Dia duit agus fáilte – that’s Irish for hello and welcome. I wanted to show you today how easy it can be to make your own salad bowl for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
When you are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disease symptoms naturally, you will learn a whole new anti-inflammatory way of eating and that, combined with an already challenging health crisis, can cause more stress than it eases.
It is essential to find simple, stress-free ways to eat and cook healthy nutritious meals that can soothe your overactive immune system. Introducing make your own salad bowl ideas that work for every meal.
This is also the perfect meal option for healthy van lifers; the kitchen is small, we want to keep dishes to a minimum and we want delicious!
Continue reading below for a simple stress-free way to prepare a delicious healthy meal.
Table of Contents
Learning new ways to eat
Because I love to cook, I often spend way too much time and energy pondering options for the next meal which can cause stress and, more than once, has led to a last-minute dinner of nachos or grilled cheese sambos! Let’s be honest – not the healthiest meal for someone using diet to heal from a chronic auto-immune disease.
I have read tons of recipes books and blogs about how to save time in the kitchen or prep ahead etc… and none of them suit me or the way I like to cook and eat. It’s a family joke that I never met a recipe I couldn’t change and perhaps that’s part of the problem – I love the creative aspect of cooking which may also be what was so appealing when I discovered this whole notion of salad bowl meal ideas.
Over the years of living with RA and adjusting my diet to support my body and heal from rheumatoid arthritis, (see this post) I have learned to keep certain ingredients in the pantry to make healthy eating easier for me. It was a radical shift in habits for me – as my kids will attest, I have never really kept many snacks in the house, (I think it’s an Irish thing!) and one I am still learning.
I now keep the following on hand:
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Dried fruit
- Cherry tomatoes
- Hummus
- Sunflower seed butter
- And of course, fresh fruit
In the freezer I keep:
- Grain-free muffins
- Homemade soups
- Fixings for smoothies
And the whole idea behind salad bowl recipes is to take simple ingredients and turn them into a meal, in next to no time.
My introduction to salad bowl ideas
When Kidlets #3 and #4 moved back in with us due to Covid 19, we divvied out the meal responsibilities among us. I cook my delicious almost-Paleo pizza every Saturday, Kidlet #4 cooked 5 nights (he’s a chef and needs to keep himself sharp for when he can return to work!) And Kidlet #3 (they/them) took on Tuesday nights.
Kidlet #3 is an artist, performer and foodie who loves to cook mostly vegetarian meals. I always taste new foods and learn new ways to eat when they are here.
They use meatless ground “beef” and lay the bowls out potluck-style; perfect for everyone.
And now, you too can enjoy their wonderful way of eating healthy meals. They decided to make a yummy taco salad bowl their first night and it became a weekly event.
I learned it is possible to eat well and reduce stress with this simple trick – create a formula for one delicious meal and use it often. An added bonus – it took them less than 30 minutes to put a nutritious, flavorful taco salad bowl on the table and I knew I wanted to borrow the idea.
Why I love this whole salad bowl idea
Just as having the above-listed snack foods on hand has allowed me to improve my diet, so too has this MYO (make your own) salad bowl idea. There are so many nights when Tom and I have found ourselves staring blankly at each other, exhausted from another day on the farm wondering what could possibly be for dinner. Well, now we have a quick, healthy and delicious option that we can tag-team to get on the table while we each take a shower.
Things I love about this meal formula:
- It is so easy to prepare ahead.
- Everyone can add their favorite ingredients.
- Most options take less than 15 minutes.
- Can be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all three on the same day!)
- It is the most delicious way to use up all those leftovers.
How do you make your own salad bowl?
Here’s the recipe, if you can call it a recipe:
Greens + grain + protein + veggies/fruit + extras + dressing = Yum!
Yup, it’s that simple. You choose one or more items from each category below, toss the greens and dressing together in a bowl, add your other choices and your delicious salad bowl dinner’s ready. And the really cool thing is that each person can make their own salad bowl, adding favorite toppings as they please.
Salad bowl ingredients
Choose one or more items from each of the six lists below. (Ingredients with * = recipe to follow.)
Greens
- Kale
- Spinach
- Spring mix
- Arugula
- Red & green cabbage
- Lettuce
- Radicchio
- Chard
- Dandelion leaves
Grains
Many grains contain gluten and gluten can trigger an RA flare-up; best to avoid those grains.
Instead choose from:
- Rice
- Wild rice
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat
- Bulgur
- Amaranth
Proteins
- Fish
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Shrimp
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Lamb
Veggies & Fruit
- Cooked sweet potatoes
- Cooked green beans
- Roasted beets
- Roasted peppers
- Grated carrots
- Grapes
- Strawberries
- Chopped apples
- Chopped pears
- Red onions, fresh or caramelized
- Tomatoes, fresh or sundried
- Broccoli or cauliflower florets
Extras
- Nuts & seeds
- Dried fruits
- Fresh herbs
- Goat’s cheese
- Black beans
- Chick peas
- Lentils
- Corn salsa
- Pico de Gallo
- Edible flowers
Salad dressings
Changing the dressing can make the same salad bowl idea taste completely different.
- Cilantro dressing*
- Vegan queso*
- Caesar salad dressing
- Balsamic vinaigrette
- Lemon & honey dressing
- Greek vinaigrette*
Kidlet #3’s salad bowl ideas
The Mexican salad bowl
Kale + spring greens + rice + black beans + corn salsa + onions + tomatoes + crushed corn chips + vegan queso*
The salad bowl for breakfast
Spinach + arugula + quinoa + soft boiled eggs + pickled onions + cooked green beans + cooked potatoes + cilantro dressing*
The protein-packed vegan salad bowl
Spring mix + purple kale + quinoa + chick peas + crispy tofu + cooked sweet potatoes + shredded carrots + tahini sauce
My newest recipe creations for make your own salad bowl meals
Greek salad bowl delight
Romaine lettuce + bulgur + chicken + cucumber + tomatoes + roasted eggplant + roasted peppers + fresh mint + parsley + Greek vinaigrette dressing*
Four Blooms Family Farm end-of-a-long-day-leftovers-meal
We use whatever we have in the veggie patch on the day: kale, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, fresh herbs + leftover rice or quinoa + hard-boiled eggs (unless we have protein leftovers in the fridge) + sundried or fresh tomatoes + roasted almonds + dried cranberries + chick peas + your favorite dressing.
Cilantro salad dressing
Ingredients
- 1 medium tomato, seeded
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp tsp lime zest
- 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper
- 1/4 tsp each cumin and chili powder
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small food processor and blend until thick and creamy.
Vegan queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews I prefer cashew pieces if you can find them
- 3/4-1 cup hot water
- 1 large clove garlic
- 2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast according to thickness desired
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp each ground cumin and chili powder
Optional
- 1 4 oz can green chilies
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped fine
- 1 medium tomato chopped
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in 2-3 cups just boiled water for 20-30 mins, until softened.
- Add all ingredients, except optional ingredients to blender, using just 1/2-3/4 cup of water to start.
- Taste and add water or more seasonings, if desired.
- Once the queso has the thickness and flavor you love, stir one or more of the optional ingredients if desired. (Do not blend.)
Greek vinaigrette dressing
I love this dressing from Simply Scratch, though I prefer to add finely chopped fresh oregano from my herb garden if possible.
Final thoughts
There is so much going on in our lives and every day we face countless decisions (actually someone did count and they estimate we make 35,000 decisions daily!!)
Some decisions deserve our time and energy and others do not; I would argue that not every meal deserves lots of attention. I would argue that a meal formula like the one shown here is such a huge stress and decision reducer that we all could benefit from other ways to reduce the number of decisions we face daily.
What salad bowl ideas do you have? Please drop them in the comments below.
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