When lunchtime rolls around, most days I’ll just heat up leftovers of whatever I made for dinner the night before because it’s easy and fast. But sometimes I love making a huge salad on Sunday to use all week long!
It helps with variety as opposed to having leftovers ALL the time.
To set myself up for success, I know that in order for me to feel full and satisfied by eating a salad, I need to make sure it’s loaded! It has to have lots of fun textures and flavors, as well as plenty of fat, carbs, and protein.
I also know I’m way more apt to eat salad if I chop the veggies finely and have a delicious, creamy dressing to go on top.
When making a huge make-ahead salad to use all week, be mindful of which vegetables you add.
Some vegetables hold up well sitting together for a few days, but others don’t. Cucumbers tend to be a great example of one that doesn’t hold up well. They tend to get really slimy after a couple days.
In this one pictured, I have romaine, spinach, purple cabbage, sprouts, carrots, celery, and red bell pepper.
Before I eat my salad, I also add “day-of mix-ins.” These are ingredients that don’t do well sitting in a salad for multiple days. Things like chicken, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, beans, chopped apples or oranges, and this yummy vegan ranch salad dressing.
The fun part about using this make-ahead salad formula, is as you go through your week, even though you’re using the same base salad each day, you can mix/match your “day-of mix-ins” so you kind of trick your brain into thinking you’re eating totally different meals without much extra work!
Dairy Free Creamy Herb Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup packed fresh chopped dill
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Dash pepper
Instructions
Add all ingredients EXCEPT chives, parsley, and dill to blender and blend really well. Then add the fresh herbs, and pulse about 6 times to incorporate and chop a little.
