4 Easy Meal Prep Side Salads
Every meal prep deserves a great side dish! Sometimes it’s easier to approach organizing your weekly routine when you focus on the sides. In today’s video, it’s all about salads!
Try a salad recipe, customize it according to flavor and your wellness goals and then add your choice of protein. Simple!
Check out my other meal prep sides video!
Winter Squash Primavera Salad
Ingredients for 5 servings:
- 1 cup baked winter squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- spray olive oil
- 3oz uncooked wheat penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (optional)
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 1 cup parmesan, shredded or grated
- juice from 1 lemon
- sea salt & pepper
- Garnish
- fresh parsley, chopped
- Set oven to 400F.
- Slice winter squash down the middle and spoon out seeds. Spray the halves with olive oil then place them face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake for about 40 minutes until soft. Allow it to cool enough to handle, then peel it and chop it into pieces.
- While that’s baking, prepare the wheat pasta. Once the pasta has been cooked, do not discard the pasta water since we’ll need some.
- Set a nonstick skillet on medium high heat and spray with olive oil. Add the zucchini and bell peppers – and if desired, garlic – and cook until the veggies are seared, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the pasta, veggies and chopped squash to a bowl, then add in the remaining ingredients. Fold everything together, then season to taste with sea salt & pepper.
- Garnish with parsley and enjoy this salad warm or cold.
Download the fitmencook app
Track your macros, plan your weekly meals, add recipes to your grocery list, as well as get access to over 500 healthy recipes by FitMenCook.
Horseradish Mashed Potato Salad
Ingredients for 5 servings:
- 1 1/2lb red potato, raw
- 4 tablespoons horseradish
- 4 tablespoons olive oil mayo (or lite mayo)
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup arugula, chopped and packed
- 2 tablespoons dried chives
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add red potatoes. Cook for at least 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and tender.
- Add the potatoes to a bowl and mash them with a masher or fork.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix everything together with a fork or spatula.
- Season to taste with sea salt & pepper.
Turkey & Shredded Brussels Salad
Ingredients for 6 servings:
- 1 1/2lb Brussels sprouts, thinly chopped or shredded
- 5 slices natural turkey bacon, from leg meat and nitrate free, uncured
- Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil mayo (lite mayo)
- 1/8 cup Dijon
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or more depending on your preferences)
- 5 tablespoons goat cheese crumble
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- Mix together the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
- Cook bacon until crispy. Then chop and crumble into pieces.
- Use a sharp knife or mandolin to thinly slice or shred the Brussels sprouts into a bowl. Add the bacon bits and toss together.
- Pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts and mix. Lastly, fold in the goat cheese crumble or divide the salad into 5 portions and sprinkle goat cheese over each one.
- Season to taste with sea salt & pepper.
Greek-Inspo Farro Salad
Ingredients for 6 servings:
- 1 cup farro, uncooked
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives (with oil)
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- juice from 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons feta crumble
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- Cook farro according to the package instructions. I simply cook mine the same way I prepare brown rice.
- Add the farro to a large bowl then add the remaining ingredients. Fold everything together and season to taste with lemon and sea salt & pepper.