How To Eat Salad Every Day & Like It ?

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“How To Eat Salad Every Day And Like It!” could also be called “My FAVORITE Salads {a.k.a. the Fritos Every Day Diet}.” Many of you have commented on my daily salads that I share on Snapchat and Instagram, and you asked for a post sharing tips for making the daily salad happen.

Today I’m sharing all of my favorite salad toppings, fillings, and more in one giant blog post. I promise you now, that if you give it a try, this just might rock your salad eating world. For the fun of it, I made you a video to show how I do this. Check it out!

While I’d like to say that I’ve always been a fan of salad, that hasn’t always been true. I’ve always tried to love eating salad, but unless I went to the trouble of making a really great salad (something that often felt like a whole lot of effort in the past), it was hard to get excited about eating a salad most days.

That all changed when I topped my salad with a handful of Fritos for the first time. I know, that sounds completely ridiculous, but I’m telling you now that Fritos are a salad game changer. Not only does that simple corn chip add great salty flavor and crunch to any salad, the Frito fits perfectly on a fork, it is bite-size, and it’s a fun way to tell all the greens that there is more to the salad life than just vegetables.

Still not convinced? I can’t even tell you how many people have snapped me pictures of their salads with Fritos on top while laughing and telling me that I’m to blame for their new found love of salads + Fritos. I swear that there really is no better way to top a salad.

There are countless ways to make a killer salad completely your own, so I’m sharing some of my favorites today. The key for me is to prep all the greens and the vegetables for the salads about once a week; I typically do this on Sunday. It takes me about 30-45 minutes, but in the end, I have lunches made for the week and that keeps my healthy eating on track without having to fuss with it during the week.

I use 6 large containers that I line with a paper towel. The paper towel absorbs moisture and as a result, the greens and other vegetables will stay fresh longer. (I use these containers and these containers to store the prepped salads.)

TO MAKE AHEAD: (any combination of the below ingredients will keep nicely for several days in the refrigerator)

chopped greens: typically a mix of romaine, spring mix, spinach, arugula, or butter lettuce (rarely all of them, just whichever ones I have on hand at the time)

tomatoes: sliced or chopped

cucumber: sliced or chopped (I often remove the seeds, but it isn’t required)

corn: canned, frozen, or fresh

bell peppers: sliced thin or chopped small

red onions: sliced thin

green onions: sliced thin

The proteins can be made just for the salads or simply be saved as leftovers from dinners through the week. Anytime we grill steak or chicken I thinly slice the leftovers and save them for my salads. I like to cook a couple pounds of ground beef or ground turkey seasoned generously with Mexican seasoning mix (store-bought taco seasoning works great too) and then portion it into 1/2 cup servings and freeze it to use as needed. Anytime I make pulled pork, I portion the leftover pork into individual containers and freeze them to be reheated for salads.

PROTEINS:

ground beef or ground turkey: cooked and seasoned generously with Mexican spices or taco seasoning

taco meat: with black beans and corn

pulled pork or carnitas: shredded and chopped bite-size

cooked or roasted chicken: shredded or diced

ham: diced

hard boiled eggs: chopped

canned tuna fish

TOPPINGS:

cheese: shredded, diced, or crumbled

avocado: sliced or diced

fruits: diced apples or pears, orange slices, fresh berries

plenty of crunch: croutons, tortilla chips, or my personal favorite Fritos

fresh lime

salt and pepper

salad dressing of your choice: Italian, Poppyseed, White Balsamic Vinaigrette, and the absolute BEST Homemade Ranch Dressing are a few of our favorites.

: drained well

cooked shrimp or fish

beans: black, kidney, or pinto beans

WHEN READY TO SERVE:

Warm the protein and chop it bite-size, if needed. Add the protein to the pre-made salad greens and vegetables. Add the toppings of your choice, although Fritos are never optional. Squeeze lime generously over the salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Or toss with your favorite salad dressing.