6 Easy Salads for Lunch

Eating salads for lunch can help you maintain healthy habits during the work week. Made right, they can be fun, fresh, packed with flavor—and quick to prep. With a salad cutting bowl, you can easily rinse, chop, and eat salads in minutes without sacrificing flavor or fresh ingredients. And, want a quick trick to keeping boredom at bay? Make a basic vinaigrette at the begininning of the week and then tweak it slightly each day to keep your salads interesting.

A Get-You-Through-the-Week Vinaigrette Plan—Basic Vinaigrette & Variations

A classic vinaigrette is usually just oil and vinegar (or sometimes lemon juice) and has become a classic for good reason—it’s light and polishes the flavor of the greens and vegetables without ever overpowering them. Our basic vinaigrette calls for white wine vinegar with salt and pepper and a little water and is a great recipe to have at hand. Even better, our recipe includes variations that can be adapted in small portions each day throughout the week.

The basic vinagrette recipe makes about six servings (12 total tablespoons). On Monday you can use two tablespoons of the dressing, add soy sauce, honey, ginger, and maybe some sesame seeds to make an Asian Vinaigrette that’s fantastic on Asian Kale Salad. Tuesday, you can change things up a bit by using another two tablespoons of the basic vinaigrette and this time adding lime juice, barbecue sauce, and Greek yogurt to make Barbecue Lime Dressing that’s the perfect finish for a Southwestern-themed salad.

Of the salads listed below, the Asian Kale Salad, Classic Cobb Salad, Classic Greek Salad, Southwestern Salad With BBQ-Lime Dressing, and Superfood Salad all use dressings that are made by starting with the basic vinaigrette. Sounds like a delicious (not boring!) week.

Here are six salads that are easy to make and keep you on a healthy eating track during your busiest weeks.

1. Asian Kale Salad

Want a salad that’s a little outside your daily lunch comfort zone? Try this quick and easy Asian-inspired kale salad. The bright veggies give the salad extra crunch and the Asian Vinaigrette adds a punch of flavor. You won’t be disappointed when you taste it!

2. Classic Cobb Salad

This recipe is packed with all the flavors that you know and love like avocado, hard-boiled egg, tomato, green onion, chicken, and bacon! Change up the basic buttermilk ranch dressing and top it with a simple Dijon Vinaigrette made in a salad dressing container.

3. Classic Greek Salad

This is a light and fresh meal that uses simple ingredients with big flavors like olives and feta cheese. To make the salad a little heartier, add some cooked chicken. And finish it off with a delicious Greek Vinaigrette.

4. Southwestern Salad With BBQ-Lime Dressing

This southwestern-flavored salad is the perfect meal for busy days when you don’t have time for snacking or small meals. This salad will keep you feeling full throughout the afternoon because of the protein from the chicken and beans.

5. Superfood Salad

This salad is delicious and loaded with nutrients! The texture from the veggies and the unexpected taste of the Cinnamon-Honey Vinaigrette will make this salad your new weekday favorite.

6. Fresh Fruit Salad

Tired of the salad greens but still want a healthy lunch? Make a fruit salad instead! Add almonds for protein and to make it a little more filling. Customize the salad with the fruits you like and top it with a dressing made of lime zest, lime juice, honey, and salt.

6 Salads Made Simple [Video]

Watch how simply these salads come together.

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