5 QUICK & EASY SUMMER SALADS | Healthy Meal Prep Salads that Last The Entire Week

I don't know about you, but as soon as the weather starts to get warmer, I want to enjoy all the fresh fruits and veggies that the season has to offer. Today, I'm going to show you how to make five summer salad recipes that are so fresh and flavorful, and they're great for meal preps that you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time soaking up the sun. Hey guys, welcome back to my channel. It's Taylor from The Girl on Bloor. I'm all about sharing easy meal prep strategies that you can save time, money, and stress. Salads are my go-to for quick and easy summer eating. I love being outdoors, so the less time that I have to spend in the kitchen in the summer, the better. Salads are easy to meal prep and a delicious way to use up all that fresh produce that's in season. Today, I'll be showing you how to make five of my favorite summer salad recipes. We'll be making a strawberry spinach salad with chicken, aji tuna salad with sesame ginger dressing, a vegetarian chickpea quinoa salad with jalapeno dressing, my favorite Big Mac salad jars, and a Tex-Mex sweet potato salad. All these salads can be made ahead of time so you can spend more time doing your favorite summer activities. If you're looking for even more meal prep inspiration, I've got even more salad recipes to choose from in my free four-week meal plan, which I've linked to in the description below. Okay, enough talk, let's get cooking. We're going to kick things off with one of my favorite salads of all time, which is this strawberry spinach salad with chicken. Nothing says summer quite like fresh berries, and this salad packs a punch with juicy strawberries, delicious chicken, and a four-ingredient vinaigrette that's super easy to make. The dressing is actually one of the first things I ever made in grade 10 home ec, and 15 years later, I'm still making it. Prep and assemble your ingredients to start. Thinly slice half a pound of fresh strawberries, crumble half a cup of feta or goat cheese, and thinly slice half of a red onion. You'll also need about six cups of baby spinach and a quarter of a cup of sliced almonds, walnuts, or another nut of your choice. If you don't like nuts, you can leave them out. I just like the crunch and the extra protein that they add. When it comes to protein, this recipe calls for four chicken cutlets, but I know chicken cutlets can be hard to find in the grocery store, so you could totally make your own by slicing two chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Once all your ingredients are ready, it's time to cook the chicken. The chicken takes this salad from a side dish to a filling meal. You can make it on the barbecue or on the stovetop. I'll be showing you how to cook it in a skillet today. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the chicken and cook for six to seven minutes per side. You want the chicken to have a good sear on it, so make sure that you don't flip it too soon. When the chicken's done cooking, remove it from the heat and let it rest for five minutes to lock in all the juices before slicing it thinly against the grain. From there, make the vinaigrette. Like I said before, this is one of the easiest dressings ever and a longtime favorite of mine. You only need four ingredients, and they're all pantry staples that you probably already have on hand at home. Okay, so to make the dressing, mix together two tablespoons of olive oil, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar, one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a mason jar. Pop on the lid, shake well to combine, and you've got a super simple but delicious vinaigrette. This dressing will last in the fridge for up to a month, so you can even double up the recipe and use it to make other kinds of salads since it's super versatile. Now that you've got all of your ingredients, it's time to assemble your salad. If you're eating this salad fresh, just mix everything together in a large bowl, but if you're meal prepping it, you're going to need four one-liter mason jars. If you've watched my previous videos, then you know how much I love mason jars. They're totally my secret weapon when it comes to meal prepping salads and keeping them fresh. Layer one tablespoon of your dressing in the bottom of each jar. You always wanna put the dressing on the bottom so that the rest of your ingredients don't get soggy. Next, layer on the sliced chicken, followed by the goat cheese or feta cheese, red onions, strawberries, and spinach. Top it all off with the walnuts or almonds, et voila, a delicious and nutritious summer salad that is packed with protein. This salad will stay fresh for up to four or five days when you use the mason jars, so you can meal prep them ahead of time and enjoy outside on your lunch break. When you're ready to eat, just shake up the jar, dump into a bowl, and dig in. Okay, onto summer salad recipe number two. All the seafood fans out there are going to love this ahi tuna salad we're making next. This colorful salad is full of amazing flavors thanks to the sliced avocado, seared tuna steaks, and crispy wontons. And the sesame ginger dressing it's made with is everything. First up, prep your ingredients. This recipe uses tons of fresh veggies, so feel free to add in whatever produce is in season or swap out any veggies you don't like. That's one of the best parts of summer cooking. There are so many fresh veggies to choose from. Okay, so for this recipe, chop up one head of romaine lettuce, slice up one cup of red cabbage, cut one cucumber into matchsticks, thinly slice four green onions, and then thinly slice one avocado. If you're going to be meal prepping this salad, I suggest holding off on cutting up the avocado until right before you go to eat it because sliced avocado tends to brown in the fridge. For the sesame ginger dressing, grate half of a medium-sized carrot, chop up one stalk of celery, and mince one tablespoon of ginger. Fresh ginger root is best and really brings out all of the flavors, but if you can't find any, ground ginger will work in a pinch. Once the prep is out of the way, make the sesame ginger dressing. This is one of the best parts of the salad and it goes so well with the tuna steaks. Add the grated carrot, chopped celery, minced ginger, two tablespoons of sesame oil, two tablespoons of rice vinegar, one tablespoon of honey, and one tablespoon of soy sauce to a Magic Bullet blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Set the dressing aside and move on to the tuna steaks. You'll need two medium-sized tuna steaks for this recipe. Sashimi-grade salmon would also work here as a cheaper alternative, but the tuna steaks are so good and totally worth it. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper, then coat with sesame seeds. Searing tuna might seem a bit overwhelming, but I promise it's a lot easier than it sounds. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil starts smoking, add the tuna steaks to the pan and sear for 30 seconds per side. You might need to adjust the searing time based on how thick your tuna steaks are, but I find that 30 seconds per side normally does the trick. Once the tuna steaks have a nice sear on them, remove them from the heat and slice them up using a sharp knife. See how easy that was? Now that all of your ingredients are ready, you can assemble your salads fresh or store them for later. When it comes to meal prepping this salad, I recommend storing the tuna, veggies, and dressing separately so that your veggies stay as fresh as possible. Store everything in airtight glass meal prep containers or even bento-style boxes for up to three days. When you're ready to eat, mix all of the ingredients together, add on the dressing, and dig in. You don't have to worry about reheating the tuna steaks since they're delicious cold. I love whipping up this recipe and enjoying it on my balcony on a warm summer night. Okay, onto recipe number three. If you're looking for a salad with a bit of a kick, this chickpea quinoa power salad is where it's at. It's packed full of vibrant flavors thanks to the diced mango, chili lime chickpeas, and a spicy jalapeno dressing. It'll bring all the heat to your summer meal. As always, prep your ingredients to start. Thinly slice two cups of napa cabbage and two cups of red cabbage. Cut half a cucumber into matchsticks. Finely chop up a third of a cup of basil and a third of a cup of mint. Dice one mango and cut one bunch of radishes into matchsticks. You'll also need to deseed one jalapeno pepper and chop up half a cup of cilantro for that amazing spicy jalapeno dressing. With the prep out of the way, now you can make the chili lime chickpeas. You want to make these closer to the beginning of the recipe so that the chickpeas have plenty of time to soak in all of those good flavors. They're super easy to make. All you have to do is mix together one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, one tablespoon of chili powder, one tablespoon of lime juice, and half a teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Then set the bowl aside so that they can marinate. In the meantime, cook the quinoa according to the package instructions. You need one cup of cooked quinoa for the salad, so add half a cup of quinoa, one cup of water, and a pinch of salt to a rice cooker or a pot on the stove and cook until the liquid has absorbed. You could even use up any leftover quinoa you have in the fridge or freezer. While the quinoa is cooking, you'll then whip up the spicy jalapeno dressing. This dressing is going to give your salad a nice kick. Add the deseeded jalapeno pepper and chopped cilantro along with half a cup of sour cream, two tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut, one tablespoon of lime juice, and half a teaspoon of salt to a Magic Bullet blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If you want less spice, but you don't want to sacrifice on flavor, feel free to swap out the fresh jalapeno for jarred pickled jalapenos instead. I personally love spicy food, so it's fresh jalapeno all the way for me. Now that you've got all of your toppings and dressing ready and the chickpeas have had time to marinate, it's time to assemble your salad. If you're eating this salad right away, toss together the quinoa, cabbage, cucumber, basil, mint, mango, radishes, and shredded coconut, plus one cup of carrot matchsticks and one cup of pea shoots in a large bowl, then add in the dressing and chickpeas and toss to combine. If you plan on meal prepping this salad for later, you still need to mix together all the veggies and mango, but instead of adding in the chickpeas and dressing, store them separately so that your salad doesn't get soggy. And there you have it, a vibrant and colorful salad with a little bit of a kick that you can enjoy throughout the week. This salad will last in the fridge for up to five days, so it's great for meal prep. Okay, on to recipe number four. These low-carb Big Mac salad jars we're making next are my go-to when I'm craving McDonald's. They taste just like the famous burger complete with that amazing Big Mac sauce, but with way less calories. Plus, they are amazing for meal prep. Whip these up and take them to a picnic in the park. There's not a lot of prep involved for this recipe, so it's ready in a flash. All you have to do is dice one yellow onion, chop half a cup of dill pickles, dice two plum tomatoes, shred a quarter of a cup of cheddar cheese, and chop up two cups of romaine lettuce. Easy peasy. Iceberg lettuce is more authentic to the Big Mac, but romaine lettuce has a bit more nutritional value. With your ingredients prepped, it's time to make the burger portion of these salad jars. Instead of burger patties like you'd get at the drive-thru, we're going to use extra lean ground beef for this recipe. It's a lot leaner and way healthier, but still just as delicious. Season one pound of extra lean ground beef with salt and pepper, and brown it in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the fat is absorbed and it's fully cooked. Ground beef will give you that authentic Big Mac flavor, but if you want to go for an even healthier version, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead. Next up, make the Big Mac sauce, which is actually so easy. All it takes is three ingredients. Just mix together half a cup of light mayo, two tablespoons of ketchup, and one tablespoon of relish. You can buy pre-made Big Mac sauce at the grocery store, but in my opinion, it doesn't taste the same. This homemade version is really easy and has fewer preservatives. You can even make a big batch ahead of time and store it in the fridge to add onto fresh salads or even homemade burgers. Trust me, this sauce is so good, you're gonna wanna put it on everything. Okay, so now that you've got the veggies, the beef, and the sauce, assemble your salads in four one-liter mason jars. Divide the sauce among the bottom of all the jars, followed by the cooked ground beef, onions, pickles, and tomatoes. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top and finish it all off with the lettuce, then pop the lid on and you've got a Big Mac salad in a jar. These salad jars will last in the fridge for up to five days, so when you're ready to eat them, all you have to do is shake up the jar, dump everything into a large bowl, and dig in. Okay, last but certainly not least, we're going to make a healthy sweet potato salad. It's a real crowd-pleaser at picnics, backyard barbecues, and cookouts. It's a healthier version of the classic potato salad, and in my opinion, it's way more delicious. Everyone's going to be asking for this recipe after they try it. First up, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and get all your varying ingredients ready. Peel four medium-sized sweet potatoes and cut them into one-inch pieces, then slice four green onions, dice two celery stalks, dice one red pepper, rinse and drain one can of black beans, and defrost one cup of frozen corn. You can use fresh or canned corn if you like. I just find that frozen corn is the easiest. Next up, roast the sweet potatoes, which are way healthier than your traditional potatoes. If you don't feel like turning on the oven in the summer heat, you can saute them on the stovetop, but I find that roasting them just takes the flavor to the next level. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add the sweet potatoes to the pan, and drizzle them with one tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and then toss everything to coat. Stick them in the oven and bake for 12 minutes per side so that they get a nice char on them. If you want them even crispier, just add five minutes to the cooking time, but make sure that you keep an eye on them to check that they're not burning. Crispy is good, burned is not. Also, be sure to flip each individual sweet potato piece halfway through. It takes a little bit of time, but it's totally worth it because you'll get that amazing smoky flavor. When they're done roasting, remove them from the oven, and let the sweet potatoes cool for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the turkey bacon and whip up the dressing. I like using six slices of turkey bacon for this recipe to keep the calorie count down, but you can use regular bacon if you want. Cook the bacon in a large pan on the stovetop for five to six minutes and let it cool before chopping it all up into pieces. Now onto the dressing, which is super easy to make. Mix together a third of a cup of light mayo, a quarter of a cup of sour cream, one teaspoon of chili powder, one teaspoon of garlic powder, three quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl. This is the same bowl you're going to mix up the rest of the salad in, so make sure that it's large enough. When all of the toppings are ready and the sweet potatoes have had a chance to cool, add everything to the large bowl with the dressing and gently toss to coat. And there you have it, a healthier sweet potato salad that doesn't compromise on flavor. This salad is so much better than your traditional potato salad and will be a huge hit for any summer gathering. And it's a treat for your work week lunches. Store everything together in a large container with a lid for two or three days if you're taking it to a party. If you plan on meal prepping this salad for your weekly lunches, store individual servings in glass meal prep containers and take one with you on the go. Okay, how delicious do all of these salads look? They're getting me super pumped for summer. I love making these salads ahead of time so that I can just grab one from the fridge and head out to eat it in a park, on my balcony, or by the lake. All of these salad recipes are great for meal prep so you can spend less time cooped up in the kitchen and more time outdoors enjoying the warm weather. Now that you've got five easy, different summer salad recipes to choose from, which one are you going to make first? These salads are going to bring you all the summertime vibes. If you're loving these recipes, please be sure to give this video a thumbs up and make sure to subscribe to my channel for more meal prep inspiration. I've got new videos coming out weekly with delicious recipes you'll love. Plus, I've got even more summer salad recipes to choose from in my free four-week meal plan, which I've linked to in the description below, so download your copy now. All right, guys, I'm going to grab one of these salads and head outside to soak up some vitamin D. Thanks for hanging out with me in my kitchen today, and I will see you in the next video.