SERENE CHATS: Colorful and fresh with plenty of filling options, Salad Bar Night at my home is always a hit! The older children love to help with all the veggie chopping as we joke around together in the kitchen, and the younger ones love to peel hard-boiled eggs or rip up leafy greens. This all comes together quickly when everyone works together, and the enjoyment of dinner has already begun before we take our first bites. We lay all the options on the table, then everyone who is old enough grabs what they want for their own bowls. Come on, let’s build a Trim Healthy Salad Bar in a few easy steps! This recipe is found in the “Family Theme Nights” section of Trim Healthy Table Cookbook on page 284.
Salad Bar Night
Description
SERENE CHATS: Colorful and fresh with plenty of filling options, Salad Bar Night at my home is always a hit! The older children love to help with all the veggie chopping as we joke around together in the kitchen, and the younger ones love to peel hard-boiled eggs or rip up leafy greens. This all comes together quickly when everyone works together, and the enjoyment of dinner has already begun before we take our first bites. We lay all the options on the table, then everyone who is old enough grabs what they want for their own bowls. Come on, let’s build a Trim Healthy Salad Bar in a few easy steps! This recipe is found in the "Family Theme Nights" section of Trim Healthy Table Cookbook on page 284.
Ingredients
Get Your Greens On
Moist Veggies
Protein Choices- Choose As Many As You Would Like
Fix The Fixins ~ S Options
Fix The Fixins ~ E Options
Fix The Fixins ~ FP Options
Dress the Salad
Instructions
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GET YOUR GREENS ON
Fill a super-large bowl with plenty of ripped or sliced greens and other fresh veggies that don’t get soggy after a couple days in the fridge. OPTIONS: loads of romaine; a few good handfuls of spinach or kale; a generous smattering of mixed baby greens; ½ head cabbage, finely sliced; a bag of baby sweet peppers, sliced into colorful rings; a few large carrots, diced; a bunch of fresh cilantro or parsley. Do you love jicama? Okay, throw it in there. Snow peas or sugar snap peas, anyone? Sure.
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MAKE ROOM FOR MOIST VEGGIES
Fill a few smaller bowls with moister veggie treasures. OPTIONS: sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, avocado slices, sliced mushrooms, or sliced red onion. Anything else you can think of? The idea is to keep them separate from the drier veggies for leftover meals.
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PREPARE YOUR PROTEIN
Feature 1 or more protein options to anchor your meal. OPTIONS: a pulled rotisserie chicken or 2; diced cooked chicken (see page 45 for cooking methods); or a couple dozen hard-boiled eggs are easy. Are you a tuna-loving house? Go for it! Or maybe more of a steak strip family? Pre-packaged, cooked steak strips are easy. Another quick option is to cut up some smoked sausage and quickly brown it in a skillet.
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FIX THE FIXIN'S
Tasty toppings are what this is all about—put them in bowls or on platters. S OPTIONS: feta cheese; grated cheddar; Parmesan cheese or 100% Parmesan crisps; goat cheese; toasted walnuts (toss with a teensy bit of soy sauce, a dash of cayenne, and broil for a few mins on a baking sheet); sliced almonds; toasted or raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds; toasted sesame seeds; hemp seeds; sliced olives (green, black, stuffed, or gourmet); flax seeds freshly ground in a coffee grinder; tahini to drizzle; or jarred labneh balls in olive oil (a Middle Eastern treat my family loves).
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E OPTIONS: brown rice; quinoa; black beans; chickpeas; baked sweet potato slices; toasted sprouted-grain bread croutons; baked corn chips (or the organic regular kind for Crossover children); apple or pear slices coated with lemon juice; mandarin orange segments, a little unsweetened dried fruit for children; or crumbled Wasa crackers.
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FP OPTIONS: fresh or thawed berries (my family loves thawed raspberries for their tart pop; fresh cranberries in season; artichoke hearts; steamed peas; crumbled Savory Sesame Crackers (page 504); or homemade or store-bought ferments or pickles.
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DRESS THE SALAD
Celebrate the night with at least a couple yummy options. OPTIONS: Try one of the Trimmy Dressings (pages 527 to 533) or any store-bought on-plan family favorite. Or set out bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a simple vinaigrette. Also, set out final sprinkle touches: a salt shaker, a bottle of Bragg liquid aminos, a black pepper grinder, dried parsley flakes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and Tajín Clásico (lime and chili pepper seasoning). And if you are like me, you also have Middle Eastern za’atar and sumac, for sprinkling.
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DIG IN!
Everyone grabs big sundae-size bowls and digs in to build their own creative flair salad.
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PACK UP INTO ZIPPIES
Hopefully you’ll have a bunch of leftovers for a couple quick and easy meals for the next day or two.
Note
Recipe Notes
Intro continued...Our family likes to prep a huge bunch of salad bar items so that we are set with quick lunch or snack options for the next day or two. The blessings of Salad Bar Night are the leftovers that make your family eat more fresh veggies during the week.
