Quick Salad Cheat



With the days longer and the evenings warmer, we’ve been more likely to find ourselves surprised by the hour and in need of a last-minute dinner plan—for ourselves and for sharing with friends.

Rotisserie chicken and salad is always my go-to, and I’ve been using the simplest cheat for a spur-of-the-moment, no-brainer (but looks like you thought about it) salad.

The trick? It’s almost too simple to warrant sharing, but it’s also sort of awesome: mix a fresh bag of greens (or a freshly washed bunch) with a pre-made deli salad. Done.

This all came about because, roughly a month ago, it came to my attention that I was completely failing at eating healthy lunches. Basically, while Hudson was off at preschool for a few hours, and Skyler was sleeping, I would choose working on the computer, checking email, running errands, combing out my bedhead… anything… over putting thought into a real lunch. Then, by 3pm, when they both were back asleep, I’d realize I was starving and would seek out ice cream. Not a good scene.

I can’t say that I’ve completely conquered my bad habits, but the most reliable fix was when I’d fill the fridge with a few boxes of pre-made salad combinations. I know, I know: it’s so easy to do yourself (and I’m going to work on that, too) but somehow a cold salad for lunch was so much more appealing when someone else made it.

Fresh & Easy 2

This particular one is from Fresh & Easy—a new take on the neighborhood market, known best perhaps for their Ready-to-Cook line of dinners (also super convenient for busy nights); they’re great about offering lots of options for the time-starved. I learned that they have a nice range of these pre-made salads.

(Side note: Too bad there’s no room in my cart for anything with two kids these days! Is this how everyone else shops with both?)

I chose the Greek in this case. Generally, my philosophy on this is: if you’re going to be making ingredients go further, look for the salads with plenty of high-calorie add-ins (like olives, cheese, or nuts). And if it were just for my family, I might sub a bag of spinach for the bag of romaine to up the nutrition.

Then, just add olive oil, salt, and pepper, pouring the oil into the container left from whatever dressing they provided (you can be sure to get every last drop of theirs and doubling this will generally be a good serving size for dressing). You can always opt to add more of one thing, squeeze some fresh lemon or add a dash of vinegar, if you like.

This way you have a range of creative ingredients in your dinner salad, but without having had to do any chopping or planning.


Thank you to Fresh & Easy for sponsoring this post and supporting Hither & Thither!

Fresh & Easy thinks that fresh, wholesome food should be accessible and affordable to everyone. They offer a range of their own brand products and freshly prepared meals, in addition to other favorite top name brands in smarter and smaller stores. If it has the Fresh & Easy name on it, it’s guaranteed to be free from artificial colors and flavors, transfats, high-fructose corn syrup or any other hidden nasties that are out there. Find one near you.

P.S. More favorite salads: Simple summer squash, Blood Orange, and a Watermelon Salad.

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