I do a decent job of planning out my family’s dinners (at least I try!). When it comes to lunch, that’s a different story. My husband works from home so he usually claims the leftovers for lunch. And since I’m always late, that leaves me scrambling to find something healthy to bring for lunch. Since doing the diet cleanse at the beginning of the year, I’ve been trying to incorporate more salads for lunch.
When I saw the recipe for this salad on one of my favorite blogs, Oh She Glows, I knew it would be perfect for my lunch dilemma! She was inspired by a salad she purchased from Whole Foods and set out to recreate it. She gives instructions for creating a layered salad that is stored in mason jars so you can just grab one and go. I didn’t have the right size jars, so I just mix it in one big bowl and pack some for lunch each day. One batch lasts me at least a week! To give you an idea of how much I love this salad, I’ve made it three out of the past four weeks. So yummy!
It can be completely customized based on your vegetable or grain preferences, what’s in season or what’s in your refrigerator. I’ve thrown in apples and it was amazing and I’m thinking next time I’ll add diced mango or pear. Here’s my version but be sure to check out the original post here.
- 1 cup uncooked, rinsed wheatberries (makes 2¼ cups cooked)
- 1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa (makes 2.5 cups cooked)
- 1 bag frozen edamame, cooked and cooled
- 2-3 large carrots, diced
- 1 large red pepper, diced
- 1 large yellow pepper, diced
- 1 quarter of a head of purple cabbage, chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado, optional
- DRESSING:
- ⅔ cup 100% pure orange juice
- ⅓ cup 100% pure apple juice
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 T fresh minced ginger
- 1 T lime juice
- kosher salt to taste
- In a medium-sized pot, add quinoa and 1.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until fluffy, about 15-20 minutes. Do the same for the wheatberries but add 2 cups of water and cook until tender and chewy, about 30-40 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the vegetables (except the avocado) and the cooked grains. Add the dressing and refrigerate. Enjoy!!
- **I add the avocado right before I eat the salad in order to prevent it from browning.**
Michelle, this sounds SO yummy! I bet it would be really good with salmon or chicken added to it. I will have to try this because I’m always looking for new lunch ideas.
Thanks, Katie! It can also easily be made gluten-free. Chicken and salmon would be a delicious addition. Let me know if you try it.