If I’m being “good” I make a huge salad at the beginning of the week and portion it out through out the week for my lunches. Usually, I need more than just that for lunch because if I try to eat just that by 3 to 5pm I get glazy eyed and just can’t seem to think straight. Big shocker huh.
So since I try to get the maximum life out of these “Monster-beginning-of-the-week” salads I’ve found certain “fixins” – as my families-childhood-friends-mom (wow. that’s a mouthful) would say, “We’re fixin’ to leave”, or “We got the fixin’s right here” or “I’m fixin’ to give you a whoopin’, so don’t move”.
Ingredients that last for a MONSTER Veggie Salad:
- 3x washed spinach (I’ve noticed it can still have sandy grit on it if its not washed A TON. Be sure to shake it dry as this aides in its ability to last) *
- Carrot chunks *
- Walnuts or pecans *
- Raw broccoli heads
- Mushroom slices
- Wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to eat the salad
What doesn’t stand the test of salad-time:
- Cucumber halves
- Pineapple chunks- they get tasteless very fast
- Anything that can get slimy usually will
Test it out. This is obviously not a comprehensive list so let me know if you have any ingredients that last a long time in salads.
* my faves
Garbonzo beans!!….or chick peas as the weirdos call ’em ;)
Great source of protein. Also sunflower seeds. And my personal fave, artichoke hearts.
Salads are almost my favorite food.
the thing w garbanzo beans is that they get slimy too. they do last longer than some veggies, but they won’t last a week.
peppers also get slimy fairly quickly.
i love putting sliced almonds and kalamata olives (and other random mediterranean style ingredients) in my salad. then i add crumbled goat cheese or feta along w dressing before i eat it. the olives seem to last a while.
have you bought veggies from sunflower market? they are usually pretty cheap, but they go bad really fast! just a tip.
i do the big weekly salad thing too sometimes, but i find that i get sick of it before it’s all gone. what i’ve started to do is create big stock pots of veggie soup on sundays and i freeze half of it, so it lasts a while. i put all my wilted veggies and a bunch of greens. you can cook it with stock, but i just cook it with water and garlic and spices. that’s one way of extending the life of veggies that are no longer seemingly good to eat.
ohhh! great ideas!!
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