Salad is pretty much the foundation of every meal that we eat. We are salad crazy.

We have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I LOVE them.

The list below are just ideas for you, so please make sure to tweak them to your tastes. Add more of something, skip other things, etc., use what you have in the fridge! And please, post on social media and tag me so I can see what you’re cooking!

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The foundation

Organic mixed salad greens, shredded carrots, finely sliced red cabbage, finely sliced green or napa cabbage, and sliced celery.

I make a HUGE bowl of this a few times a week, and find that nothing in this base mix goes mushy or yucky. The other option I sometimes do is on the weekend prep ALL the salad ingredients and put them in containers so all I need to do is pull the things I want to make a beautiful salad or stir fry or whatever.

This is just the foundation, once you’re ready to get down to business you add more things.

A FEW NOTES FOR SALAD SUCCESS.

Each salad needs a mountain of veggies, including starchy veggies if you can, quality protein, and healthy fat in order to FILL YOU UP.

You also need to eat a lot of veggies to get full! So GO BIG! Especially if you’re just getting used to the idea of eating a salad as a meal.

I have found that it takes time for our body (mostly our mind) to adjust to the idea that a person CAN get full off of green things.

I should also say, if you’re packing these TO GO in your work lunch, it’s always best to keep the things separate until you’re about to eat, if you can. That just means bringing a large container with your foundation, and then a few smaller ones with stuff to dump into the larger one.

Also, keep the dressing separate and dress it just before you eat it. This will keep everything from going soggy. I use a small jar but there are many cool products out there.

Chicken with Balsamic

• A solid amount of foundation salad. About 2 big handfuls.

• A serving of shredded or sliced chicken

• A good amount of shredded beets

• Sliced pears

• Roughly chopped Maple nuts and seeds (see my recipe), or quickly toasted nuts and seeds — or if you have no time for either of those things just toss a handful of mixed nuts and seeds on your salad!

If you’re planning on packing this in your lunch, Keep the ingredients in separate containers, and if your pear is super ripe I would slice it right before you eat your salad. That means you might need to bring a tiny knife with you to work. That’s ok, it will be worth it.

Dress this salad just before you eat it with beautiful balsamic dressing that has been made with extra virgin olive oil for an extra hit of healthy fat.

Veggie Extraordinaire

• A couple good handfuls of foundation salad.

• Half an avocado, unsliced and scooped onto the plate (I like serving avocados unsliced because they don’t go brown quite as fast that way… in my experience).

• Roasted veggies if you’ve got them. I like to have a bin of roasted carrots, beets, parsnips, broccoli, butternut squash, and sometimes brussel sprouts on hand. These also make a great soup!

• If you don’t have roasted veggies try adding shredded beets, chopped broccoli, chopped cucumber, peppers, and tomatoes if you can tolerate nightshades.

• A solid dollop of hummus. (I would say about a half a cup for me.) If you don’t have hummus, just use cooked or canned chickpeas. But it really is all about the creamy goodness of the hummus.

• Sprinkle of sunflower seeds for crunch

• If you have pomegranate seeds they are delicious on here, but so are sliced apples or pears.

I serve this with either balsamic dressing, apple cider vinaigrette, or lemon zing for a splash of sunshine.

Not Your Average Tuna Salad

• Solid amount of foundation salad

• A can of tuna (or 2) or mackerel packed in olive oil. Mackerel packed in olive oil tastes a lot like tuna but it’s a much cleaner fish. So if you’re trying to avoid overdoing it with tuna (because of mercury levels) mackerel is a GREAT alternative.

• An apple cut into chunks

• Capers

• Olives

• Grape tomatoes

• Cucumbers cut into chunks

Dress this with good homemade balsamic dressing. It is the best combination of flavours ever! The sharpness of the balsamic with the smooth goodness of olive oil and tuna/mackerel, and then a hit of crunchy sweet with the apple!

I put most of the olive oil from the can into the salad to make sure I’m getting all the healthy fats, but this will be a personal choice. Feel free to drain it off.

TIP! If you’re trying to make healthy choices while traveling or working and are doing the AIP, or any elimination diet, packing a few cans of tuna or mackerel in olive oil is a life saver! You can order a plain salad anywhere and ask for a lemon wedge, add the tuna, squeeze the lemon, and PRESTO! you have yourself a healthy and delicious meal.

Simple Salmon with Capers

• Good amount of foundation salad

• A can of ocean wise wild salmon, or leftover salmon from the night before. (I like to cook double the amount of salmon we will eat to ensure I have leftovers for salad and sandwiches the next day).

• Capers

• A good dollop of homemade mayonnaise

• If you have any fresh parsley or basil that is also delicious on here.

• You can also make this more dinner like by including things like steamed green beans, boiled eggs, sliced spring potatoes or sweet potato wedges, olives, and artichoke hearts.

I like to serve this with either apple cider vinaigrette. lemon zing, or balsamic. It’s simple, takes very little time, and is SUPER good for you. It’s also tasty with creamy herb dressing.

Eggs On Greens

• A good amount of foundation salad

• 2 eggs cooked ANY way you like them. I prefer this salad with boiled, but it’s also super good with fried, poached, or scrambled! Also, I like 2 eggs, but if you like more or less make the proper choice for you!

  Boiled is particularly helpful because you can cook a dozen and be ready for a week.

• Pickled or steamed green beans (optional)

• Crispy prosciutto or sugar/nitrate free bacon (optional)

• Microgreens (Optional but delicious)

• Cucumbers (optional)

• Tomatoes (optional)

• Toasted cashews (optional)

• A TBSP of homemade mayo (optional)

Really anything goes on here. You can add ALL the things or none of the extra things and it will still be satisfying and delicious. I love this salad with balsamic dressing, but it’s also good with lemon, ACV (apple cider vinegar), or creamy herb as well.

California Bowl Of Sunshine

• Good amount of foundational salad

• Half an avocado

• Cucumber

• Extra shredded carrot

• Microgreens (optional but delicious)

And then you can make it your own. This is a list of options depending on taste and availability.

• Clean crab meat

• Clean smoked salmon or lox

• Canned salmon or leftovers

• Shredded chicken

• Edema beans

• Rice or cauliflower rice

• Toasted nuts and seeds

Well, as you can see the list of toppings for this is fairly endless. The idea is you can build it however you like. You can make it AIP, vegan and all the things in between.

Depending on what flavours you use this is tasty with any dressing. I am particularly fond of it with shredded chicken or salmon and the creamy cashew dressing.

If you want to make it a bit more like a sushi bowl serve it with a dollop of homemade mayo and and a simple dressing of 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup coconut “rice” vinegar, 1 TBSP sesame seed oil, 1 TBSP coconut aminos, and a small splash of maple syrup. You can also add ginger and garlic to this dressing. Sprinkle the top with shredded sushi seaweed and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. YUMMMMM.

BUT! This salad is also amazing with ANY dressing you already have made! Trust me, it’s just a bowl of yummy goodness no matter how you dress it.

AIP Lifesaver

• Solid amount of foundation salad

• Cooked ground meat. It doesn’t matter if it’s paties, meatballs, or just straight up. (You can add ANY kind of leftover protein you have available, but when we were strict AIP I tried to always have some grass fed ground beef or buffalo cooked and available in the fridge. It was my emergency food.)

• Avocado if you have a good one

• Extra veggies of any kind, like finely sliced kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers. OR swap all these out for roasted veggies if it’s winter and you want something warm.

• A little pile of sauerkraut

When doing the AIP it is essential to have emergency food available. This was (and often still is) our go to. You can flavour it different ways, serve it with cassava flour tortillas, or fresh herb drizzle. It cooks up quick, you can batch cook it easily, and it is REALLY delicious.

If you’re not doing AIP and are looking for another veggie option this is also great with black beans or cooked french lentils.

Final Thoughts

It’s funny to post a thing on salads, and honestly this is the tip of the iceberg… lettuce. (I couldn’t help myself!)

I am not kidding when I tell you that salad is the foundation of every meal we eat. It’s our pasta, toast, and cereal. It did take some time to get used to, but now it’s the greatest.

You might notice that I don’t add many nightshades to things, that is because we don’t tolerate them well, but please add them anywhere you think they will be yummy!

It’s so important to listen to our bodies and pay attention to how certain foods make us feel. If we get gassy or bloated after certain things, that could be a sign that we have some kind of inflammation or that our body just isn’t on board with that ingredient. Try removing it for a few weeks to see how you feel without it!

That can often be the most amazing beginning of feeling so much better.

Happy lunching, and please don’t forget to tag me on social media when you make your beautiful salad. That is how we will all stay motivated to eat in alignment with our ideal self!

Kindness for a million days.

Gwen