Choose your own salad adventure (printable worksheet)

 

 Eating more veggies is easy and satisfying when you create a salad bar in your fridge. Each week is a new adventure - new veggies, dressing, and add-ins. Variety is the spice of life. This post will share with you a strategy that is a foundation for my Reboot: Reconnect seasonal cleanse and a technique I share with my clients.

Like all Spirited Nutrition options, this strategy isn't about following a specific protocol, or finding the 'healthiest' vegetable, or following a diet plan. It's about YOU. Your taste buds, goals, and desire to try new things. I've even included a worksheet you can use as a guide: Choose Your Own Salad Adventure

When you prepare a salad bar in your fridge you are creating a system that includes a variety of vegetables for the week that are already chopped, washed and ready to go. You pick the ingredients you like; the more choices the better! You can prepare a healthy salad in minutes, or grab a veggie snack with ease. 

Having a variety of choices already prepared makes it easy to make a salad that will suit your taste, mood and hunger level with little to no mess. You’ll also have vegetables on hand that you can easily toss into a soup, add to some grains, eggs, stir fry, or grab for a quick snack or munchy attack. Change up some of the vegetables and add-ins each week to keep variety and try new things.

5 Easy Steps to Creating a Salad Bar in Your Fridge

What to buy - Use the Choose Your Own Salad Adventure Worksheet for ideas and inspiration to create your salad bar grocery list for the week.

How to buy it - Purchase the items from your list and one or two items that inspire you at the market. Look for local, organic and fresh produce. Shop at health food stores, farmer’s markets, and the grocery store. No need to drive around to various stores though. Explore your options and make weekly trips.  

• I highly recommend the Clean 15 List from the Environmental Working Group. 

How to Prepare it - Prepare the items for storage and use. Most weeks I do this the same day I shop, but sometimes it happens a day later. This only takes about 20 minutes. It will save you time and contribute to you eating more produce all week.

• Wash, chop and store your produce so it is ready to be used.
• I recommend glass storage containers with lids. They are easy to clean, don’t react with your food, and allow you to see what is inside. They also stack nicely. Pyrex has box sets of various sizes. You’ll want small, medium and larger containers.
• Moisture and oxygen are the enemies of freshly stored produce. Be sure everything is dry when you put it away.

Make Space - Designate an area of your fridge for your salad bar. You can place all the containers on a tray or in a bin or box. This allows for you to pull everything out at once and to quickly assess what you have to prepare your salad. A random collection of mystery containers spread throughout the fridge will not get used! The size containers you use may depend on the size of your fridge. Make a system that works for you!

Choose your ingredients and eat - When it is time to make your salad, everything is ready to go. You can add in all your toppings or just a few. It takes only a few minutes and the salad is done, with no additional clean up. The chopped veggies can be added to other dishes and are great for adding to omelets, too.

Be inspired. Take the adventure further.

Vegetables often taste different and add a different effect/element to your meal depending on how they are chopped or prepared. Consider a carrot. When adding to your salad you can slice it into thin circles, chop it into chunks, create matchsticks, or grate it. You could even lightly steam it for less crunch and more flavor. What’s your favorite way to enjoy carrots in a salad? What would you love to have in your salad bar this week?

Download and print the Choose Your Own Salad Adventure Worksheet to create a personalized salad bar in your fridge.

For those of you with kids - consider making a little salad bar of kid favorites that they can enjoy anytime. Use a small basket or bin and add a few containers of their favorite vegetables. Place it low in the fridge for little ones, or at eye level for older children and encourage them to help themselves. Sneak in a new veggie every now and then and see if they give it a try!

Cydney Smith is an international certified health coach who guides her clients to find freedom and authenticity on their path to greater health. Visit SpiritedNutrition.com and sign-up for the Wellness Wednesday Check-in, a weekly email to fine-tune your wellness journey.