How To Eat Salad Every Day And Like It!

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!

I’m sharing all of my salad meal prep tips here today: the salad base, the proteins, the toppings, and all of the salad dressings in one giant blog post. I promise you now, that if you give it a try, this just might rock your salad-eating world.

This salad meal prep was first published almost 10 years ago and it immediately became one of the most popular posts I’ve published here on this site. I’m updating the post today to answer some of the more frequently asked questions.

Salad Meal Prep

There are countless ways to make a fantastic 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 or come up with new lunch salad ideas each day.

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. 

When I originally photographed this post, I used these square containers to store the prepped salads. But I’ve since found that I prefer these less expensive and sturdier deli containers and I use them endlessly in my meal prep now. (You can see them in the video below.)

Vegetables for Salads

Any combination of these vegetables 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

Proteins for Salads

The proteins can be made just for the salads or simply be saved as leftovers from dinners through the week.

• taco meat
• pulled pork or carnitas
• slow cooked chicken: shredded or chopped bite-size
• grilled chicken thighs: sliced thin or chopped bite-size
• ham: diced
• hard boiled eggs: chopped
• canned tuna fish or chicken: drained well
• chili lime shrimp
• mojo salmon
• beans: black, kidney, or pinto beans

Salad Toppings

• cheese: shredded, diced, or crumbled
• avocado: sliced or diced
• fruits: diced apples or pears, orange slices, grapes, 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.

Make Ahead & Storage

I made a video to show exactly how I meal prep my salads each week. So, be sure to check it out in the recipe card below. There are a lot of different salad ideas here and so many delicious ways to keep things interesting when you’re meal prepping salads.

Make Ahead: Prep all the vegetables and toss them together. Line your containers with paper towels and fill each one with the salad mix. Place a second folded paper towel on top of the vegetables and close each container to make it airtight.

How to Store: Store the prepared salads in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Use: When ready to use, remove the paper towels. Add the protein of your choice to the pre-made salad greens and vegetables. Add the toppings of your choice. Squeeze lime generously over the salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Or toss with your favorite salad dressings.

More 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

{originally published 1/7/17 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/26/26}