This is mostly for Mom who always enjoys salads at my house, and says she wants to eat more salads at her house, but is looking for inspiration for what to use besides romaine lettuce, carrots, and celery. #healthychoices
Try different kinds of leafy greens. Arugula, spinach, baby kale, bibb lettuce, etc. Add fresh herbs from the garden.
Use stuff in season. Like snap peas, asparagus, and strawberries in the spring, tomatoes, zucchini, blueberries, corn, peaches in the summer, apples, potatoes, squash in the fall, blood oranges, brussel sprouts, pomegranates in the winter.
Mix textures, colors, and flavors. Pair something crunchy (lettuce, sugar snap peas, walnuts…) with something soft (avocado, feta cheese, roasted peppers…). Use ingredients like beets, corn, tomatoes, mango, etc, to add bright colors. (You LOVE bright colors!) Mix sweet and bitter, and add an acidic dressing to brighten it up. Combine fruits and vegetables. Don’t be afraid to use cooked vegetables like oven roasted or grilled whatever you feel like.
Add protein to help fill you up. Doesn’t need to be meat; try different kinds of beans, nuts, fish, hard boiled eggs, and cheeses.
Try making your own dressings. Try extra virgin olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and things like balsamic or red wine vinegar, lemon or lime juice, apple cider, or dijon mustard. Do a google search for salad dressing recipes.