Who said salads must be boring to be healthy? If you’re doing it right, this green dish is never flavorless — or any of the other things kids often think. In fact, this health food can contain practically anything, even the ingredients of their favorite fast-food burger!
Here are just a few recipes to kick your salad creations up a notch and encourage your kids to eat healthily!
Potato Salad With Bacon
If your kid isn’t big on veggies or leafy greens, potato salad can be a great way to sneak in some healthy food with already familiar favorites — potatoes and bacon! This recipe is relatively simple and requires ingredients you likely already have, like celery, mayonnaise and onion.
Put a spin on this classic recipe by adding some hard-boiled eggs to the mixture, providing your kids with some much-needed protein. Hopefully, they’ll notice the potatoes, bacon and eggs and happily eat it, veggies and all.
Waldorf Salad
This all-American classic contains ingredients from three of the five food groups, adding both nutritional value and deliciousness to your table. The Waldorf salad contains apps, celery, grapes and walnuts, along with a few other simple ingredients.
Mix everything together with mayonnaise or yogurt for a healthier alternative. Let your kids decide whether to eat it alone, on a bed of lettuce or even between two slices of bread. However they choose to consume this salad, it’s sure to be tasty.
Fruit Salad
Do you really need a recipe for this salad? After all, it’s as easy as chopping up random fruits and tossing them together, right? While that may sound fine, this recipe takes the dish to a whole new level by adding a sweet dressing that requires only honey, lemon zest and orange juice. As for the contents of the salad itself, you may choose to follow the recipe or add whatever’s in season.
Greek Salad
This recipe may require a few more ingredients than the ones above, but it’s worth it if your child loves veggies and vinaigrette. Greek salads are generally healthy and include cucumbers, feta, tomatoes, olives and more.
Purchase a store-bought vinaigrette or make your own, per the recipe, for added flavor and freshness. Although these instructions don’t include lettuce, you may add romaine to make the meal more filling. Just be sure to add the dressing and toss close to serving time to preserve crispness.
Taco Salad
What kid doesn’t love cheesy, crunchy Doritos? Even in a salad, these chips are delicious. This taco salad combines the flavor of Doritos — or whatever chip suits your fancy — with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and more. Serve this salad with whatever dressing your kids prefer, or let the moisture of the meat be the flavoring. No matter your child’s age, this is sure to be a favorite.
Burger Salad
If your kids are begging you to drive through the local fast food joint on the way home from school, give this burger salad a try instead. A great, healthy alternative to a Big Mac, this salad incorporates beef, pickles, tomatoes, cheese and more without a bun. The key is to add whatever your kids love on their burgers. Even the pickiest eaters can’t say no!
Pasta Salad
Even if your kids hate the thought of eating salad, they’ll probably be eager to try this one, especially if the main ingredient comes in fun shapes or colors. Let your kids pick out the noodles for this pasta salad, then get to work chopping up all the ingredients. Don’t worry, there aren’t too many! Then, mix everything and let your hungry kids dig in.
Wedge Salad
A classic, the wedge salad is mountainous and delicious. A cold wedge of iceberg lettuce will set the stage for this recipe. Top it with blue cheese, bacon and tomatoes to dress it up a bit. If your kids aren’t particularly fond of blue cheese, feel free to toss on whichever cheese or dressing they prefer. Add chives for garnish and serve as the main course or a side dish.
Broccoli Salad
Does your kid love broccoli? If so, this salad is the perfect solution for an after-school snack or a side dish at dinner. This recipe includes cranberries, bacon, cheese and sunflower seeds. It also contains instructions to make your own dressing with a mixture of ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge and cupboards.
While you can serve this salad immediately after making it, it’s best to let it sit for up to three days to give the broccoli time to absorb the flavors.
Caprese Salad With Whipped Ricotta
Not only is this salad easy to whip up, containing only 8 ingredients including salt and peppers, but the combination of sweet tomatoes and creamy cheese is also one of the best pairings out there. Zucchini bulks up this salad and adds another tasty vegetable into your kiddos.
Simple Salad
Honestly, when it comes to salad, anything goes. This recipe gives you a few tips to help you make the best leafy salad ever, offering pointers on how and when to dress the salad, how to prepare greens and which garnishes work best. In the end, however, the best, simple salad is one that your kids will actually eat — and enjoy!
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