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This post has been rolling around in my head for a long time now. I’ve been on the Nutritarian journey for very close to 2 years now (Anniversary: June 28th!) and I’ve been making this salad weekly for much of the time.

So I’ve had a little practice. ;)

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The best part about this salad is that if you have lots of Nutritarian basics on hand, you can make this salad whenever you want, with whatever ingredients you have. It’s very flexible. Also, if you prepare it the way I explain in the video (lots of tips and tricks I’ve learned over the past 2 years), it will be simple, and it can keep for 5-7 days in the fridge!

If you make enough, you’ll have food for a whole week! Make it Sunday and just take some with you to work and you’re all set!

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I am aware that Kitchen Sink Salad isn’t the greatest name for it, but it’s what I always call it. And it helps to explain that it can be made with an infinite amount of Nutritarian combinations. No two salads have ever been the same for me!

Kitchen Sink Salad Recipe Video

So let’s call this more of a template than a recipe. But if you’re armed with how to throw it together, you’ll never be without a super nutritious salad. Planning ahead is the most important part to staying on track.

The Template for the Weight Loss Salad

GREENS
Start by adding any type of green that you like to your salad, and mix and match it up! Use any combination of: romaine, chard, kale, green or red leaf lettuce, butter or bibb, radicchio, green or red cabbage, dandelion greens, spinach, bok choy, etc! Experiment and challenge yourself to try out a new type of green every week. Your salad can have just one, or many at at time. I love the variety of having several in one salad. Chop it into smaller pieces to make more room in the bowl.

VEGETABLES
Add any type of vegetable to the top of the salad. Add them in manageable form like shredded or diced. Try to use fresh or frozen/defrosted whenever possible. And if you must use canned varieties (I do sometimes), make sure to use the no salt version. Steer away from starchy vegetables like potatoes or corn when possible, or just use those for accent (I often do, but limited quantities). Try to use more cruciferous veggies as a first choice (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc). I limit those however, because I like how the salad tastes with less, but I still try to use them whenever possible.

BEANS AND LEGUMES
Make sure to add beans and legumes to your salad. It will give it the substance that you really need to get through your day and remain full. Lots of fiber! Again, if using canned as opposed to homemade, use the no salt variety. Try varieties like cannelini, garbanzo, navy bean, black bean, lentils, kidney, adzuki or any others! Aim for 1 cup per day of beans and you’ll never go hungry!

NUTS AND SEEDS
In sparing quantities, add nuts and seeds to your salad as well. Always choose the unroasted, no salt versions. You can find them in any grocery store, sometimes in the bulk section, often near produce. Aim for a handful of nuts and seeds every day for some great nutrition, fiber and healthy fats.

FRUITS
Add any type of fruit that you like if you want a pop of sweet flavor. Blueberries or chopped apples are my favorites, but get creative! If you are using dried fruits, use those sparingly as they add lots of dense calories and sugars with less water.

What About Dressing??

This is an important question. Having this salad is fine if you don’t add many additional calories. But since it’s such a large salad, if you’re using a regular “American style” dressing, you’re going to run into trouble, because you’ll want to use a lot.

Your best bet is to use something with lots of flavor but little calories, since the salad already has loads of flavor. My favorite choices are:

  • Any Nutritarian dressing “google: “nutritarian salad dressing recipe” and you’ll find many!
  • Balsamic vinegar, plain: I LOVE the flavored versions you can get in those fancy oil and vinegar stores
  • 1/2 an avocado + lime juice: mix it all together really well to coat the salad
  • Just some lemon or lime juice
  • Eat it plain! Get used to the flavors of salad, and over time you will find that eating plain salad isn’t the end of the world!

***

 

The Bowl I Use To Chop It All

And I have to say, if I have a smoothie for breakfast, and a massive helping of this salad mid-afternoon, I am good for the whole entire day — no cravings or hunger whatsoever. It’s a great introduction to the Nutritarian lifestyle…and weight loss to boot!

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Here’s the version I made just today, with notes above about how you can substitute for literally any other Nutritarian ingredients you have in your house.

Kitchen Sink Salad Recipe
 
Prep time
Total time
 
If you use watery ingredients like cucumber or tomato, it's best to leave those separate until you want to eat the salad, or else they make it watery sometimes and don't do very well with the chopping process. Not a dealbreaker, but just a helpful tip. The 10 minute prep time is if you already have all of your ingredients prepped. It takes considerably longer if you have to do all the prep work. Usually takes me about an hour for a week's worth of salad.
Author:
Recipe type: salad
Serves: 5-7 large salads
Ingredients
  • GREENS:
  • 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, washed, dried, torn into pieces
  • 1 cup dandelion greens, washed, dried, torn into pieces
  • 1 cup baby kale mix, washed, dried, torn into pieces
  • 7 large leaves green leaf lettuce, washed, dried, torn into pieces
  • BEANS AND LEGUMES:
  • ¾ cup edamame, shelled and steamed
  • 1 cup sprouted mung beans
  • ¾ cup green peas, frozen and thawed, or no salt variety if using canned
  • NUTS AND SEEDS:
  • 3 tablespoons hemp seeds, raw, unsalted
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted
  • VEGETABLES:
  • ¾ cup corn, frozen and thawed, or no salt variety if using canned
  • ½ cup beets, steamed
  • ¾ cup shredded carrots
  • ¾ cup green peppers, chopped
  • ¾ cup clover sprouts
  • FRUITS:
  • ¾ cup blueberries, fresh
Instructions
  1. Add all greens ingredients to the OXO salad bowl. Chop until ½ the original volume. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, except for the blueberries, on top of the chopped salad. Chop a few more times until desired size.
  2. Personally, I like for the pieces to be very small so I can eat more at a time. The more you eat, the healthier you are and the more weight you lose!