It’s day four of a 90-degree heat wave and I’m so annoyed/lethargic/grouchy, it’s unreal! When the weather is this hot and humid, I try to focus on No Cook Summer Suppers, because using the oven is unbearable. Sometimes that means it’s sandwiches, healthy snacks, and prepared food, but lately we’ve been eating a lot of salad, too.

Eating the same 3 ingredients over and over gets boring quickly, so I’m switching it up. Here is my Ultimate Salad List (basically anything you could ever want to put on a green salad):

Salad Vegetables:

lettuce/spinach/spring mix
shredded carrots
chopped onions (I prefer red or Vidalia if eaten raw.)
diced peppers
shredded purple cabbage
diced cucumbers
sliced radishes
sliced olives
diced tomatoes
fresh sprouts
diced avocados
green peas or broccoli

Protein Additions:

sliced steak
sliced chicken or turkey
bite-sized breaded chicken
diced hard-boiled eggs
canned tuna
taco-seasoned ground beef
chick peas
kidney, black beans, or white beans

Toppings:

cheese – cheddar, feta, etc
dried cranberries/blueberries
sunflower seeds
sliced nuts (Walnuts, almonds, pecans—I love ’em all!)
croutons

For the dressing, I’ve been using my stash of $0.38 Ken’s dressing that I bought on sale. If I didn’t have them, I’d make my favorite homemade dressing.

To save time, I recommend washing and chopping the veggies ahead of time. If you’re using meat, it can also be cooked and chopped ahead of time. Package the greens and meat separately and don’t add the dressing until right before eating.

Have I forgotten anything? Share your favorite salad ingredients!