By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
A picture of one of my salads with sliced baby squash.
I love a good salad. I’ve been told by many that I make FABULOUS salads. I tell people that it is easy. Just open the fridge, chop up whatever is in there and, ta-da, you have a salad. Let me be more specific.
Grab a large container. Get out your cutting board and your best knife for cutting veggies into small pieces. I like my salad pieces to be smallish so I can combine different flavors for the perfect bite.
Here are the ingredients I used for the last awesome salad I made.
I used these ingredients because they were in my fridge and I thought they would taste good together.
- Hard boiled egg – cut into cubes
- Carrots – long thin shreds using the veggie peeler
- Celery – small “c” shapes
- Baby spinach
- Chopped pecans – put halved pecans in a sandwich bag and smash with the back of a big spoon
- Raisins – nice juicy ones, not old dried up raisins
- Chicken – I had some left over fried chicken that I cut into squares after tossing the skin
- Feta cheese – get a chunk from Trader Joe’s and crumble by hand for the best price
- Black olives – cut into fourths
- Tomatoes – heirloom from farmer’s market cut into cubes
- Red onion – fresh and thinly sliced
- Mushrooms – fresh and thickly sliced
- Pasta with garlic sauce – happened to have some left over with the sauce I got from a food swap
- Baby spring salad greens – I get these weekly at the farmer’s market. Put a crumpled paper towel in the bag to keep the greens from wilting so fast
- Dill – just a bit, too much will be overwhelming
- Fresh lemon juice – a grabbed a nice fresh lemon off my neighbor’s tree and squeezed the juice over the salad. I like my salad a little soggy, so I put on the lemon juice when I make the salad, but you can put the lemon and the oil on when you are ready to eat.
- Salt and pepper – use pink Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper for the best flavor
- Olive oil – the best you can afford. Don’t put this on until you are ready to eat.
Chopping all of this up takes a bit of time. But, if you invite over a friend to chat or watch a movie or listen to a book on tape, the time goes by fast.
By the time you are done, your salad will feed four people for a meal. If you are eating solo, you will want to save it. I make my salads in a large shallow rectangular container that has a lid. It gives me a large surface area to work with while creating my masterpiece, yet I can easily pop on a lid when done.
As long as your ingredients are fresh, your salad will last for at least a couple days in the fridge, perhaps longer. I prepare salads ahead of time and put into smaller containers to take with me for lunch. I toss a few crackers in a sandwich bag for extra crunch.
If you want some more inspiration for great salad ideas check out these farmer’s salad recipes.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
A really easy way to get your raisins plump is to boil them for about 10 minutes in water and let cool. They rehydrate a little and make it supper juicy. Another great thing in a summer salad is sliced grapes with asian noodle crunchies. Yummy!
I was inspired to make a huge and yummy salad for lunch today. Baby greens, shredded carrots, sliced boiled egg, crumbed turkey burger patty, chick peas, and vinaigrette, with a chunk of bread.
I’m with Bobbi on making a creative “clean out the fridge” salad that will make enough for a family, and/or individuals for a few meals. I especially like salad meals in the summer time when it’s hot outside. When I was still in the classroom and would come home after a long day, my husband would have put together a wonderful salad (curried chicken, chef’s or whatever he dreamed up), and all I would have to do was make a dressing for it. What a wonderful meal to come home to, and I didn’t have to stand and do all the chopping prep! I felt totally spoiled.
We add “7 Bean Salad” from Costco, this adds a sweet taste along with all the different types of bean in this huge jar. Also, instead of chicken, I will add a can of Tuna. We have salad 3 times a week and it is a super way to get rid of leftovers.
@EllieD Wow! Yes, I would feel spoiled if someone else made my super salad. It does take a lot of chopping to make, but it is so worth it.
My hubby spoils me by cleaning out the fridge a couple of times a year. Oh…what a great present.
@Bobbi ~ My husband was artistic (a published photographer, TV cameraman, etc.), as well as being super organized. All that chopping and putting together appealed to all his senses, so he considered it a labor of love. If your hubby cleans out the fridge even once, that’s a major “love ya'” kind of thing.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Frugal Fest Food! tomorrow! HUGS ~ Ellie