One of the most frustrating things for me in grocery stores is bagged salads. I like to eat healthier because I feel better, but supermarkets certainly do not make it easier for me to do so. They sell bagged salads with some wacky ingredients, lettuce/greens with no beneficial nutrients, and they are so overpriced!

Yesterday, I had an idea hit me so suddenly that I was surprised! Why not make my own bagged salads?

Genius I tell ya!

Some of you, I know, are saying “duh”. Some of you are wondering what kind of time and bother is involved. I don’t blame you. With the schedule I have been keeping lately, I couldn’t be making anything complicated or mind-boggling. I just can’t do it.

The benefits of making your own bagged salad are:

1. You control the ingredients.

You can make them anyway you like them! You can have as many ingredients or as little ingredients as you like. I dislike red onions and nuts in my salads so to have a salad without those? Awesomeness!

2. You waste less. 

You control the potions. I made my salads up thinking individuals servings. They will wilt more slowly than if they were in one big bag. I also bought ingredients that I would use in other meals making even less waste.

3. The salads are healthier for you. 

Most bagged salads contain pesticides and preservatives to protect the quality of the salad as well as to slow down the wilting and browning of the ingredients. Nasty! Also, they include ingredients that are not so good for you to appeal to you a little more like candied nuts, heavy dressings, and croutons/crackers.

4. The costs involved are less. 

Less waste, less cost. You can buy the ingredients per potion for less than pre-bagged salads.You are getting ingredients you like and can be used for other dishes. The costs get even less if you have fresh garden produce that you can use instead of store bought.

5. This salad is portable.

This salad has travel options! You can take it to work with you. You can take it on picnics with you. You can take it to the ball game with you. You can pack it in the cooler for car trips. The options are endless!

Sounds great, right?

This is so easy you will wonder why you didn’t think of it! Any ingredients you want, you put together. You know what you like!

Here is my first version of MYO Bagged Salad:

1 bag of organic raw spinach
1 – 1 lb. bag of snow peas
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 pint of sliced mushrooms

I used a quart-sized plastic bag for my salad, but you can use a pint size bag depending on a potion size that works for you. You can also use jars if you do not like to use plastic bag.

I filled the bag halfway with the spinach (a good handful). I added about 10-12 snow peas, 6 grape tomatoes, and about 1/3 cup mushrooms. This is a rough guess because I just tossed the ingredients in. I wish I could be a bit more fancy and give exact measurements, but it is what it is.

Close the bag and you are done. If you like cheese on your salad, you can add that in the bagged salad or when you dump the salad out. If you are into salad dressing, you can put that into a little container to take with your salad.

Easy peasy! Even better, you can eat it in the bag if you want or dump it into a bowl/plate. You can eat it with your fingers if you don’t care what others think! Although I wouldn’t if you put salad dressing on it. That might get messy.

Use your garden produce in this recipe! Snapped green beans, chunks of kohlrabi, chopped carrots, and summer squash would taste wonderful as well as the ingredients listed!

Give this a try and let me know how it works for you! Let me know what combinations you used!

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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