Winter Crunch Time

So, it's ubiquitous with the New Year to want to eat healthier. In that way, I guess I'm a schmuck because one of my goals is to try to eat salads for lunches. Not bird food salads, but salads worthy of a meal (and lighter fare than if I weren't eating a salad.)

I thought it would be fun to mix things up with my fiance and take turns making the lunch salads. He's all about the vegetables, so this is right up his alley. For the first salad, I made Whole Foods' Winter Crunch Salad over baby spinach with my own version of balsamic vinaigrette and because I was lazy some leftover roasted nuts from the holidays (I cherish my raw cashews too much to roast them!)

Three primary reasons I'm opting for us making the salads versus getting them at the grocery store salad bar or local restaurant each day:

1) Cost
$7.99/lb seems to be the going rate for a salad bar in my neck of the woods. When you start adding hummus  which apparently weighs the same as wet cement, you're talking a $8+ salad. Add a drink and the temptation of the bakery, and this just isn't a winning solution for me.

2) Quality
When I was a wee lass making it big in Boston, I got a $6 greek salad with pita pretty much every workday and life was alright. Fast forward to now, and the occasional greek salad sans pita is costing me $8.50 AND today I got a frozen cherry tomato which is disgusting in case you were wondering. #FAIL.

3) Time
I like to cook and invent in the kitchen. I do not like to get up early or take an extended break in the middle of a busy work day. Packing a lunch affords me the luxury of prepping the food on my time which works best for me.

I'm scouring the internet and recipe books for inspiration. Please share if you have a plant-based salad I should add to the rotation!