I am the type of person that no matter how hungry I am, I won’t hit up McDonald’s or Jack In The Box. Fast food makes me bloated, tired, and the food doesn’t even taste good! So when I’m out and about and in need of food, salad bars are always my go-to. Get rid of the stigma that a salad bar is only wilted lettuce, canned beans, and no flavor. I’m here to tell you exactly the opposite.
Recently I partnered with Whole Foods Market to bring awareness to their updated salad bars they rolled out in the New Year. Across the nation, all of the Whole Foods Market stores added fresh ingredients to bring a new meaning to the term “salad bar”. With fresh, real food ingredients, you can build a healthy lunch or dinner that will be way more than just soggy rabbit food.
Foods like turmeric roasted sweet potatoes, beet noodles, wakame seaweed, red quinoa, and flaxseeds go above and beyond the typical salad bar ingredients. With over 50 different ingredients available to you, you can build an endless combo of meals.
I put together 5 different “salad” recipes you can make at any Whole Foods Market salad bar. No matter what style of eating you follow (paleo, vegan, gluten-free, etc.) you can find a combo that works for you!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Salads don’t always mean a bowl of greens. This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is made straight from the Whole Foods salad bar. No chopping required! It’s vegan, gluten-free, and full of flavor.
Grab a bowl if you’re eating it there, or a to-go box and fill it with red quinoa, white quinoa, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, red onion, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, garbanzo beans, and a lemon wedge. Drizzle on a touch of olive oil and vinegar and you’re good to go! Shake it up, grab a fork, and you have a healthy lunch in minutes that’s full of protein and fiber.
Berries + Greens Superfood Salad
This is like Spring on a plate. The colors and the flavors! Start with mixed greens, add spinach for extra iron, and then come the berries. Berries are loaded with antioxidants and they are lower in sugar than other fruits. Add a couple hard-boiled eggs for protein and sprinkle on flaxseeds. Flaxseeds add healthy fats and fiber to your salad – hello nutrients! Lastly, drizzle on the new Whole Foods Market superfood salad dressing, which goes perfectly with the flavors of this salad.
Vegetarians rejoice! This salad is the perfect option for you. It’s tasty and fills the gap of nutrients you can miss out on (like iron) when you don’t eat meat.
Paleo Power Bowl
This is perfect for that post-workout meal or for those of you following a Paleo diet. Shredded kale + cabbage, turmeric roasted sweet potatoes, pulled chicken, roasted zucchini, and a hard-boiled egg. Topped off with pumpkin seeds for crunch! And don’t forget to season with salt + pepper. Whole Foods has salt and pepper shakers at their salad bars… perfect for added flavor.
Bowl like this really gives the term “salad bar” a whole new meaning. Whether you’re on the go, or you just don’t feel like cooking, you can skip the greasy fast food and visit your closest Whole Foods Market to build this bowl of yum!
Roasted Potato & Arugula Salad
I told you salads don’t have to taste like rabbit food! The warm roasted potatoes from the salad bar make this plate totally satisfying. I love that Whole Foods uses tricolor potatoes! And did you know that purple potatoes contain antioxidants and phytonutrients? They are very fiber-rich as well so they have more health benefits than regular white potatoes.
Fresh arugula, roasted potatoes, broccoli florets, roasted red peppers, almonds, and a lemon wedge combine perfectly together for a filling and satisfying salad. I fully enjoyed this salad and no dressing needed! A squeeze of lemon was perfect.
Hop over to your local Whole Foods to make this salad.
Lauren’s Nourishment Bowl
This is the ultimate salad bar salad. As a Clinical Nutritionist, I eat with purpose. Filling my plate with as many colors as possible is how I make sure I’m getting the biggest variety of nutrients. If you want more energy and better digestion, load up on colorful veggies. It makes such a difference! Let me break this one down for you so you can catch my drift:
- Avocado: healthy fats + fiber
- Carrots: beta-carotene + vitamin K
- Mini peppers: vitamin C
- Black beans: protein + fiber
- Fennel: fiber + potassium
- Celery: folate + vitamin K
- Cucumbers: fiber + water
- Red onion: fiber
- Beet noodles: iron + B vitamins
- Wakame seaweed: antioxidants
- Cashews: healthy fats + protein
The more veggies you can eat, the more fiber and nutrients you will get. Fiber is responsible for detoxification and healthy digestion. This is a bowl of energy right here!
So as you can see by now, salad bars can help you eat healthier in an easy way! The chopping and cooking is done for you. All you have to do is assemble to your liking. And I’m all about customization when it comes to food, so the salad bar at Whole Foods is my jam. When I’m out and hungry, or working late and don’t feel like cooking, the salad bar makes it possible to eat healthy without the hard work.
Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite salad bar combo is!
With joy and health,
