Easy Salad Prep: A Time-Saving Hack for Healthy Eating

Everyone seems to agree that salads made by other people are the best. Whether ordering one at a restaurant or picking one up in the deli section of a grocery store, there’s just something so satisfying about eating all that healthy, crunchy goodness without having to be the one to chop it all up and then see some of it potentially go bad in the fridge. I have had a particularly acute aversion to making salads, especially because I was the only one to really enjoy them in my house, so the prep and waste never felt worth it.

That is, until this summer when I figured out a hack that works for me to avoid waste and to condense the prep time to something more along the lines of soup which I gladly make. This came about through watching my Iranian friend make a similar salad every time we cooked together, and I realized I loved the simple base but wanted to add onto it as I ate through the leftovers for a few days. I thought I’d share, despite the fact we are entering into soup season and leaving salad season behind for now, in case this helps anyone else overcome their salad making block.

The problem for me has always been the fact that if I chopped up all the ingredients and put everything together in one big salad spinner to store for a few days, that the lettuce or mixed greens I used would inevitably wilt, and I’d get sick of eating the exact same salad every day. The simple hack I’ve found is to chop up cucumbers, tomatoes, part of a red onion, and a quarter of a green or red pepper, and store those separately with half a lime squeezed over them, as well as some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, seasoning salts, and some black pepper. That way, I can pull it out when I want and add it to some greens with any protein I have on hand for a salad, or use it in a wrap, with or without leafy greens.

It’s customizable so you can add in whatever salad fixings you like best, like radishes or carrots, or trade red onions for green, or leave out the pepper or double the cucumber ratio. Feta is a great choice to add in either while storing in the fridge or wait until serving, and I like to add fresh herbs to dishes once they are plated in a salad or wrap. Fresh basil leaves or cilantro work great with this base and are my favorites, but peppermint would be a good choice for summer roll inspired dishes.

Here’s my basic recipe for the base:

2 Persian Cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber

1 or 2 on-the-vine tomatoes

Chopped red onion to taste (I like about 3 heaping tablespoons)

1/4 of a green or red pepper

Half of a lime

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste (I use about 1 tablespoon each)

Seasoning salts to taste (1 teaspoon is a good place to start)

Ground pepper

I love how this supports variety in my meals and it’s so much easier to do most of the prep work all at once so when it’s mealtime, there are healthy, easy options available because when I’m hungry, easy is an important factor. When I get home from teaching a three hour class with an hour of class prep beforehand and an hour of meeting time afterwards, the last thing I want to do is chop veggies for lunch. Having a choice that is already chopped and ready to just put in a wrap with some falafels and garlic sauce, or spoon on top of greens with some tuna, makes a huge difference.

Meals should be enjoyed stress-free so please let me know your favorite hacks for healthy eating in our time-crunched world.