I am often asked about my salad bar in the fridge. It’s SO EASY to build, makes food prep a snap, and allows us to have healthy choices for dinner that require NO thinking.
That’s the main reason I make one every week.
I just want our healthy food to be EASY to execute. The less time I have to deal with cooking, cleaning, and deciding what to eat the more time I get to actually talk and get to know my kid and husband! I don’t want to spend my days “doing mom shit” and feeling wore out and tired from life.
I look at my life and find areas I can make simpler. I let myself create time to just be with the people I love most.
The time I spend pulling together the salad bar is minimal.
There’s a trade, though. Salads most nights can seem boring to a lot of people.
I don’t think of it as boring. I think about how I’m not bitching my pants don’t fit or that I have to do the mom grind every night.
I gladly trade a salad every night in exchange for the mental BS of “what are we going to eat.”
I don’t miss the tightness in my jeans from too many nights of “f-it let’s just order pizza” moments because I was too tired or not in the mood to make a dinner decision.
Now you know why that salad bar is one of the BEST decisions I make every week. Want my template? Here you go! Everything on this list gets opened, washed, cooked, and stored in glass. Glass keeps things fresh LONGER! I use full fat dressings. Green Goddess from Trader Joe’s is my all-time favorite.
2-3 avocados or guacamole packs
1-2 cans of beans of choice (usually black or chic)
cheese
Pull apart a rotisserie chicken or turkey for meat (1 per adult LOL)
6-12 HB eggs depending on if my Logan is also having salad
chopped celery (1 bunch)
chopped mushrooms (1 container)
cherry tomatoes
large cucumber (1)
1 salad bag per 2 adults per day (Taylor Farms and Dole are our favorites because of the crunch of the cabbage and such in those mixes)
colored peppers (2)
wish someone would design 1 or 2 trays with 5-10 compartments for the salad bar –i know this is super lazy–but it would be nice if there was only one lid to open/close
I have tried using my veg dip tray –but the size isn’t right
I have a few plastic ones with 4 compartments. What works in those are canned items that can stay in their liquid or brine like artichoke hearts, heart of palm, baby carrots, olives!
I Of your idea of a salad bar in the fridge if everything’s ready you will eat it I have just started listening to your Podcast and implemented some of the ideas and I am already seeing an improvement both physically and with my attitude. Thank you so much for the inspiration
We do this all year long and it’s such a time saver! I quit putting the cherry tomatoes in the fridge as they were going bad before we could eat them all (there are only 2 of us). I leave them in a pretty bowl on the counter and they last so much longer.
I love this idea I am going to implement it ASAP because I am normally exhausted at the end of the day and cooking is the last thing I want to do
This is awesome! I love the salad bar concept too and think how did I not think of this? Is it just another name for meal prep? IDK but it sounds doable. Plus I love avocados!
It’s prepping. 🙂
I looove the salad bar concept.
Thanks for all you do!!
I heard you talk about this on your podcast and this weekend, I tried it for the first time in our house & it’s already a hit, one day in!! I’m a full time working mom with 4 kids (13 yo boy, 8 yo boy/girl twins & a 9 mo old baby) with a long commute & by the time I get home, I’m tired and don’t always feel like cooking! This gives me a healthy option all week long with no excuses! Thanks so much!! #pnpgroupie
Hi Corrine, Trader Joe’s has two types of green goddess dressing. Do you use one that is in refrigerated section or the non-refrigerated? Thanks, Sandy
Non-refridgerated
You’re literally my favorite person ever. Thanks Corrinne!
I love this! Thank you.