Spicing Up the Everyday Summer Garden Salad

Summer is the perfect time to have fun and get creative with salads, as they supply good nutrients without the extra-full feeling and calories. And who wants to feel stuffed on a hot summer day? Summer and salads just go well together. They also DON'T heat up your kitchen while preparing.

Garden salads are excellent appetizers before eating a full meal. It's also beneficial if you are trying to lose a few pounds. If you fill up on a light salad before a meal, you are likely to consume less calories. Makes sense right?

I know what you're thinking! "Garden salads are boring." Well...maybe so, if you let them be. But, guess what? They don't have to be!

There are so many things you can do to a salad to spice things up with both color and taste. Start with your basic fresh crisp greens. Iceberg and especially romaine lettuce provide lots of good nutrients. Then zip things up by adding a bit of color with some red lettuce, red tomatoes, and red bell peppers. You can even toss some red onions in to sweeten the taste.

Adding some veggies can significantly add a wide variety of color, taste, and texture which will instantly add a bit of zest to your typical mundane garden salad. Why not try some fresh steamed broccoli, or some asparagus? Maybe some cauliflower or fresh okra? Don't knock it until you've tried it! The idea is to make the salad more appetizing and appealing to your liking.

You can also make your garden salad into a hearty chef salad by adding grilled chicken, beef, or ham. Then toss a hard boiled egg into the mix. Meat and eggs both will also benefit you by adding some of your daily intake of protein. Protein gives you lots of energy. Bean sprouts and nuts also offer extra variety and protein.

Fruits also comes in many distinct colors and tastes. Chopping and tossing in some of your favorite fresh fruit makes for a delicious homemade salad. Try some mouth-watering strawberries, fresh peaches, or maybe even some apples and raisins. I'm getting hungry just thinking about these salad combinations. Main point here is...you don't have to settle for the everyday boring salad.

Below is a simple salad combination recipe

Chicken Apple Garden Salad

Ingredients

1 head iceberg lettuce
2 baked skinless chicken breasts, chopped
2 small red apples, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
salad dressing of your choice

Directions

Clean and chop up lettuce. Bake chicken breasts in covered baking dish @300 degrees F for 45 minutes. Cut up into chunks.

Combine ingredients. Mix well and top with salad dressing of your choice.

Listed below are just a few foods that you can add to salads to spice things up a notch or two

bacon
hard boiled eggs
celery
cheddar cheese
goat cheese
grilled chicken
beef
ham
tuna
pasta
raisins
nuts
mango
yogurt
sour cream
fruits
dried fruits
sprinkle parmesan cheese
pineapple chunks
bean sprouts
kidney beans
green beans
steamed broccoli
steamed cauliflower
grapes
apples
small animal crackers
croutons
any colorful veggies or fruits

I bet you can come up with some more. Get creative with your greens! Experiment with your taste buds. You can also get creative with various types of dressings to top off your masterpiece. There are no rules here, get your creative juices flowing and see how many variations of salads you can come up with. Try them out with your family and friends at all those summer backyard barbecues you will be having.