I have a two minute salad up on the salad page, but adding one here in the veggie department to underscore what  good idea it is to have a salad everyday! It is not uncommon for me to grab my lunch and bring it to my consultation room to show it to a patient. Most days I have a salad and I must say, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.

Here’s how I do it so it takes under 5 minutes on my busy mornings trying to get out the door. It’s all about what you have on hand and what you can grab!

Here’s what I do with regard to my shopping and what to keep on hand & ready to go:

• When I grill or bake chicken, I make extra and keep in the fridge, sliced to bite sizes pieces. Ditto on salmon or other fish or tuna in a pinch!
• I always have hardboiled eggs in my refrigerator.
• I rely on organic canned beans. All kinds of beans: garbanzo, kidney beans, white beans, etc. I open the can, rinse, use what I want and keep the rest in the fridge.
• I have grate-able cheese in my cheese drawer.
• And sliced almonds or walnut pieces in the cupboard.
• Prewashed baby greens.
• An assortment of veggies, based on the seasons, are in my crisper.

As you can see, I am looking for good sources of protein so that the salad is satisfying and brings me through to dinner! Though I love to garden and am often a member of a community supported agriculture farm, in these winter months, I opt for prewashed organic salad greens.

While my morning oatmeal is cooking, in a large container with a good lid, I throw a few handfuls of prewashed salad greens. Toss some grilled chicken on there & a sliced hardboiled egg. I love my egg slicer! I grate a carrot, add some chopped celery or cucumber and some diced tomatoes. If I do not have chicken or fish, I grate a hard tasty cheese on top. I sprinkle slivered almonds and a few spoonfuls of legume du jour. I use one cap of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and VOILA, done and delicious, high in protein, fiber, complex carbohydrate and taste.