Tips to Build a Better Salad + Easy, Healthy Recipes

Make better salads at home with a few simple tips and easy, healthy recipes!

I used to really struggle to make salads at home. I was baffled by this since I love salads at restaurants and almost always order one as an entrée for lunch and oftentimes for dinner. But when I tried to make them, I didn’t know what to put on them and I felt intimidated by them. When I attempted to make salads at home, they were sad looking and worse, often left me starving. So, when I say that I didn’t always know how to make a good salad, I mean it. But, it’s a skill that can be learned and I finally did — and you can too!

I’ve been asked a LOT over the years on Instagram how to make good salads and I realized there are definitely some tricks that help! So, I put together an ebook with my grocery list for salad-success staples, my Sunday meal prepping tips and 30 of my favorite easy, healthy salad recipes!

I included one of my favorite recipes from the ebook in this post to get you started!

Fall Harvest Salad with Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 cups arugula
• 1/3 cup roasted butternut squash
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 2 dates, pits removed & chopped
• 2 tablespoons pistachios
• Leftover honey mustard chicken*
• 1/2 gala apple, chopped
• Dressing, to taste: Peach white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper

Directions

1. Place your arugula in a bowl.
2. Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
3. Top with butternut squash, tomatoes, chopped apples.
4. Sprinkle pistachios and dates on top.
5. Add cheese, to taste.
6. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
7. Drizzle with salad dressing. (I like to mix equal amounts balsamic vinegar and olive oil with a little honey, salt and pepper for a quick dressing!)

*To make honey mustard chicken, combine 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 cup mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over chicken and bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, until cooked through.

How do you make a delicious salad?

It’s all about texture and contrasting flavors!  Sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy! I use a mix of ingredients to help them taste good and also keep me satisfied. I also find chopping fruit into smaller pieces helps a LOT with the texture piece, and I much prefer carrots shaved into thin strips using a vegetable peeler.

What should be in a healthy salad?

I opt for fresh, simple ingredients – some of my favorites are hearty greens, colorful veggies (carrots, tomatoes!), crunchy fruit and creamy sweet potatoes or butternut squash. Healthy fats come from avocado and/or nuts, and protein helps keep me full.

Get more tips to make healthy and delicious salads at home here!