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Summer Salads--> 2025

 


Summer Salad


Grocery Prices are going through the roof with no end in sight!    Using healthy, nutritious, delicious, and inexpensive dining options always reduces your grocery bill.  I accomplish this in the summer by making various salads the star of our dinners.   Vegetables are either grown in the garden or at their rock-bottom price at the grocery store.  Therefore, we eat a lot of different salads over the summer.    


Having salads multiple times per week for dinner provides savings and advantages.   Here are a few benefits I thought of:


  • If you grill the protein(s) in advance, the oven is not turned on. 

  • The salads can be prepared ahead of time, so if you have a busy evening, no need to eat out —> dinner is done. 

  • Adding vegetables to your diet helps to keep you healthy. 

  • By using in-season vegetables from your garden or grocery store, you are saving money on your grocery bill. 


Steak Salad

My first salad is reducing the amount of meat and increasing the salad size as your entree.   


For example, I will make a huge green salad with any picked vegetables from the garden, or found in the refrigerator and top it with protein.   The meat protein portion of this meal is much smaller than if we were to cook 4 oz per person.      Normally, we can get away with 6-8 oz for the entire family.   Top with store-bought or homemade dressing, and dinner is done. 


Black Bean and Corn Salad


This money-saving salad focuses on using beans as the protein source.  I make a black bean and corn salad when we are feeling a little Tex-Mex.    I pair this yummy salad with a vegetarian quesadilla and fruit to complete the meal.  The recipe is linked to the picture. 


Chicken Salad

   

My final money-saving salad focuses on using cheap cuts of meat with onions and celery to stretch the meat.   You guessed it→ chicken salad.    I will pick up a whole chicken or thighs and legs when they go on sale for $0.99 a pound.   Then I will cook it by either baking it or boiling it.  However, when time is tight, I’ll pick up a roasted chicken from Costco for $5.00.    


The next step is to pick the chicken off the bone while it is still warm.   Then I add onions, celery, bell pepper, and sometimes grapes, depending on what I have in the refrigerator.   The next step is to add some mayonnaise and yogurt until the salad is wet, but not too wet.   Finally, I season it with salt and pepper.    This makes a great make-ahead salad for lunches or dinners. 


We eat it as sandwiches, on lettuce wraps, or crackers.    I’ll round out the meal with either chips or soup, depending on the season.   


As a bonus, I save the bones to make chicken stock later. 


TIP→ When using the stove, choose the time of day that is the coolest, such as the morning. 


Leave a comment below and let me know how your garden is growing.


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