facing the challenge of salad boredom with you.
I hope you don’t give up on salads if you are sick of grazing. Before you do, give yourself one more challenge. Pick seven different salads from an internet search. See if you can get through one more week of eating things that are colourful, leafy, and dense with nutrition. With any luck, that search for seven enticing salads will provide you with a collection of other recipes to try as well.
Can I help you get started? Here is my favourite salad find this week.
Big Italian Salad - Once Upon a Chef -
This is a solid, basic salad. Perfect for pairing with lasagna, spaghetti, or meatloaf. It is also a delicious stand-alone salad for lunch. If you add a little grilled chicken - the salad itself becomes the meal. The thing I especially adore about this salad is the fresh basil and parsley dressing. Tear the herbs by hand before popping them in the food processor. Longish stems can get wound around the blade and miss blending in.
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