Salad Smackdown! Gettin It In With The Greens.

You ever have one of those weeks that is just insanely busy and crazy? You get so caught up in everything that by the time it gets to Friday you're ready to just party and guzzle one of these!? 

That's been my week this week. Too tired, too busy, too ready for the weekend. And now it is here! Good thing there's a margarita in my future ;)

On weeks like these I find that I still want something hearty and fresh as well as flavorful that will satisfy the raging 6pm hunger that always attacks our household but doesn't require dirtied dishes or lots of effort or time. You gotta be quick or else pandemonium will ensue. (When that blood sugar level drops look out world.) 

On my last post I gave you some pretty simple meals that are relatively easy in a pinch. But I have been adamant lately about trying to get more veggies in my diet as well as my hubs. And for that I have figured out how to give boring salads the smack down!!!

Some of us have misconceptions about what a good salad entails. 

It does not need to be super complicated and fancy for it to be delicious. Although this salad (pictured above) that I had at Spoon and Stable was radically delicious. Beets, house made cottage cheese, edible flowers??? I mean touché. They've got serious salad game. I believe that salads are seriously the bomb because they can be truly easy and ultra quick. They require no bake time, no water boiling, not even all that much chopping and adding of spices when it comes down to it! You've almost always got the makings of a dressing in your house and you it gives you a serious nutrients power surge. So salads have been the name of my game lately.

In that last post I actually listed one of my favorite salads lately!

The goat cheese, strawberries, cucumber, and walnut salad with a fruity vinaigrette! That's literally what was in the salad so I don't even need to bother with a recipe!

I mean it doesn't get much easier or simple then that! Throw chicken in if your hubby needs that protein of course as well as for yourself! I like to cook mine in just a little olive oil with a pinch of salt. It doesn't need to compete with the salad. 

This is one I generally tend to make myself when Brian's not around though. He's not much into fruit and frufru cheese in his salads. Which is perfectly fine because I have mastered manly salads as well! (yea I said manly when referring to lettuce.)

This is the salad that some of you have been asking me about since I posted it on Instagram. This salad is a shape shifter. It changes ingredients slightly depending on what's in my fridge but the general principle is always the same. 

The exact recipe for this guy is as follows: A nice mix of lettuces, finely sliced red onion, halved grape tomatoes, diced cucumber,  I chopped a little fresh parsley and mixed it in, then I fry up diced salami (from the deli section) in a pan for a min until it's crisp, throw that on top. Throw a couple eggs in the same pan, cover and cook on medium low until the steam cooks the top and it's sunny side up. Throw that on the top and then sprinkle with parmesan or other very dry hard cheese you have available. (Not the stuff in the tube) Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a good squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper. 

Seriously I made these salads in under ten minutes. We were flying out the door for youth group and we had a homemade healthy meal going with us. 

Salads can be magical. They can be insanely delicious. You just gotta play around with the ingredients and listen to your cravings! 

Fried eggs make a deliciously decadent topper on most salads because the yolk acts like it's own dressing. Otherwise boil those baby's up to make some hard boiled creations for later use! Olive oil and lemon are a dynamic duo on salads. Otherwise olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and always salt and pepper pair perfectly as well. Throw other herbs into these too! Olive oil and red wine vinegar. Smashed avocado, lemon, and olive oil. I could go on and on. Or just buy some store bought stuff you like. BUT I WARN YOU. Dressings should ENHANCE the salad NOT overpower it. So I would encourage you to run from the ranch!

Other salad combos include but are not limited to:

Another personal new fave: Kumquats, thinly sliced, leafy greens, candied pecans or walnuts, red onion and a little goat cheese with a blush wine vinaigrette or fruity light dressing. 

A hearty hunger crusher: Chicken grilled or pan seared with S&P and then sliced up. With leafy greens, avocado, grape tomatoes, cucumber, a sprinkle of cheese, croutons, and almonds. (Switch out chicken with shrimp or steak)

The greek: (Doesn't necessarily need lettuce.) Cucumbers, grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, kalamata olives, feta cheese, red onion, cubed salami, balsamic and olive oil with S&P. 

And last but not at all the least....my mexican: Insert meat of your choice cooked how you like, avocado, corn, tomatoes, beans of your choice (I like pinto), lots of leafy greens, onion (I like to cook them down in a pan. It gives a nice contrast), lime, a few crushed tortilla chips, mix your favorite salsa with a little sour cream and a lot of lime and pour over the salad. Finish with a bunch of fresh chopped cilantro!

So see? Just grab a giant bowl, open up those neglected veggie drawers and start throwing stuff in!!!!