by Marina Delio, author of The Yummy Mummy Kitchen
The key to eating a lot of healthy foods is to have them readily available and easy to prepare. When we come home hungry and do not have healthy foods immediately available, it’s easy to head straight for the cookie jar. The idea behind the Refrigerator Salad Bar is that there is always an opportunity to throw together a customized salad in less than 5 minutes. Prepare favorite seasonal produce, nuts, dried fruit, and protein on Sunday night. Keep these ingredients on a tray in covered bowls in the refrigerator to use throughout the week on top of baby spinach or mixed green lettuce.
The Refrigerator Salad Bar
Start with a base of greens. Choose one or two additions from each of the categories to quickly build a healthy complete meal that’s rich in flavor and texture. These are some of my favorite salad toppings—use them for inspiration and ideas for your own Refrigerator Salad Bar.
- Vegetables: Chopped tomato or or cherry tomatoes, peas, sliced cucumber, steamed or raw broccoli, beets, grated or chopped carrots, leftover grilled or roasted vegetables (e.g., zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato)
- Fruit: Avocado, sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, chopped apples, sliced pears, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, grapes, chopped peaches
- Protein: Hard-boiled eggs, cooked quinoa, cooked beans (e.g., garbanzo, kidney, black), steamed edamame, cubed tofu, cooked lentils, grated cheddar or other hard cheese, crumbled blue, goat, or other soft cheese, tuna
- Seeds and Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), pine nuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds
For more recipes and tips to nourish your family, read The Yummy Mummy Kitchen by Marina Delio.