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Make eating salad as simple as can be with these salad ideas and easy salad recipes for every day of the week. Salad meal prep has never been so easy!
Love these salad recipes? Check out the eBook for How To Eat A Salad Every Day for more fantastic salad ideas, dressings, and tips to simplify your salad making!
With this eBook, if you’re grocery shopping, meal planning, or just trying to eat more salads, you’ll have this information at your fingertips whenever you need it.
“How To Eat Salad Every Day And Like It!” could also be called “My FAVORITE Salads {a.k.a. the Fritos Every Day Diet}.”
This salad meal prep post was first published three years ago and almost immediately it became one of the most popular posts on this site. I’m updating the post today to answer some of the more frequently asked questions.
Many of you have commented on my daily salads that I share on Instagram, and you asked for a post sharing tips for making the daily salad happen.
Salad Ideas
Today I’m sharing all of my favorite salad meal prep tips: the recipes, the toppings, the 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.
I made you this video to show how I do this. Be sure to check it out! There are endless salad ideas and so many delicious ways to keep things interesting when you’re prepping salads.
While I’d like to say that I’ve always been a fan of salad, that hasn’t always been true.
Salad Topping Ideas
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 newfound love of salads + Fritos.
I swear that there really is no better way to top a salad.
Salad Meal Prep
There are countless ways to make a killer salad completely your own, so I’m sharing some of my favorite salad meal prep tips today. The key for me is to prep all the greens and 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.)
Easy Salad Recipes
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’ll cook and crumble 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.
Protein for Salads
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
slow cooked chicken: shredded or diced
ham: diced
hard boiled eggs: chopped
canned tuna fish: drained well
beans: black, kidney, or pinto beans
Salad 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.
Meal Prep Salad Ideas
- Carnitas (or pulled pork), avocado, cotija cheese, lime, salt, and pepper
- Grilled chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing
- Chicken, berries, feta cheese, almonds or walnuts, poppyseed dressing
- Tuna fish, strawberries, avocado, lime, salt, and pepper
- Chicken or bacon, red grapes, shaved parmesan cheese, candied walnuts, white balsamic dressing
- Taco meat, beans, corn, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese blend, lime, salt, and pepper
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.
Love these salads? Check out the eBook for How To Eat A Salad Every Day for more fantastic salad recipes, dressings, and tips to simplify your salad making! (link for the eBook is at the top of this post!)
With this eBook, if you’re grocery shopping, meal planning, or just trying to eat a little bit healthier, you’ll have this information at your fingertips whenever you need it.
Salad Recipes
Ingredients
VEGETABLE OPTIONS
- 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
PROTEIN OPTIONS
- 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: drained well
- cooked shrimp or fish
- beans: black kidney, or pinto beans
TOPPING OPTIONS
- 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, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Ranch Dressing are a few of our favorites.
Instructions
Salad Meal Prep
- Prep the vegetables and place in serving size containers. (I use these containers and these containers to store prepped salads.) Add a paper towel to each box to help the produce last longer. Place in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
When Ready to Eat
- Warm the protein of your choice and chop bite-size, if needed. Add the protein to the pre-made salad greens and vegetables.
- Add the toppings of your choice. Squeeze lime generously over the salad and sprinkle with salt and pepper, or drizzle with your favorite salad dressing.
Notes
- Carnitas (or pulled pork), avocado, cotija cheese, lime, salt, and pepper
- Grilled chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing
- Chicken, berries, feta cheese, almonds or walnuts, poppyseed dressing
- Tuna fish, strawberries, avocado, lime, salt, and pepper
- Chicken or bacon, red grapes, shaved parmesan cheese, candied walnuts, white balsamic dressing
- Taco meat, beans, corn, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese blend, lime, salt, and pepper
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 1/7/17 – recipe notes updated 1/24/23}
Love these salads? Check out the eBook for How To Eat A Salad Every Day for more fantastic salad recipes, dressings, and tips to simplify your salad making! (link for the eBook is at the top of this post!)
With this eBook, if you’re grocery shopping, meal planning, or just trying to eat a little bit healthier, you’ll have this information at your fingertips whenever you need it.
this is great! it’s so difficult to eat healthy all the time – this REALLY helps!
Thanks for posting! Can’t wait to try all these salad ideas. Going shopping today to stock up.
They all look delish!!!
And Fritos are gluten free!!! I am So doing this!
Where is the video?
There should be a video just below the first photo in this blog post.
I made these salads last week, great idea and time saver since I watch my grandson 5 days a eeek and don’t have time to prepare these each day. Fritos were great too.
How do you keep the avocado fresh and prevent it from turning brown?
I add the avocado with the other toppings when I’m ready to eat the salad.
For sure I’ll try all of these. I’m vegetarian. Thanks for sharing.
I love this idea I started doing it last week on my own but would add the cheese, craisins, and pecans when I did it but things started blending too much. I’ll have to do it this way. When do the apples do you cut them right before adding them or do you have a way to keep them fresh if you cut them before work.
When I add apples, I typically cut them right before adding them. However, you can spray them with a bit of lemon juice and they should stay fresh for a few hours in the fridge.
Does the salad get soggy
No, the salads stay nice for several days when stored with a paper towel. The paper towel helps absorb any moisture that accumulates from the vegetables.
“Although fritos are never optional” – hahahahaahha 😂😂😂😂🙈 made my day 😅👏🏻
Thanks, Larry! I loved alll !Salads varieties are a motivatiin to eat salad every day!!!
When I prepare salads ahead of time, the greens (spinach, lettuce, green peppers) become soggy & wilted after just a couple of days & aren’t edible by the 5th day. I have put a paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb moisture & I use a salad spinner to make sure my greens are dry. Any other suggestions.
I would be concerned with calorie content. I’m a big calorie counter.
If you scroll through some of the comments, you’ll see that most of these salads average between 250-350 calories. Even with a full ounce of Fritos added to mine most days, it still comes in under 400 calories most of the time. For me, it’s well worth it!
I love this idea of Salas prepring this is so helpful, but I have a question, the paper towel is placed at the bottom but when do you remove it to eat the salad? also how do you reheat like the taco meat with corn and beans once everything is topped on the salad? are you peeping for the whole week or each day?
Saw your post today and decided to give it a try. I’m on a no carb diet and try to do salads for lunch every day but I agree sometimes it just seems like too much trouble. Today I prepped my salad greens and put in containers with the paper towel. I can’t wait to see if the greens hold up. I put my meat and toppings in a separate container. I wish I could do the fritos because i love them, but they aren’t on my diet right now. Thanks so much for the ideas.
I’m happy to hear that this was helpful!
Thank you for sharing this. I enjoyed it ver much and pinned it to one of my boards. Very helpful and inspirational.