20 Creative Salads for Lunch | Healthy & Creative Recipes (2024)

I used to think the only way to get a delicious quick healthy salad for lunch was a trip to the Whole Foods salad bar. Anyone else ever feel that way??

At home everything just felt the same, it was like Groundhog Day!!

But I know that salad is an amazing anti-inflammatory meal, so filling and so EASY!! When we’re trying to increase our veggie in take for more nutrients to improve recovery or maybe because we’re running for weight loss, well nothing is as easy as a salad.

But no boring salads.

That just means you won’t stick with it! Time to get creative with your ingredients and fall in love with eating the rainbow.

20 Salad Ideas for Lunch

Turns out I just needed some ideas for ingredients that didn’t involve iceberg lettuce {gag} and were super quick to pull together when I go from absorbed in a project to starving.

Here are 20 salad ideas and tips to make them super fast and easy, when you’re needing a little creative inspiration too. That’s right no long recipes, just some ideas on how to combine foods to mix things up from a daily chicken salad with the same dressing.

Baja Style
Spinach, black beans, chopped peppers, avocado, salsa
*Optional topping of hummus, corn, tortilla chips

Tuna Veggie
Red leaf lettuce, cauliflower, shredded carrots, tuna
*Topping options: hummus or mashed avocado with chili powder and paprika

Italian Mix Salad
Romaine lettuce, sautéed mushrooms and asparagus, tempeh, marina sauce
*Options: Serve on top left over pasta

Seafood Massage
Massaged kale {EVOO}, lemon juice, grapefruit segments, salmon

Sweetly Southwestern
Sweet potato topped with steamed broccoli, pinto beans, sliced jicama, avocado, chili powder, sunflower seeds

Zesty Shrimp
Arugula, cooked shrimp, diced red onion, cubed avocado, lime juice, baby tomatoes, salt and pepper

Berry Happy
Chicken, romaine lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, almonds, red onions, goat cheese, balsamic and EVOO. This one is super close to a Panera Salad, but healthier.

Peas Please
Butter leaf lettuce, sweet peas, steamed carrots, quinoa, pine nuts, goad cheese, lemon zest, salt, ground black pepper, EVOO
*Optional: mint leaves

Cabbage Patch
1/2 diced apple, shredded cabbage, diced celery, cucumber, shredded carrot, chickpeas
Dressing: 1 tbsp ACV, 1 tbsp EVOO, ginger, garlic, lime juice, stevia

Bok Choy Slaw
Shredded bok choy, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, mandarin oranges, almonds
*Protein: marinated tofu, tempeh or edamame
Dressing: 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. tamari, lime juice, a little honey

Mustard Brussels
Baby leaf greens, grilled chicken, {steamed or roasted} brussels sprouts, red potatoes, pumpkin seeds
Dressing: Dijon or spicy mustard, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, lemon juice

Need ideas to have more fun with salads at home? 20 ideas and tips to make it happen #healthy Click To Tweet

Taco Salad
Romaine lettuce, diced tomato, black olives, seasoned ground turkey or beef, black beans, avocado, broccoli
Toppings: Greek yogurt, salsa, shredded cheese (I like cashew cheese to for dairy free meals!)

Adult Tuna Salad
Shredded red cabbage, white beans, tuna, diced celery, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice, EVOO, ACV

Full time Veggie
Spinach, broccoli, sliced peppers, artichoke hearts, red onions, edamame, carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, corn with a mixture of Dijon mustard and EVOO

Happy Hawaiian Salad
Baby greens, sliced bell pepper, diced red onion, pineapple, grilled chicken, Balsamic vinegar, EVOO, salt, pepper

Chicken Harvest
Grilled chicken {or tempeh}, butternut squash, arugula, artichoke, quinoa
Dressing: 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 tbsp ACV, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic powder

Sauteed Savory
Baked mahi, sautéed red peppers, asparagus, served over baby greens
Dressing: Mashed avocado, 1 tbsp honey, lemon juice, salt, pepper

Orange Bean Salad
Steamed green beans, orange slices, feta, romaine lettuce, diced red onion with lentils, salt, pepper
Dressing: 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 tbsp white-wine vinegar

Sweetly Green
Sweet potato, thinly sliced green apple, sliced celery, sliced radish, shredded spinach
Dressing: Lemon juice, ginger, 1 tsp sesame seed oil, salt, 1 tbsp flax oil or EVOO
Protein options: Lentils, shrimp

Better Broccoli Salad
Cous Cous, broccoli florets, chickpeas, golden raisins, feta, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, a little EVOO {a great prep ahead salad that tastes even better later}

**TIP: Mix your dressing in a large bowl then put salad ingredients in to save time and get every last drop of dressing.

These are all great energy packed salads which you can enjoy at home or do some pre-planning to have salads for your lunch box. For most salads it’s ideal to keep the dressing separate, which is one of the things I love about using hummus or EVOO, which you could keep at work and add later.

Not enough ideas here? I’ve got 20 High Protein Salad ideas for you as well!

EASY SALAD INGREDIENTS

If your biggest issue is no prep time on the weekends, then it’s worth the couple extra dollars to buy foods that are already sliced and diced.

Creating filling salads for lunch is often a matter of having some key items in your pantry or thinking through what you buy at the store. Because I save money from not eating out, I am willing to spend a little bit more to buy things like pre-chopped veggies or bagged veggies because I know that will ensure my salad eating.

Good intentions are great, but finding tools to help you take ACTION is the real key.You’ll not only be saving time and calories, but money when you opt to eat at home instead of going out. So if time is an issue, splurge for some of the things that will make it easy to create a delicious at home salad.

Ready to serve:

• Shredded carrots
• Shredded broccoli
• Shredded cabbage
• Shredded kale
• Diced onions or celery
• Bagged chopped broccoli or cauliflower
• Berries or pomegranate seeds
• Pre-cooked chicken sausage
• Canned tuna or salmon

Frozen for quick use later:

• Brussel sprouts, diced squash, green beans (Can be steamed in the microwave in 10 minutes or roasted on a pan with other veggies)
• Mixed veggies bag (Can toss peppers in a pan for 10 minutes or steam a bag of cauliflower in under 5)
• Edamame (Can pull out just the amount you need)
• Fish (Usually requires only 10-15 minute cook time)

Staples to have on hand:

• Hummus
• Salsa
• Avocado
• Lemon (great in your water for detoxing too!)
• Nuts (whole or slivered)
• Apple cider vinegar
• EVOO
• Mustard of choice
• Canned beans (or buy in bulk, cook and freeze portions for later)

Salads need not be boring or hard! Checkout these quick, creative and delicious tips #recipe #eatclean Click To Tweet

Love this infographic on how to build the perfect salad!

Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Ideas

Of course one key to a great salad is the flavor provided by dressing! While I am a huge fan of using hummus for dressing, these great homemade dressing give you a variety of flavor ideas.

• Dairy Free Creamy Avocado Dressing
• Vegan Ranch Dressing
• Low Calorie/Low Sugar Asian Salad Dressing
• Strawberry Salad Dressing from Meme Inge
• Salsa Yogurt Dressing from Lean Green Bean

Will salad for lunch help you lose weight?

Let’s be honest, the first time a lot of people choose salad for lunch it’s because they’ve started to think about their weight. That usually means a salad at a restaurant with bacon and heavy, heavy doses of dressing…in which case the salad could actually be almost 2,000 calories. WHAT?!

So no, not all salad will help you lose weight. But these ideas are certainly going to fill you up, and the high protein salads will help to squash sugar cravings in the afternoon too!

Is eating a salad everyday for lunch healthy?

Ummmm yes. Of course if you’re doing it right as noted above, you’ll be providing your body with a ton of nutrients which helps you to feel full, improves post workout recovery and protein to help keep you feeling full. Many health experts eat a salad every day for those reasons.

Is salad enough for lunch?

Heck yes if you’re doing it right, a salad isn’t a little skimpy piece of lettuce and some shredded cheese. A salad is a power bowl meal!

What’s your strategy for building a healthy EASY lunch?

Are you a fan of the salad?

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