• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Lealou Cooks

Easy Meal Plans for Busy Families

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
  • Work With Me
  • Free Guide: Make Cooking at Home Easier
  • Cooking Classes + Events
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Cart

How to Build a Salad

by Stephanie

How to Build a Salad

Do you like eating salad?

According to my highly unscientific research, there are two types of people who don’t like to eat salad:

  1. Those who think eating salad is boring.
  2. Those who think that salad isn’t filling enough for a full meal.
  3. Ok one more… those who don’t like eating vegetables!

If you fall into one of the first two categories, I’m here to tell you that maybe… just maybe… you’ve been making salads wrong.

I know. People don’t like to be told that what they’ve been doing is wrong (I don’t like to be told that either) but I can guarantee you that salads can be fun and filling and it’s all in how we put them together.

Today I’m going to share with you how to make the perfect salad just for you.

How to Make a Salad More Fun:

Many people think eating salad is kind of boring. Are you one of those people?

A typical boring salad is iceberg lettuce, red cherry tomatoes, perhaps some cucumber and grated carrot.

Some sort of bottled Italian or fluorescent orange french dressing would to go on top.

We can do so much more to jazz up a salad and my favourite way to do this is to think of your salad bowl like a rainbow.

When you add the colours of the rainbow to your salad bowl it’s visually more appealing to eat.

Here are my favourite ingredients to add to a salad to make it brighter and more interesting:

  • Arugula
  • Kale
  • Purple cabbage
  • Radicchio
  • Multicoloured heirloom carrots
  • Red and yellow cherry tomatoes
  • Red peppers
  • Grated beets (yes you can eat beets raw!)
  • Red onion
  • Green onion
  • Edible flowers!

The sky is the limit in terms of the colourful foods you can add to a salad.

Not only will you feel more energized by your colourful bowl (and you’ll want to eat it), you’ll be more energized because each of those colourful vegetables has its own set of nutrients that our bodies love and crave. 

Colourful produce = Energy!

How to Make a Salad More Filling.

I get very sad when I see people show up to work with a little salad in a little square or rectangle container.

Typically they have a sad look on their face because they’re on a ‘diet’ and ‘have’ to eat a boring old salad of greens and cherry tomatoes.

100 bucks that person is starving in less than an hour.

I have zero doubt that’s why salad gets such a bad rap when it comes to ‘dieting’.

Some people think they need to eat a sad little salad to lose weight. After they eat the salad, they will most likely find they’re hungry in an hour and then they might start to crave and fall for the crappy foods they’ve been trying to avoid.

It’s a bit of a cycle and that’s why dieting doesn’t work (in my opinion).

In order for a salad to be filling (or any food you’re eating for that matter!) it has to include more than just vegetables.

Here are the main elements needed to make a salad filling:

  • Fibre
  • Protein
  • Fat

Simply by incorporating those three elements into a salad, you can be satiated for hours! Yes hours!

Here is how to build a salad for one person using those elements listed above:

1. The biggest portion of the bowl should be greens. They can be any type of greens, but make them interesting.

I like to add mixed greens with kale or romaine. Add at least two cups or two big handfuls of greens to the bowl (I use a pasta bowl).

Depending on the greens being used, you will already be covering a lot of your nutritional bases.

For example, a salad based with kale will have fibre, carbohydrates and protein.

2. Top the greens with a few other vegetables like a mix of the colourful ones I mentioned above.

In the salad pictured, I added a handful of yellow cherry tomatoes, half a cucumber, a half a cup of shredded purple cabbage and about a quarter of a cup of red peppers.

As of right now, this bowl is filled with lots of fibre (and carbohydrates). For a few extra carbs you could add some roasted sweet potato.

3. Here’s where the salad starts to change so that it will keep you full: you need to add protein!

Yes! Please add protein to your salads.

I like to add organic chicken or wild salmon. If you’re vegetarian, add chickpeas or lentils. We need protein in our salads to keep us satiated.

4. Last but not least, we need to add fat!

Please don’t fear fats, just choose fats well. Our brains need high-quality fats to work well.

To this colourful salad I’ve added about a quarter of an avocado and a four olives. You’ll also get fat from your salad dressing (more on that below).

Bonuses: I love to add some crunch to my salads so I’ll add some walnuts (more healthy brain fats) or pumpkin seeds (amazing for fat and iron).

Add hemp seeds for more Omega-3 fats and chopped almonds for fat and protein.

If I have sprouts, I will add those. Sprouts are full of protein and packed with other nutrients that our bodies love. Goat cheddar cheese is also a nice addition to a salad now and then.

Kimchi is a great addition to any salad because it adds fermented vegetables to your diet.

In terms of dressing, you can go wild with that too. Here is a fantastic graphic to show you how to build a salad dressing.

Lately I’ve been keeping my dressing simple by squeezing a half of a lemon over my salad and topping it with a glug of extra virgin olive oil and salt. Easy peasy and delicious.

—

I eat a salad like this at least three times a week for lunch and I can tell you I am not hungry again until dinner.

Why is that important? Because when 3 p.m. rolls around I’m no longer craving that chocolate bar from the vending machine or a coffee like I used to back in the good ‘ol days.

Our bodies need to have balance in order to be happy.

If our blood sugar is constantly going up and down and up and down all day, our systems will be in flux and we’ll never be fully satisfied (and it may start to wreak havoc on hormones too).

I hope this helps you make a fantastically delicious salad next time you want something to eat!


More posts like this:

How to Add More Greens to Your Meals
How to Know You’re Getting Enough Nutrients
How Eating Real Food Can Help Us Achieve Better Health



Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Follow Me
RSS

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: recipes, salad

Before Footer

Follow me on Instagram • @lealoulemonade

On Mother’s Day weekend, we hosted my family for On Mother’s Day weekend, we hosted my family for brunch. I bought a few quiches to eat for brunch mixed with bacon, croissants, and fruit.⁠
⁠
No need to make everything from scratch friends!⁠
⁠
According to the quiche reheat instructions, the internal temperature was to be 165° so after I baked it for about 18 minutes I checked the temp with my digital meat thermometre.⁠
⁠
My mom’s husband looked over at me and said to her: “Look honey, she uses a thermometre too!” My mom laughed and said that her husband uses one for everything and uses a timer for all of his cooking.⁠
⁠
When we were growing up my mom simply smelled and looked at the food to tell if it was done. ⁠
⁠
“Mom, how do you know the turkey’s done?"⁠
⁠
“Oh, I just know.”⁠
⁠
My mom would smell it first in the kitchen and then she would peek at the food in the oven and decide it was done by how it looked.⁠
⁠
It’s interesting how those experiences help us to establish what we do in our own kitchens when we start to cook for ourselves.⁠
⁠
I use a thermometre and timer for many things, but I still use the smell and look method to help me decide if it’s done.⁠
⁠
A balance of both of these approaches while cooking is important.⁠
⁠
If you’re new to cooking, you might simply use a timer for a recipe, but once the timer is done, it might not be cooked all the way through. ⁠
⁠
A more experienced cook would observe that the dish is not quite browned enough and that it needs more time in the oven.⁠
⁠
Every oven has a different temperature, so it’s important to balance that with the time. This is why I find using a thermometre really helpful. It can also prevent overcooking and drying out the food.⁠
⁠
Chicken is notoriously overcooked because people are afraid to undercook it. ⁠
⁠
A thermometre will tell you exactly when the chicken is finished at 165°. It stays somewhat moist and juicy at that temperature.⁠
⁠
If you wait until it’s browned on the outside, it might be too dry to eat. Alternatively, just using a timer could result in either a dry or under-cooked chicken breast.⁠
⁠
I made this nifty graphic you can keep handy the next time you’re cooking. Use it to cook moist meat, not dry!⁠
⁠
xo
Happy Friday 13th!⁠ ⁠ Do you find eating salad Happy Friday 13th!⁠
⁠
Do you find eating salads scary??? 😱⁠
⁠
According to my highly unscientific research, there are two types of people who don’t like to eat salad:⁠
⁠
1️⃣Those who think eating salad is boring.⁠
2️⃣Those who think that salad isn’t filling enough to be a full meal.⁠
⁠
Ok, one more… those who don’t like eating vegetables!⁠
⁠
If you fall into one of the first two categories, I’m here to tell you that maybe… just maybe… you’ve been making salads wrong.⁠
⁠
I know... People don’t like to be told that what they’ve been doing is wrong (I don’t like to be told that either) but I can guarantee you that salads can be fun and filling and it’s all in how we put them together.⁠
⁠
On the blog, I have all the tips on how to make the perfect salad just for you: ⁠
⁠
>>https://lealoucooks.com/howtobuildasalad/⁠
>>or get the link in my profile here: @lealoucooks
I love the idea of looking into the cupboard and c I love the idea of looking into the cupboard and creating something from what seems like nothing.⁠
⁠
I do this to use up the food I have before bringing more food into the house.⁠
⁠
I'm not sure about you, but when I don't use up the food I have, it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and then lands right into the compost bin. ⁠
⁠
This is one of the ways groceries can get expensive.⁠
⁠
So before you make your next grocery list, look in the cupboards and fridge first. What do you have in there that can be used up?⁠
⁠
Then search for a recipe that uses those ingredients.⁠
⁠
Shop your kitchen first, then make a list.⁠
⁠
If you have food in your house you're not sure what to do with, comment below and I'll think of what to make with it!⁠
⁠
---⁠
⁠
#mealplanning #mealplanningtips #mealhelp #dinnertime #supper #eatleftovers #fridgefood #recipes #savemoney #foodwaste⁠
This weekend is a bit of a doozy - a fun doozy!!⁠
⁠
💛My street is hosting a giant street sale (if you're in Etobicoke you can DM me for the address).⁠
💛It's my anniversary (14 years!)⁠
💛AND it's Mother's Day (on the same day as my anniversary! Sorry hunny).⁠
⁠
I'm hosting my sisters and mom for a brunch and I asked them what their most favourite brunch meal is to eat... I'll make the menu a combination of everything for them!⁠
⁠
My sister asked me the question back and I, of course, thought of eggs.🥚⁠
⁠
(Why are all of my posts about eggs??)⁠
⁠
This photo is of a breakfast I had last week and it was so good!⁠
⁠
💛Sourdough GF bread from @thebreadessentials⁠
💛Topped with hummus⁠
💛Topped with a yellow heirloom tomato (fun!)⁠
💛Topped with eggs (duh)⁠
💛Topped with jalapeno sheep cheese from @blythfarmcheese⁠
💛Topped with Broccoli sprouts from @livingearthtoronto⁠
⁠
That brekky was a favourite hands-down.⁠
⁠
Eat what you love friends! 🌱⁠

Footer

About Stephanie

Photo of a white woman with brown hair

Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

Popular Posts

  • Eat what you love.
  • The Best Pots and Pans to Use for Healthy Cooking
  • Etsy Gift Guide 2021
  • Easy Turkey Soup Recipe
  • Roasted Eggplant + Red Peppers with Hummus & Feta

etsy kitchen utensils and linen napkins

Copyright © 2022 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Before you go...

You might be interested in these posts:

pureed pumpkin in a white bowl
Recipes

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Recipes

The Best Kid-Friendly Meal (That is Also Nutritious!)

Recipes

Easy Turkey Soup Recipe