I think we all struggle with that age old question of what to eat for lunch each day while we’re in the office. While it can be great to get out of the workplace mid-day, bringing your lunch is healthy, efficient, and economical. And, with make ahead salads like the ones below, it can even be delicious!
I started taking these make ahead salads for lunch two weeks ago, and since then have actually lost 3 lbs (woot!) and saved an estimated $90 from not eating out. It’s super easy to meal-prep these for the entire week, and with 3 different salads to choose from, you don’t get tired of eating the same thing every day.
Shopping List:
- Raw Chicken Breast Tenders (1.5 – 2 lbs)
- Mixed Greens
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Fresh Corn, removed from cob
- Avocado, cored and diced. Toss in lime juice before adding to dish to preserve freshness.
- Green Onions, diced
- Mandarin Oranges, peeled and supremed
- Shredded Carrots
- Shredded Cabbage
- Craisins (low-sugar variety)
- Walnuts
- Roasted Peanuts (unsalted)
- Tortilla Strips
- Poppyseed salad dressing (I use Annie’s Naturals Lite Poppyseed)
- Mexican-type salad dressing (I use Brianna’s Creamy Cilantro Lime)
- Sesame-ginger salad dressing ( I use Ken’s Lite Asian Sesame)
Preparation:
- One day before you plan to assemble, divide your chicken tenders into three ziploc bags. (Two of the bags will have two-servings worth of tender, the final bag will have only one servings worth). Add 2-3 tbsp of each type of salad dressing to one of the bags each, and massage the chicken in the dressing to evenly coat. Then return the chicken to the fridge to marinate overnight.
- Grill the tenders. Over medium-high heat, cook for roughly 4 minutes on each side, then move the tenders to an upper rack off of direct heat and shut the grill lid to cook for a remaining 8 minutes. Once cooked, move the tenders back to the fridge to cool completely.
- Assemble your salads. Here’s what goes in each dish:
- Poppyseed Chicken salad – mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, craisins, walnuts
- Tex-Mex Chicken salad – mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, green onion, avocado, corn
- Asian Chicken salad – mixed greens, cabbage, carrots, oranges, peanuts
- Once the chicken is fully cooled, cut into bite size pieces, and add the appropriate marinated chicken into each dish. Package up 2 tbsp of the corresponding dressing into a seperate container, and place tortilla strips into plastic baggies to accompany the Tex-Mex and Asian salads.
- When you get to work, add your dressing just before you eat, then return the lid to your tupperware and shake vigorously to coat. Add tortillas strips if appropriate, then enjoy!
These make ahead salads are so delicious, they definitely feel restaurant-quality to me, and dressing them just before eating keeps them fresh and crisp. Plus, making them in advance all at the same time frees up my hectic mornings so that I can just grab and go.
What are your favorite workday lunch recipes? Tell me in the comments.
