The Inspiration
Recently, I had gotten into the habit of buying the chopped salad kits from the grocery store to use as the base for what I call “my big ole dinner salad”. This was something I used to do consistently a couple years ago and really liked the results I gained from it (colorful, nutrient rich meal, taste variety, full without guilt). I felt myself hesitate when reaching for the $4 salad kit bags during my weekly grocery haul this week. For context, when I use these kits for my salads I do not use everything that comes in them. I pretty much only use them for the chopped greens and end up tossing the dressing and other toppings that come with them. Usually I will top the greens with chickpeas, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, etc. and sub the dressing out for balsamic vinegar and olive oil. So, when reaching for the bag this time, I sort of thought that I could use my creativity to put together my own chopped salad base for less money and less waste.
The Budget Friendly Alternative
Instead of purchasing four or five $4 salad kits, I decided to buy the green ingredients and chop them myself to make one big ol base for my big ol dinner salads. Today at the grocery store I purchased some hearts of romaine ($3.15), a bag of spinach ($1.49), and a head of cabbage ($1.32). I was ready to make a weekly portion of chopped salad base all for the grand total of $5.96 plus tax, which is just over the price of one chopped salad kit.
The Process
Step 1: Chop one head of cabbage and add to large tupperware
Step 2: Chop half of a bag of spinach and add to large tupperware
Step 3: Chop one heart of romaine and add it to large tupperware
Step 4: Give the whole thing a good shake and you are good to go!
Notes
I love having this salad base prepped and ready for the week for multiple reasons. First, it is entirely customizable, which I LOVE for meal prepping. Often, meal prepping isn’t sustainable for me because I am not someone who enjoys eating the same foods and flavors every day. With this, I can add different foods and flavors each night to make it unique to what I am craving! The next reason why I like it is because it saves me time, energy, and decision making at the end of a long day of teaching. The “decision fatigue” is real for us teachers and I just want to grab my dinner without having to make any decisions! The third reason why I love this salad prep because it is friendly to my bank account. The math doesn’t lie and the savings are worth it. Not to mention I did not use up all of the spinach and hearts of romaine that I purchased so I had EXTRA ingredients for just over the price of one salad kit! Lastly, I love this salad prep because it is producing less waste than when I was using the pre-made salad kits from the grocery store. I am no longer throwing away unused salad dressings and toppings, and not to mention all of the plastic wrap that the salad kits use…each topping is wrapped in its own plastic bag. sheesh!
I would love to hear from you if you try this out!
