Upgrade your salad with these easy hacks (pun alert)

Recently, I just posted a post about upgrading your habits, and in it I mentioned something about chopped salads.

And then I realized that chopped salads deserved a post all on its own.

I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t LOVE a good chopped salad.

Even though they take an extra minute or two to make, they are SO good, it feels like you’re treating yourself.

And that’s what it’s all about, right? Upgrading our habits, one at a time.

You don’t have to use anything elaborate for this salad – get a mix of your favorites and make sure they are fresh.

Here are some ideas:

• Fresh dark leafy greens
• Carrots, celery, colorful bell peppers
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Cooked, uncured bacon
• Fruit (apples and berries are great additions, and dried cranberries are yum!)
• Fresh-grilled chicken
• Almonds, pecans or walnuts
• Avocado
• Goat cheese
• And if you want to jazz it up, pumpkin seeds and roasted butternut squash are also great

Before you assemble the salad, make sure your produce has been cleaned and then thoroughly dried. Chopping can make them more watery than usual, which can affect your salad’s texture.

Toss all your ingredients except avocado into a salad bowl … and then dump it back out onto a chopping board.

Using a large, sharp knife, chop your ingredients into bite-sized pieces. When your salad has reached the perfect consistency, put it back in the bowl, drizzle it with your favorite dressing and top with avocado and cheese if you’re using them.

Here’s a simple home-made salad dressing recipe:

• Olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Warm hone
• Himalayan pink salt
• Pepper

It’s really easy to make. It’s basically a 1:3 ratio of vinegar to oil. So, if you’re making 1 serving:

1. Put ½ tbsp of apple cider vinegar and 1½ tbsp of oil into a mason jar or other covered container.
2. Warm some honey in a microwave (same ratio as the vinegar) and add to jar. Shake it till it’s combined.
3. Taste and adjust the vinegar if you want more.
4. Mix it into the salad and it’s time to eat!

This is a really fast and easy salad that you’ll actually look forward to. Try it and let me know what you think.

Would you like to learn how to Eat For Your Goals? Get a crash-course in nutrition and flexible dieting at https://www.eatforyourgoalsprogram.com/macro-guide.

Do you whip your own salad dressing? Share with us your recipe by commenting it below.