Leftover Lunch Salad

/ Jodi

leftover lunch salad

One of the best things about having a job where you can work from home most days, besides being able to roll out of bed and be at your desk in about 17 seconds, not needing to comb your hair or put makeup on, working in yoga pants and t-shirts, having a furry co-worker by your side, getting to take walks at lunch time….

Ok – there are A LOT of things I like about my job and being able to work from home…

But, one really nice benefit is being able to make healthy and easy leftover lunches instead of going out and eating fast food or having to pack a sack!

Like this salad I made the other day – a small piece of leftover grilled Delmonico steak on top of leftover salad.  Voila!  Veggies and protein and nourishment that tastes good and is good for me!

And after yesterday’s DECADENCE of those Fudgy Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Brownies, I thought it best to show I don’t always eat like that!

QUICK TIPS:

  • Always make more salad than you need for dinner and throw it in a Ziploc bag to keep fresh for a day or two.
  • Don’t add tomatoes to your salad until serving.  Tomatoes completely lose their taste when refrigerated (so never refrigerate them – you don’t – right?!!?!!).  Tomatoes also make leftover salad SOGGY.  Yuk!
  • Make an extra piece or two of your protein – chicken, steak, pork, fish – and throw it in a Ziploc bag too.  It can be sliced on a salad, added to a wrap, thrown on a bun, or even just eaten as is – hot or cold – depending on your work day and stress level.
  • Keep seeds and nuts on hand to toss in and on things.
  • Hard boil some eggs in the beginning of the week, and you always have a quick protein ready.
  • Canned beans area also great additions to salads and wraps.  Open a can of black beans or any kind you like, drain and put in a plastic container in the fridge.  This way you can easily toss on your lunch or pop in your mouth in a jiffy.
  • Keep fresh fruit around so you can grab a handful of berries or snack on a clementine or banana or crunchy apple when your tummy gets to grumbling.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

31 thoughts on “Leftover Lunch Salad”

  1. Boy, I always learn something from you! The kitchen and I have never got along, but due to multiple food intolerances, I have to spend hours there, which I often loathe, to be honest. I love your approach to food and to life, Jodi! And once again, your photos knock it out of the park!! Thanks for your wonderful wisdom, lady. I hope you have a great Tuesday. I agree; working from home totally rocks! ❤

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  3. Wow! Delicious looking! But I am really glad to learn that tomatoes should never go into the refrigerator. I didn’t know that! Come to think of it though, they DO go flat in the refrigerator. Thank you for this enlightment! 🙂 Hope you are having a great week so far!

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    • My favorite kinda lunch! Glad to teach you about tomatoes, PJ. They are just one of those things that get completely ruined by refrigeration. You are going to enjoy them so much more now 🙂 Have a great day!

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    • Oh Albert! You know it! And Mikey is always right there with me to clean up the floor for any radish tops or carrot tops – or ANYthing for that matter – that falls on the floor. He takes his job VERY seriously! 🙂

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  9. That’s what I like about salads, they’re like pizza, you can put lots of different things that you like in them and it tastes great. Except maybe chocolate…..well, that’s not entirely true. Nutella on pizza is awesome. Not sure about salad but I’m willing to give it a shot…:)

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      • I think Nutella is one of the greatest creations ever…:) it’s simple, pizza dough and Nutella. You can make one pizza dough, wait until it cools a bit and spread Nutella over it or you can make two doughs and stuff the Nutella between them. Depends on how much bread you want to eat,which for me is never a problem….:)

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  10. Well, you just made me hungry! Good thing this fellow “work from home” co-worker has some great left-overs. I do like the commute time and the dress code, and especially my furry, four legged assistant!

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  11. Your salad looks wonderful! Thanks for the tips too! I did not know this about tomatoes. I love salads especially when the weather is warm. I made one last night with cooked lentils (simmered in chicken broth and garlic) and cooked chicken and feta cheese for my protein with my veggies. Dressing was simple too – olive oil, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. I like to cook and experiment in the kitchen too! 😊

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  12. Jodi, good reminders about nutritious salads now that warmer weather is coming. I’ve got eating vegetables, and good food down pat, but a happy cook, I’m not! Sorry to say I call it “kitchen duty,” Still, I love to read your recipes and your passionate writing about cooking and food. And there are even times when I say, “Maybe I’ll try that.” Thanks for the that! Christine

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  15. Not only is this salad beautiful, but so good for you too. I agree with all of your points especially the tomato. Never, ever refrigerate. And all of the good aspects of working from home are just so worth it, aren’t they, Jodi? That sweet little Mikey doesn’t have to spend all day pining away for you. I love that.

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      • My mother refrigerates everything. And so I did too when we first got married. For instance all of our fruit when straight into the fridge. BH would be like what you are doing? I hate cold apples. So eventually I learned that room temperature fruit is so much better. Funny how we change!

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      • Same exact thing here!!! I have a big ole’ bowl of clementines on the counter now 🙂 I am going to miss them as they are almost done.

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