Salads are one of my favorite things to bring to lunch, but they can get boring after a while, especially if you always use the same combinations of vegetables & dressing. And, if you don’t add any protein or other toppings, this potentially nutrient dense meal can be much less filling & satisfying. We need good fuel at lunchtime to power through our afternoons, which means whatever we choose for lunch needs to be a balanced, healthy meal.
These five salad recipes are some of my personal favorites. They are packed with flavor & nutrients for a satisfying & delicious meal that you’ll want to have again & again.
Apple Walnut Salad
One of the most delicious ways to spice up your salad is to add fresh fruits & nuts. This Apple Walnut Salad is a delicious medley of fruits, vegetables & nuts that create a tasty medley on your tongue with every bite.
Makes: 1 serving
Ingredients:
2 cups mixed spring greens
1/4 cup blackberries
1/2 apple, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp paleo jam (I love Wellbees strawberry jam)
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Toss mixed spring greens, blackberries, apple slices, red bell pepper, & cucumber slices in a bowl. Top with chopped walnuts.
In a separate bowl, whisk together paleo jam, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, orange juice, extra-virgin olive oil, & sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
This delicious Caesar salad recipe is made without anchovies & topped with a vegan Parmesan cheese! It is honestly the best salad I have ever had.
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
For the croutons:
3 slices sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
For the Caesar Dressing:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp drained capers
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 cup avocado mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise for a completely vegan recipe)
For the Vegan Parmesan:
1 1/3 cups unsalted roasted cashews
2/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp sea salt
For the salad:
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Mixed greens, chopped
Fresh avocado, sliced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together bread cubes, olive oil & sea salt. Spread on a prepared baking sheet & cook for 15 minutes or until beginning to brown.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine cashews, nutritional yeast & sea salt. Pulse until crumbly & resembles Parmesan cheese.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine capers, black pepper, mayonnaise, mustard, & garlic cloves. Pulse until combined & garlic is completely minced.
Prepare plates with a mix of romaine lettuce & mixed greens. Top with sliced avocado, Caesar dressing, vegan Parmesan, & croutons.
Enjoy!
Note: I topped my salad with shrimp for a little extra protein. Feel free to top with your favorite protein or eat as is for a completely vegan recipe.
Thank you Pure Wow for the delicious recipe inspiration!
Fresh Summer Salad
This salad is fresh & summery, the perfect meal for a hot day.
Makes: 1 serving
Ingredients:
2-3 cups romaine lettuce
1/2 peach, sliced
1 ear cooked corn, corn shaved off the cob
1 carrot, chopped
6 large shrimp, thawed if frozen
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Directions:
Spray a pan with cooking spray. Cook shrimp over medium heat until pink & cooked through.
Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, & maple syrup.
Top lettuce with peach slices, shaved corn kernels, carrot slices, & shrimp. Drizzle with dressing.
Enjoy!
Antioxidant-Boost Salad
This delicious, vibrant salad is full of antioxidants thanks to the almonds, strawberry & veggies, & the shrimp add some extra protein to give you energy all afternoon.
Makes: 1 serving
Ingredients:
2-3 cups romaine lettuce
7 strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1 carrot, chopped
6 large shrimp, thawed if frozen
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Directions:
Spray a pan with cooking spray. Cook shrimp over medium heat until pink & cooked through.
Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, & pure maple syrup.
Top romaine lettuce with strawberries, almonds, carrot slices, & shrimp. Drizzle with dressing.
Enjoy!
Harvest Salad
This harvest salad is a delicious & filling lunch bursting with fall flavor. The recipe is vegan, but you can add your favorite protein, if desired.
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups brussels sprouts
4 cups diced acorn squash
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
5 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 cloves garlic
4 tbsp water, to thin dressing
salt, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F & prepare a baking sheet with foil & cooking spray. Cut the ends off the Brussels sprouts & discard; then cut the sprouts in half. Toss Brussels sprouts halves & chopped acorn squash with olive oil & salt & pepper, to taste. Spread evenly on the baking sheet & roast for 30 minutes, or until tender.
Whisk together tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, water, & salt, to taste.
Top kale with roasted veggies, pomegranate arils, chopped walnuts, & dried cranberries. Drizzle with dressing.
In 2020, my husband, Joseph, & I made the pact that we would visit all 50 states in the United States together. We still have long to go, but since our first road trip to Colorado up to now planning trips to North Carolina, Montana, Wyoming, Vermont & New York for this year, we have learned a lot about how see the most of these amazing & diverse states without breaking the bank.
If you have the same daunting goal as we do, or if you are just planning a trip for this upcoming summer, read on for my top nine travel tips that will give you a budget-friendly trip that is fun & full of adventures.
Whenever I start planning a trip, the first thing I do is search online for the best places to go & things to do in that state. You can find so many great ideas online, sometimes including full itineraries! I always cross reference these to other sources to make sure I am getting everything I want on my personal itinerary. However, if you find one you like online, there is no harm in following it! This is especially convenient for places you are not familiar with, or if you are not conformable making your own itinerary.
As a side note, I recommend staying away from the official tourist sites & instead reading blogs of fellow travelers. Tourist sites sometimes recommend places that make them the most money or places that have paid for advertisement, rather than the best spots. Travel bloggers (like myself) can also recommend secret hidden spots they stumbled across, places they heard about from locals, & other unique spots to eat, rest, etc. that you wouldn’t normally find on a tourist website.
Based on the information I find online, I next head to Google maps to plan out my itinerary. I have my top destination points, & based on where those are, I add other items based on what’s nearby or what is close to our road trip route.
2. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone
This tip goes along with the last one, but it’s important enough to get its own spot on my list. When you are picking activities for your trip, don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone. Often when planning budget-friendly trips, it’s easy to just pick a few things that you are familiar with & then base the trip around those activities. But we have all been to the beach a million times, & while it’s fun, I find it much more interesting & rewarding to try new things that are unique to each place we visit.
When Joseph & I plan a trip, we have four categories of activities we have to complete in order to say that we really visited the state & can cross it off our list. First, we have to hike at a national park (this is our favorite activity, & if we didn’t have this list, it is probably the only thing we would do). This is a wonderful opportunity to really see & experience the place you are visiting. Plus, it’s a great way to stretch your legs & get in some fresh air after a long flight or car ride.
Second, we have to walk a main street. This is a great way to get a feel for the culture of the place you are visiting & an opportunity to talk to locals to find out what they like to do & where they like to go if you have some extra time in your itinerary.
Third, we have to eat at a local restaurant. This usually goes along with our main street visit, & we will often ask locals where they love to eat. We try to find something that is also a local cuisine (i.e. Mexican food in San Diego, or pretzels & cheesesteaks in Philadelphia) so we can get a real taste for where we are staying.
Last, we have to do a tourist attraction. This is always our least favorite & most expensive part of our trip, but sometimes we end up having a great time. It’s a fun way to experience the place we are visiting, & a great way to find out what unique activities each place we visit has to offer.
3. Always add a time buffer into your itinerary for each activity
When planning activities, always account for an extra hour than the time actually needed. When I am planning my itinerary, I always search online for the average amount of time it takes to complete each activity. How long does it take to explore the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or how long does it take to drive from San Diego to the Redwood National Forest, or even how long does it take to hike Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park? Once I have my average answer, I always add an hour on top it. This gives time for us to relax, take photos, & enjoy conversation, & it keeps us from worrying about what is coming next & whether or not we will be on time.
I have learned this one from experience. I used to plan my itineraries based exactly on the average time, & then I was stressed any time we spent too long on the top of a mountain enjoying the view or we got stuck in traffic. But these things are part of the adventure! Allot for extra time in your itinerary, & if you find you have too much time on your hands, you can always slip enjoying a cup of coffee at a local cafe.
4. Be flexible about your flight times
The view out my window during my flight to Arizona
Now that you know what you are doing on your trip, it’s time to decide when you will be going. If you can, be flexible about the actual dates you are traveling. This will allow you to find the cheapest flights within the time frame you wish to take your trip.
Whether or not you can be flexible with the dates, my next recommendation is to be flexible with the flight times. I personally recommend booking an early flight out & a late flight back. Early morning & late evening flights are often the cheapest, & flying in early allows you to get an early start to your trip (you can always take a nap when you arrive at your destination or even on the plane), & leaving late allows you to get the most out of your vacation. As long as you don’t have anything planned for the day after your trip, you will have plenty of time to rest & recover.
Airbnbs are a great alternative to traditional lodging. They range in cost, but you can almost always find a more affordable option than a hotel room. And, you have the opportunity to stay somewhere that gives a local cultural feel, or somewhere that is super unique! Do you want to stay in a log cabin in the mountains, a camper in the forest, or even a treehouse – Airbnb has a unique stay just for you!
When choosing your Airbnb, make sure you click the Superhost option. Superhosts are verified by Airbnb & have tons of reviews to be excellent hosts, which means a much less stressful vacation. It’s no fun getting to your Airbnb late at night, only to find that it is not what you were expecting.
Now that you know when you are going & where you are staying, the next step for many trips is to rent a vehicle for transportation. Despite the prevalence of Uber & Lyft, we have found that renting a car is still often more cost effective, especially for trips that involve lots of traveling (which ours often do).
When choosing a rental car company, I highly recommend going with a larger, more reputable company, rather than a smaller company that seems cheaper. Many smaller rental companies have hidden fees that add up fast. When you rent the car, call first to speak with a representative & ask up front if there will be any surprise fees & what they may be. For most larger companies, there will be minimal if any fees, but asking ahead of time gives you the advantage of knowing what to expect & the opportunity to compare companies to find what’s best for you.
Also, do not let the rental company talk you into buying rental insurance for your vehicle. Check your car insurance plan to be sure, but most people have car insurance that covers damage to a rental vehicle. This is one of the unnecessary costs of renting a car that you do not have to be tricked by.
No matter where you are visiting, the locals have to get there food somehow, & it’s not all from restaurants. Getting food from a grocery store is an underrated way to fuel while you travel. It’s cheaper than anything you will find in a restaurant, & you can even get local fruits, cheeses or meats or try local food brands.
For most of our trips, Joseph & I bring a small cooler that we can fold up into our suitcase for easy portability. We stop at gas stations along the way to refill it with ice, & we keep it stocked the whole time with fixings for sandwiches, protein-rich snacks like cheese sticks & hummus, & veggies & fruits for snacking. We try to eat breakfast & lunch from our little cooler while on the road, & then we treat ourselves to a restaurant for dinner. It’s an easy way to save money while on the road, & it saves you time in your itinerary. Eating on the road or even stopping for a picnic is much faster than any rest stop.
This isn’t really a budget-friendly tip, but I thought I would remiss not to share it. If you are going to be hiking in the wilderness, always bring some emergency supplies & more food & water than you think you need. Before you go, give a copy of your itinerary to someone you trust. A lot of national parks do not have wifi service, so it’s a good idea to also bring downloaded maps.
Even if the hike seems simple, accidents happen, so it’s good to always be prepared & have someone else know where you are in case something does happen. Other than rolling my ankle, I have never been injured on a hike, but I have been lost plenty of times, & the extra food & water really made a difference in keeping my energy up & getting me back home safely.
9. Pick a fun souvenir that you can find almost anywhere
It’s always fun to bring home a memento from your travels. But, if you have ever gone shopping for souvenirs, you know how over-priced they can be. When you’re in the moment, you may be more apt to buy multiple souvenirs on your trip, & before you know it, you can spend your entire budget on these items. And let’s be honest, did you really need another T-shirt?
Think of a type of souvenir that you love & that can be found almost anywhere, & then collect only that. It could be a magnet, coffee mug, shot glass, baseball cap, book, snow globe, keychain, or so much more! When you walk into a souvenir shop, resist buying the first thing that catches your eye. Instead, look for the special item that you are collecting. It’s a guaranteed way to make sure you save money on your trip, & you will start to have a very cool collection of special memories on your bookshelf at home.
Joseph & I personally collect the Starbucks Been There… series mugs. There is a unique mug for every place, & we love looking at the designs on the mug & pointing out the places we went to & things we saw. I also have been personally collecting snow globes since I was a little girl, & I often pick up one of these, if I think I can keep it safe for the entire plane ride home.
Most importantly, enjoy your trip & travel safe!
If you want to share your favorite travel tips with me, or share about your latest adventure, leave me a comment below!
It feels like the to-do list never ends. There are so many different areas of your life to manage, & the tasks to get done keep piling up. What you want to get done never does – there are too many other last-minute things that pop-up & take up your time. The to-do list from one day simply gets transferred to the next page of the journal, with few, if any, items ever being crossed off.
If this sounds like you, I have seven simple tips that will transform your daily life. These productivity tips will help guide you to take charge of your schedule, get your most important tasks done, & still have time to rest & recharge.
This seems like the most simple step, but many people have to-do’s simply running around in their head that never get written on paper. This makes it difficult to remember all that has to be done, which means more mental energy is spent trying to remember the day’s tasks. It also makes it more difficult to prioritize which tasks are most important. Take out a pen & paper or open a note in your phone & write out everything that has to be done & everything you would like to get done today.
There are only so many hours in a day, but if you are strategic, you can get a lot done in those hours. Now that you have all of your tasks written down, highlight the most important three that need to get done today. If you like, you can take this a step further & number the remaining tasks in order of highest to lowest priority.
Based on the information from the last step, create a schedule for the day. Write what you are going to do every hour or, even better, every half hour. Make sure your most important tasks are on that schedule. For at least the first few days of doing this, try to also keep track on what you actually do during your scheduled hours to see if the allotted time you give for regular tasks is realistic, or if it’s too long or too short. You want your schedule to be realistic to follow, or you will find yourself not adhering to it at all.
I recommend also writing out your schedule with pen & paper, not on your phone. Schedules written in phones are too easy to edit. Write out the schedule with pen & paper & put it somewhere where you will see it all day.
4. Think about when you are most creative, most productive, & when your body wants to move
This step goes along with the previous one, but it’s important enough to get its own section. This step is not possible for everyone, especially those that have to adhere to strict work schedules, but for those who have more flexibility in their scheduling, it can be incredibly helpful.
When scheduling out your day, think about when you are most productive, when you are most creative, & when your body most wants to move. It doesn’t make sense to schedule something tedious & that you have to sit in your office for if it’s at the time of day when you feel most restless. Schedule your workout session for that time of day & schedule the office tasks for when your body is more relaxed but your mind is alert. Similarly, you don’t want to schedule your creative time for when you are feeling productive & want to knock out tasks. Many of us are naturally creative either early in the morning or late at night – schedule your creative tasks accordingly.
It will be easier to stick with your schedule & you will have a more productive day if you schedule tasks according to when your body & mind naturally feel most attuned to doing them.
5. When the hour or half hour starts, focus solely at the task at hand
Try to stick to your schedule as closely as possible. When an hour or half hour block starts, focus solely on the task you have scheduled. Resist trying to multitask. If you finish early, you can spend that time on another task or to rest & reset for a few minutes. If the hour or half hour ends before you finish the task, make a note in your journal of how long it actually takes you to do that task &, if it is not a high priority task to finish that day, move on. This will help you stay on track with your schedule & not fall behind.
Make sure the environment you are working in is conducive to a productive day. This may mean different things to different people. Some people work great at a neat & tidy desk, while others work best outdoors. Some people enjoy a cup of hot tea within close reach, while others would rather have a glass of cool water. Change your environment to reflect what you need to work at your best. For me, natural light is a must. I enjoy sitting on my couch in front of my fireplace, a cup of hot tea or coffee on the table in front of me, my journal opened beside me, & natural light streaming through the window. Here, I am at my most productive.
Because you are now so productive & you have a schedule to follow, make sure you also schedule in self-care breaks throughout your day. This is something to help you stay on track because you know a break is coming soon, & it is a reset before whatever else is left in your day. When I schedule self-care breaks into my day, I find I am even more productive in what I do with this time. Instead of mindlessly scrolling TikTok at whatever time in the day because I feel burnt out, I schedule in time to read, write, go for walks, & do yoga. These self-care habits are much healthier for my mental & physical health, & they leave me feeling much more refreshed & ready to tackle the rest of my day.
What are your favorite productivity tips? Share in the comments below!
