Perfecting the Lunchtime Salad

by Connor for Ajani

Connor is a lifelong health enthusiast. From prioritizing healthy meals using limited ingredients in college, to being a self motivated student of functional medicine as an adult, Connor is constantly thinking of how to support those around him in living a healthy and holistic life.

The majority of us are spending the majority of our day in the house.  We all know this, and we’ve heard a lot about it, but not enough about how to take care of ourselves during this time. With all this extra time at home, for many, it has led to the exciting (or unfortunate) opportunity to cook more at home. 

(*Quick disclaimer: nothing wrong with Uber Eating or DoorDashing from time to time, this is a judgment free zone.)

Specifically, I think a lot of us see the impact of having to make our own meals when lunch rolls around. Instead of lunch out with the coworkers, food at your office or a quick Chipotle run, we’ve now been left to figure this out on our own. So, I’m here to preach about what I’ve been doing now for most lunches at home, which is making large, green salads. 

Before the collective groan, I’ll explain why I’m doing this, along with sharing some of the benefits I’ve seen from making my own salads almost every day. I’ll also list a personal go-to recipe of mine and how it supports my healthy habits. And yes, I’ll show how we can make this as unboring, or dare I say, interesting as possible. 

Besides the obvious, which is that this is an extremely healthy choice, salads check off a lot of my major boxes:

Quick.

Easy. 

Relatively inexpensive. 

The ability to add leftovers.

No afternoon crash. 

You can easily make a salad in a few minutes and throw together enough ingredients to make it exciting. It’s also so simple to iterate day to day and switch it up by using proteins like leftover chicken, salmon, or veggies like roasted broccoli or sweet potatoes. Not only does this make it more exciting, but I’ve found that a salad with extra ingredients like these keep you full longer, more energetic, and don’t give you the dreaded afternoon crash (we’ve all been there after a burger, sandwich, etc). 

So, here’s how we do it: 

Build your base: Spinach or a mix like Trader Joes’ Power to Greens (baby kale, baby chard and baby spinach) or a spring mix. 

Nutritional benefit: Leafy greens like these are low in calories, yet highly nutritional. They are shown to support brain function, your immune system and reduce inflammation- just to name a few benefits.

Add your protein: Salmon, Chicken or to keep it lighter, you can add a complex carb like a sweet potato or quinoa.  (pro tip: cut up the sweet potato into circular pieces, add salt/pepper or rosemary and then roast at 400 degrees for around 20-25 minutes for a really good sweet and savory addition)

Nutritional benefit: Sweet potatoes, are not only delicious, but they are a great source for sustained energy, are jam packed with nutrients like Vitamin A and B5 and are shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Top it off: Sliced avocado, marinated artichokes, kalamata olives.  If you have them around, broccoli, bell peppers or onions will take the flavor profile to the next level. 

Dressing: Olive Oil and balsamic vinegar.  It’s a classic combo for a reason.

Nutritional benefit: Olive oil is highly touted by health experts like Dr Steven Gundry due to possessing good fats and many antioxidants. It supports healthy brain function, skin and the best part is you can be very liberal with how much you have.

There you have it!  You can now tackle at-home lunches with quick and easy salads. I hope you enjoy it and that this helps to support your wellness during this time.

Comment below if you want further recommendations on brands, quantities, etc. and let us know about any of your favorites for salads!