Healthy Food You’ll Love to Eat: Berry Balsamic Salad

There is no denying the simplicity of this gorgeous, fresh, healthy salad. With just a few ingredients, you can transform a quick lunch or dinner starter into a dish that you crave!

Stay Away From Pre-Packaged Meals

When you think of a salad you might picture a soggy pre-packaged mixture of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes with a squeeze pack of dressing but rest assured- THERE IS MORE OUT THERE. Forget about that emergency gas station salad you grabbed when you forgot your lunch on Monday morning and let this one do the talking. 

I have to admit, I definitely went through a terrible salad phase. Not because I have a bizarre love for lettuce, but because I was really trying to be healthy. There was a solid three month period where I thought that I was taking charge of my health and being prepared by picking up four or five pre-made salads from Trader Joe’s every weekend. I was proud to have my work lunches ready but I never enjoyed them. By day two the lettuce was starting to brown and by day four I was throwing them away because 1. I was so darn tired of salads and 2. because they were the complete opposite of fresh. 

If this is your weekly lunch plan too, take a minute to consider not only what you’re spending on these “healthy” meals, but also how many you are wasting and the quality. At the start, I was so happy to be prepared enough that I could sleep in a little later in the mornings without worrying about packing a meal and I could even pass on grabbing take-out with my co-workers for lunch. But I quickly began to see that my efforts to be frugal and eat healthy were failing both my wallet and mid-day hanger. 

The only perk of pre-packaged is convenience, switch things up and give this quick and so, so easy salad a try. It’s great to take to work or to serve up alongside dinner. And hey- if you’re hosting and want to impress, this is something simple that will have your guests asking for your secrets!

Building Your Salad

To make this fresh berry and balsamic salad, start out with your lettuce of choice. We tend to stray away from iceberg and any bagged mixtures. Today, I chose a bit of spring mix and red head lettuce I snagged from Tiny Seed Farm at a local farmers market. If you can- try to find a variety of greens and colored lettuce, when there’s more color in your dish there are likely more health benefits. 

To finish this up, you don’t need many more ingredients. Slice a few fresh strawberries, add a handful of blueberries, and a few blackberries if you have them. Dark berries have lots of nutritional value and they add enough sweetness that you won’t feel like you’re taking a bite out of a garden if salads aren’t your fav. 

Top everything off with a sprinkle of goat cheese crumbles. If you’re hesitant to try goat cheese like I was- this MAKES the salad. The goat cheese crumbles add just a touch of creaminess and I’m sure after one bite you’ll want to add it to every salad you eat from here on out. Don’t be deterred by the goat. 

Our dressing of choice for this salad is a balsamic glaze. You don’t need to go all out and create your own, we LOVE this Fig Balsamic Glaze from Roland Foods. We pick ours up at a local Italian market but you can find it here.

Add Your Own Touch

If you want to take this salad from a side dish to a full meal, try adding grilled chicken, steak, or these Healthy Honey Garlic Roasted Chickpeas. 

The few minutes of extra effort that comes from washing your lettuce and the fruits that you chose will seriously outweigh the convenience of any prepackaged salad you can find. This meal will be fresh, delicious, quick, and undeniably healthy. 

I hope this takes your lunch or dinner from zero to delicious, let us know if you tried this recipe and any changes you made- we love trying your recipes just as much as we love sharing ours!