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5 Tips for Building a Better Salad

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I love a good salad. But I really think I’m incapable of making a good salad at home. I can never quite get a salad at home to taste as good as a restaurant salad! But it shouldn’t be that hard, right?! Louisa from Living Lou is guest posting today with her tips and I think my eyes have been completely opened!
Not all salads are created equal and I’m going to share with you five simple tips that you can implement right now to take your salads to the next level. I try to eat salad at least a few times a week and I try to change it up as much as possible. The most important thing about building delicious salads is having all the ingredients on hand. Salads come in so many different forms, there is the classic green salad which is probably what comes to mind, but don’t limit yourself or you’ll get bored before you know it. 
Here are five simple tips for building a better salad. 
1. Know your greens
Typically, greens will be the base of your salad but not all greens are the same. If you want something with a little peppery kick, try adding some arugula, kale will add tons of vitamins, but add bitter notes and romaine is a steady stand-by that will never do you wrong. Opt for darker leafy greens (stay away from iceberg lettuce) for a salad that is richer in nutrients. 
2. Switch up the grains
I love making grain salads for a filling weekday lunch or dinner, while quinoa is a favourite (try my summer quinoa salad) I’ve recently tried experimenting with farro and barley to add some variety to my meals. Farro is an ancient grain that is slightly nutty with a chewy texture and barley, while also being nutty has a smoother texture similar to pasta. 
3. Add some protein
Protein is an important part of any meal and I always try to include some in my salads, whether that’s from grilled chicken, beans, cheese, fish or nuts, there is always an element of protein. Sometimes I’ll go for a protein-packed salad like my Argentine White Bean Salad. I always try to keep in mind when building a salad is to include three different protein options, usually that will be a meat/fish/beans, cheese and nuts. 
5. Follow a color scheme
This might seem a little crazy, but if I’m ever in a salad funk I give myself a bit of a challenge to create a salad based on a specific color scheme. Some days I’ll go completely monochromatic and make a green salad with kale, spinach, green peppers, green onions and cucumber. 
5. Dry your greens
I’m not kidding, this may seem like an annoying step, but dressing will not stick to wet greens. Try using a salad spinner or pat the greens dry with paper towels and I guarantee, your dressing will cling to the greens perfectly. 
For more healthy recipe inspiration, follow along on Twitter and Instagram! 



What’s your favorite salad at home?

xoxo
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11 Comments

Audrey Lin

I always roll my eyes when people call salad "rabbit food," implying that it's bland and boring. They're obviously eating the wrong salads! Just because something is healthy doesn't mean that it can't be delicious 😛 This foolproof method will show them! 😛 -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's

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Annie

I am getting so sick of the boring salad I make for lunch every day and I this just gave me a bunch of ideas on how to spruce it up! Great post 🙂

Annie // Annie N Belle

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Erica

I'm the same way, my salads at home always seem boring! Love this, can't wait to put these tips in action!
-Erica
emklein.blogspot.com

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TheMissMorganLife

I love a good salad, but can't ever seem to make one at home that I like! Thank you for sharing these tips, I think they will help me out!

Morgan
themissmorganlife.blogspot.com

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