When All Else Fails, Add More Wine

I am going to take a moment to sing the praises of the single serve ready made salad. I first tried them when my market closed the salad bar at the start of the pandemic. (I was a big fan of the salad bar…)

Now, during farmer’s market season, I will buy their super awesome salad mix greens and actually make my salads, but we’re two months away from that – and I don’t always get over there every week.

Enter the ready made salad. They have a decent fridge life*, a nice variety of options, AND I GET VEGETABLES INTO MY BODY.

My local market carries Dole & Ready Pac – and all you have to do it open it, toss it in a tupperware with a lid, give it a shake, add the dressing, another shake, and SALAD!

I do get a little fancy with mine – I add croutons, some extra cheese, some extra chicken or ham**, and a few shakes of whatever seasoning blend is my favorite that day.

But even if you don’t add anything – you’re still getting some veggies and protein and that’s good for you.

Is it more expensive than buying all the salad stuff and just making salads? Yes. Is it cheaper than buying all the salad stuff and having it just get gross in the fridge because for whatever reason actually getting the salad made is harder than you thought it would be? Definitely.

Behold the messy glory of my chef salad with extra cheese and chicken. I don’t know why my camera wanted to make everything so…golden yellow, but I also couldn’t figure out how to fix it, LOL. But, it was tasty.

* I do always double check the ‘best by’ date when I am buying them just to be sure I’m not grabbing one that has a day left.
** I get ready to go proteins, too. Either pre-diced/chopped ham, or ready to go grilled chicken strips, either from the market deli or the Purdue shortcuts.