Lunch salads?? After some variety suggestions

I usually take a sandwich, fruit, and a serving of a "chip" - veggie sticks, cheddar bunnies, etc.

Sometimes I take leftovers from dinner - if you are interested in variety, maybe overcook dinner and have some leftovers for yourself for the next day's lunch?

I like salad made with spring mix, dried cranberries or cherries, walnuts, and a bit of goat cheese. A dressing that is slightly sweet usually goes well with that. I would put the dressing on right before eating so it doesn't go soggy.

I also like broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, walnuts, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, and a sweet and sour dressing. That one tastes better if the dressing is allowed to sit a bit so you can mix it up ahead of time.

I love salads. A couple times a month I grill up a bunch of chicken breast. Then I portion it out into zip-lock bags. They get stored in the freezer. I'm lucky enough to keep bottled dressing in the fridge at work. If you don't have this option look for the smallest Rubbermaid containers. I think the smallest is like 1/4 cup. The also sell "salad bowls" that come with a bowl (snap on lid) and a dressing container that snaps into the lid. Google "salad in a jar" recipes.

Cesar : romaine, carrots, croutons, parmesan, chicken. Kraft Light Cesar

Spinach- Strawberry: spinach, walnuts, strawberries, chicken. Some sort of berry vinaigrette.

Asian: romaine, snap peas, mandarin oranges, chicken, chow mien noodles. Newman's Sesame Ginger

Harvest - romaine, apple chunks, craisins, chicken, feta. Apple cider vinaigrette.

this week I am eating a salad made of spring mix, 3 oz salmon, feta cheese, dried cranberries, walnuts and balsalmic dressing. I have the feta, cranberry and walnuts in a baggy, the spring mix in a container and the salmon in a container. I mix it all together at lunch time so that it doesn't get soggy.

I like chickpea salad

Or any bean salad really. Keeps me full and satisfied.

I don't have a name for this (my sister calls it "boat salad" because she used to work on an event boat in Victoria and that's where she got the recipe). Basic instructions - make it red, make it green, add everything else - mix. Measurements are arbitrary based on how much salad you want (if you want more, add more, if you want less add less).

Red - red pepper chopped, cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
Green - fresh chives chopped, avocado cubed, fresh basil chopped
Everything else - walnuts chopped, feta crumbled, black pepper to taste, garlic powder to taste, equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I used flavoured ones because I live a few blocks from a place that makes naturally flavoured ones).

If you want to stop yourself from getting bored with sandwiches, why not throw in a change of pace by putting the fillings on hollowed out cucumbers, inside halved bell peppers, quartered tomatoes, or even do a lettuce wrap type of thing? I find myself enjoying that more than the salads most of the time. You can also find the mason jar salad recipes on Pinterest or just by googling. I also like looking to those forums for different ideas on making my own salad dressings. Just a different dressing will add a change of pace. My personal favorite is just a little lemon juice with a tiny bit of salt, some pepper, and some garlic powder.

Good luck!

The other day I packed a salad for lunch that came out amazing. I grabbed a big mason jar, and scooped a cup of couscous in, topped it with some dry-fried mushrooms, frozen veggies, then a bunch of romaine, and capped it off with sprouts. It was all pretty mashed in there, but when I dumped it into the bowl, it was perfect. I added a few tablespoons of hummus and devoured it.

Salad is my go-to lunch when I work (3 days a week). The options are seriously only limited by your imagination. I buy a16 oz containers each of spring mix greens and spinach at Sams and that will get me through the week. Cherry tomatoes won't get anything wet. I cook up different meats to use as toppers. Grilled chicken breasts, taco meat from either ground turkey or beef, thin sliced steak, homemade chicken salad, tuna, etc. I usually throw on a bit of feta or goat cheese because I like it. Whatever veggies you have in the house chopped up and a dressing of your choice and you're good to go. I keep the meat separate until I'm ready to eat. I just finished baking a couple curry chicken breasts to slice up for when I work tomorrow.

I use mason jars a lot.

Some favourites:

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Waldorf salad

Those won't wilt.

I'll pack croutons and dressing separately.

I've taken bean stew, put it in a wrap with cheese. Very satisfying.

In the summer months, I only eat salads at work (Soups in winter). No access to a fridge so I use an insulated "brown paper lunch bag" to keep it cool. I have one of these (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16232/Klip-It-Salad-To-Go) boxes and it's great.

Dry things like mixed leaves, spring onion and sliced radishes go in the bottom, wet things like chopped cucumber and peppers, grated carrots and courgettes and my protein (usually chicken or smoked fish) goes in the top with dressing in the little tub. For dressing I found a balsamic glaze in Sainsburys (no oil in it) but found it was a bit too thick so I cut it half and half with normal balsamic vinegar.

This summer I have been boring but other summers I have thrown in blueberries, pulses, seeds, green beans or peas, broccoli etc.

I also make a broccoli salad. Head of broccoli cut into tiny florets, handful of sultanas, very finely diced red onion, bacon if you fancy a treat and then a dressing made from a spoon of mayonaise mixed with red wine vinegar.

If I have to take sandwiches for any reason, I usually make them in a wrap so they're less stodgy and a bit more interesting.

My go to: spinach or spring mix, pistachios or almonds, blueberries, feta cheese, grilled or sauteed chicken, and grape tomatoes. No dressing or you can mix honey and mustard with a little water.

I eat salad almost daily for lunch. I add a variety of things to the lettuce:
-homemade chicken salad (no dressing necessary with this one), grape tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts
-diced chicken/turkey, greek salad dressing, feta cheese. grape tomatoes, onion, green pepper
-diced ham, bolthouse farms ranch dressing (made with yogurt, less fat more protein), shredded cheddar, cabcage, onion, carrots, pine nuts
-shredded chicken, blue cheese crumbles, nuts, blothouse farms raspberry merlot vinigret, sometimes some fruit in this one too

I could go on, but you get the idea

Chopped or marinated salad- no lettuce to get soggy. Chopped carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, peppers, etc. Canned mushrooms or baby corn or olives are good in this too. Marinate overnight in italian dressing, or just an olive oil/vinegar dressing.