Greens, apples, peppers, onions, toasted almonds and a quick honey dressing make this salad a perfect addition to any meal.
Eat Your Greens!!
“Eating Greens is a special treat, it makes long ears and great, big feet but it sure is awful stuff to eat.” We used to quote this line from Bambi to our mom when she served us salad.
Do you or anyone you know feel this way about greens? We eat a lot of greens and salads in our house and so my children have all been introduced to salads, lettuce, and greens from a young age. Some kids have a natural aversion to the color green while others have no issues diving in.
Do Your Children Struggle?
My youngest son really has a hard time with lettuce and greens! It has been a long process trying to get him to eat them. We are still working on it! We started out with just one bite and he would gag and spit it out but eventually he got to where he would chew it up and swallow it and that was celebrated!
It can definitely be a process but I feel it is important and so I try to have patience with that process. Every kid and every situation is different so getting a child to eat healthy food might look different for you then for a friend. I think any effort put into developing healthy eating habits is worth it. Their little bodies and ours need it!
Quick and Simple
This salad is simple and quick. It is perfect for a side salad to increase the nutritional value of your dinner or even an awesome lunch. It gets wilty pretty quickly so you want to make it right before you serve it.
A friend of mine recently taught me a magical trick – chop your spring mix! I like spring mix and it is a simple way to get lots of different types of greens but I have never loved the size of the leaves. Why didn’t it ever cross my mind to chop it? Well, that’s what I do everytime I use it now and it has been a game changer.
Simple Green Side Salad
Salad:
4-5 cups chopped spring mix
1 cup chopped apples
⅓ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
⅓ cup slivered almonds
Dressing:
8 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
Directions:
Warm a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup slivered almonds. I like to sprinkle a little salt on my almonds if they are unsalted. Let toast for 30-60 seconds. Stirring or shaking the pan constantly. Remove from heat when the almonds are just starting to brown on the edges.
While the nuts cool, chop the spring mix and place in a large bowl. Chop the apples, pepper and red onion and place in the bowl with the greens. Add the cooled nuts. Gently toss.
Add all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Stir until well combined. Add desired amount of the dressing to the salad and toss gently. Serve immediately.
If you want to prepare the salad ahead of time, keep all the ingredients separate until just before you are ready to serve. The dressing can be made a few days in advance.
