How to Actually Make Salads Good – Awesome Salad Hacks You Need to Try
If you think salads don’t taste good or if they leave you hungry, you’re in the right place. These awesome salad hacks are just what you need to actually make salads good.
Keep reading to find out the best salad hacks today! Find out how to make them taste good and good for you. Plus, learn how salads can be one of the most filling meals instead of a simple side dish that just makes you hungrier.
Awesome Salad Hacks You Need to Try
Let’s jump right into it. These awesome salad hacks are just what you need to boost your salad game. Salads can be pretty gross, soggy, and bland. These tips ensure you are eating the most delicious, filling salad you can! Make your salad into a full meal that actually tastes good today.
1. Veggie Chop it Up
One of the worst parts about salads, in my opinion, is chopping everything up. Onions make you cry, who has time to Julienne carrots, and lettuce leaves are way too big to fit in a bite. Cutting up all the ingredients you want to add flavor and variety to your salad is just annoying and time-consuming. Therefore, one of the simplest yet awesome salad hacks you can try is to get a vegetable chopper. This is a kitchen utensil that can save you a lot of time chopping up your salad. All you need to do is put your vegetable on the chopper press down and boom, you have a freshly chopped veggie. The best part about this is that you can add all of your ingredients into the chop container and simply eat your salad from there. This removes extra cleanup and makes your meal much more appetizing since it is in uniform chopped-up bites ready to enjoy.
2. Protein it Up
One of the biggest reasons that salads tend to leave us unsatisfied is that we aren’t adding enough protein to the salads. Protein is what keeps us full since it takes the body quite a bit of time and energy to digest it. Plus, getting enough protein is essential for keeping our body strong since protein contains the necessary amino acids we need for many biological processes.
There are a lot of ways to sneak protein in. You can add some grilled chicken on top, and now you have a delicious Caesar chicken salad you can enjoy. Other forms of protein include salmon, steak strips, or tuna. Some vegetarian options include edamame beans, tofu, tempeh, hard-boiled eggs, or legumes. You can even try to make your own salad dressing using Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream or sour cream. Greek yogurt is a fermented yogurt that is high in protein and super beneficial to your gut microbiome!
3. And Healthy Fats too
There’s no reason for us to be avoiding facts in our diet. On the contrary, we need healthy fats in order to not just live but thrive. Many processes in our body require fat. Even the membrane that holds our very cells together is composed of a phospholipid bilayer that is about 80% fat. So, if we want our body to be healthy, we need to provide it with healthy fats.
Some ways to include healthy fats in a salad include adding some nuts. Other options include using an oil such as avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. You can also help boost the calories in salads which will give us more energy and help us feel full for longer. Try to make your salad dressing with some extra oil, nut butter, or other healthy fat. When all else fails, reach for your handy dandy avocados, a crowd favorite for salads and toast.
4. Don’t Skip Dressings
We don’t have to skip out on dressing in order to make salads healthy. Dressing is what gives vegetables more of a satisfying and delicious taste. Why force yourself to eat plain vegetables with a little bit of lemon when we can have something delicious, creamy, and filling?
If you really want to do something healthy, try to add homemade dressings to your cookbook. A homemade dressing can be something as simple as salt, Greek yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice. Another example includes using sweetener, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil together to make a Mediterranean-style dressing.
5. Play with Flavors
Who said salads had to be savory and simple all the time? An awesome salad hack is to try to play around with flavors of it more. A good way to do this is by adding fruit to your salad! This is a great way to add more flavor to your average salad. You can even try adding different spices to dressings to change them up a bit. Play around with garlic, clove, black pepper, and other spices. Explore the culinary periodic table and become more bold in your salad creations.
6. And Texture
Along the same vein of thought, play around with textures in your salad as well. This means not making everything a similar level of softness. Add some crunch in the form of croutons, nuts, or tortilla chips. Textures bring fun into every bite, so don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and use things simply for the mouth feel!
The Takeaway
Salads don’t have to be boring, soggy, and unsatisfying. These awesome salad hacks are just what you need to step up and change your salad-making abilities. The most important part of meals is for them to be balanced with healthy fats, high-quality protein, and healthy carbohydrates. Once you have these basics, you are able to create meals that are delicious, satisfying, and filling.
Remember that health comes from within. Eat nutrient-dense food, move your body, and care for your mental health. Daily habits are the building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. As shown above, take care of your gut health! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.
