There are lots of lighter choices to eat during the summer and many fun salads. One of my goals this summer is to get my girls to try some fun salads and acknowledge they aren’t all horrible.
While eating out during the summer too, we may want to remain mindful of all the ingredients that are in the salads we order, as some can be pretty heavy, especially once you add the dressing. (My go-to is asking for dressing on the side. That way, you have more control over how much you use).
Summer salads supply great taste, offer good nutrition, and are great for our health but we just want to make sure they all aren’t super indulgent.
Salads With Protein
Salmon Salad: The One & Only: This looks delicious for salmon lovers. It’s full of protein and veggies. It doesn’t come with greens, but I bet would be excellent with arugula added.
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad: I love a good honey mustard dish, and this recipe uses a dressing and marinade for the chicken. If you’re watching your sodium or don’t eat bacon, you can always reduce or eliminate it.
Tex-Mex Chicken Chopped Salad: Anything taco or tex-mex-inspired meal is right up my alley! This is a great recipe, but if you don’t want to use a pre-made dressing, I love using salsa and you can also add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on top as well for a bit of creaminess. Also, if you want to make it even a little lighter, you can omit the tortilla chips.
Chicken And Grilled Peach Salad: Another salad incorporates honey mustard and grilled peaches. I love adding fruit to a salad it can make a salad so much more refreshing.
Salads with Just Veggies or Grains
Chopped Asparagus Salad: Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. It’s so good roasted, grilled, or even chilled. This salad also includes chickpeas for a veggie protein.
Kale Blueberry Salad with Quinoa: While you need to prep and massage the kale, this salad with stay for a few days. You can also switch out the berries if you aren’t a blueberry fan. Also, if you make a batch of quinoa you can use it for other meals as well.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad: This looks delicious and very versatile and you can make with your favorite grilled veggies and then add tomatoes, fresh basil, and a fresh dressing. No greens included here, but this would be a great addition to any bowl of greens.
Spotlight on Dressing
Dressings, dips, and marinades are all delicious, but when it comes to ingredients for these less is more. I know it seems easy to purchase a bottle, but it doesn’t take too much extra time to mix vinegar, mustard, and lemon juice, and then you save on calories and preservatives.
If you want to purchase some Cindy’s Kitchen Barcelona Vinaigrette, Tessa Mae’s Lemon Garlic, Primal Kitchen’s Greek Vinaigrette, and Trader Joe’s Green Goddess are all great options with few ingredients.
I’m looking forward to trying some of these out this summer, will the girls try them? Who knows?! Will I enjoy them, definitely! These salads from some of our amazing contributors also look delicious, be sure to check them out.
