"dressing up" your salad!

A year ago I would have laughed at the thought of salad being one of my favorite things to eat, but here I am!! I used to eat boring spinach salads with a little bit of dressing and cheese, it was never a part of my meal that I looked forward to eating. I had just been eating my salad for the health benefits, definitely not for enjoyment! So, what caused my change of heart?!

My answer…DRESS THAT BABY UP!

Once I realized that there are endless of possibilities on what I can put on my salad, I fell in love. (A bit dramatic, I know) But honestly, you can change up your toppings so much that you could eat a salad everyday and never grow sick of it. The key is to experiment & find which combinations work best for you! If you don’t know where to start, here are some steps to take to find a salad that you can actually look forward to eating!

Step 1: Choose your greens!

You could use spinach, romaine lettuce, iceberg, whatever you enjoy the most! My favorite is organic spinach.

Step 2: Get your protein!

Some good options are salmon, ground turkey, grilled chicken, shrimp & nuts! Adding protein to your salad is makes you feel satisfied after eating it, rather than becoming hungry again in the next 15 minutes!

Step 3: DRESS IT UP!

This is often where dressings can go from healthy to not-so healthy. I have been using Bolthouse Farms Greek Yogurt dressings & I love them! They can be found in the refrigerated section at most grocery stores :)

Step 4: Add those toppings!

Some of my salad staples include: salad toppers that include nuts/dried fruits/seeds, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, hummus, avocado, cottage cheese, salsa, & fresh fruit!

The toppings are my absolute FAVORITE part of my salad! I love experimenting with different combinations.

Step 5: ENJOY & MAKE YOUR BELLY HAPPY!

Here is an example of one of the salads that I have made & loved!

Base: Spinach

Protein: Ground turkey

Dressing: Bolthouse Farms Greek Yogurt Creamy Roasted Garlic

Toppings: Cottage cheese, bell pepper, cottage cheese, carrots