Savouring Seasons:

Transforming Salads into Wholesome Delights

Transform your Salad Experience with me

From Boring to Brilliant: My Salad Transformation Journey

Salads often take centre stage during the warmer months when an array of fresh, vibrant veggies and fruits grace our tables, offering a refreshing contrast to the long winter. However, with a few tweaks, salads can transform into nourishing and satisfying meals even in the colder seasons. Salads are often dismissed as dull diet fare and I used to be the one who considered salads a boring, tasteless rabbit meal. But as I started to transform my diet I started to play around with colours, textures, and flavours. In the end, I ended up making salads that became the focal point and admiration of my colleagues at the office or yoga studio where I used to work. In this blog post, I am sharing you with the tips and recommendations that are the fruits of my many years of experimenting with salads as a complete meal. Additionally, I'll share insights into batch cooking, a time-saving and cost-effective approach to meal preparation.

Elevating Salads: Seasonal, Sustainable, and Satisfying

In crafting my meals, I prioritize seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients for both their flavour and reduced environmental impact. Navigating the abundance of fruits and veggies available year-round can be challenging, but a conscious effort helps us reconnect with nature's rhythm.

Common complaints about salads being bland or not filling enough echo in many conversations. The typical lettuce, tomato, and onion combination might not excite you, but a dash of imagination can transform a salad into a hearty meal. Batch cooking is an excellent strategy, allowing you to prepare a substantial salad base and customize each serving with diverse ingredients like different protein sources, spices, or carb options.

Hot Tips for a Flavourful and Wholesome Salad:

The Healthy Eating Plate created by Harvard University suggests a well-balanced plate should include:

• ½ veggies and fruits

• ¼ healthy protein

• ¼ slow-releasing carbs

• Healthy fats and oils in moderation

  I personally like to add herbs, spices, and home-made sauces for extra flavour

Link to the Healthy Eating Plate: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/

Now, let's delve into each group to elevate your salad game:

Veggies and Fruits:

Choose seasonal, preferably local produce. Refer to the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists [https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php] for guidance on organic vs. non-organic choices. In warmer months, opt for fresh veggies like red and green lettuce, bell peppers, spring onions, cucumbers, and carrots. In colder months, pair leafy greens with oven-baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, or warming vegetables.

Protein Sources:

Ditch the stereotype that protein means meat or fish. Embrace plant-based options like legumes, pulses, boiled eggs, smoked or marinated tofu, canned sardines, feta, or goat cheese. Don't forget the transformative power of nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, flaxseeds, and pine nuts.

Slow Carbs:

Integrate whole grains like buckwheat, millets, quinoa, and oats, or pasta made from these sources. In colder months, oven-baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, squash, and fiber-rich legumes such as beans and chickpeas add depth.

Spice Up Your Salad:

Enhance your dressing with extra virgin olive oil, spices, herbs, lemon juice, or tahini. Experiment with creamy avocado, hummus or eggplant cream dressings.

Effortless Meal Prep: Mastering the Art of Batch-Cooked Salads

These versatile salads are not just nutrition powerhouses; they're perfect for batch cooking. In warmer months, prep a fresh veggie salad, cook different legumes, and have eggs, tofu, or cheese ready. During colder months, bake veggies, cook pulses, and prepare eggs, tofu, sardines, avocado, or cheese.

A complex salad takes about 10 minutes to assemble before lunch, keeping you full and content till dinner.

Now to inspire, share your favourite salad combo in the comments below!