A Salad Bar in Your Fridge!
Gather your favorite ingredients that you would typically select from a salad bar, place them into baggies and small containers. Once the items are gathered, place them into a 9×13 pan or other large container in your refrigerator that you can easily remove at mealtime. Include dressings, fruits, toasted nuts, cheeses, vegetables and protein sources that you enjoy on a salad. When meal time rolls around, pull the pan out of the fridge and dress your salad. One simple step to pull it out of the fridge, and one simple motion to put it all away again. Saves extra work and increases your desire for and consumption of healthy salads!
Simple Salad Dressing
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup Olive or Canola Oil
3 Tbs. water
¼ cup raspberry jelly, warmed in microwave,
(Note: any flavor of jam or jelly may be substituted)
Shake all ingredients in cruet or whisk together in a small bowl until well blended.
Romaine Salad with Toppings:
1 heart of Romaine lettuce, chopped
½ cup roasted soy nuts
½ cup dried cranberries, or cherries, or raisins
1 package, 4 ounces of feta cheese, can use different flavors
½ cup toasted almonds, or walnuts, or pecans
Wasabi peas to taste (1/2 cup or so)
Mix all in salad bowl, add dressing and toss.
Other good “toppers” include:
Fresh fruit of any kind chopped
Mandarin orange slices or other canned fruits in juice pack
Sesame sticks
Cheddar or mozzarella, gorgonzola, goat or any type of cheese
While calories, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and even fiber are similar between iceberg and Romaine lettuce, there are also important differences! Namely, Romaine has 2.5 times the calcium and double the potassium and magnesium of iceberg lettuce. Romaine also has 8 times the vitamin A and almost 4 times the folate of iceberg lettuce.