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30 Minutes or Less

Harvest Bowl (easy to meal prep!)

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overhead image of a meal prep harvest bowl with sliced almonds on the side.

This fully loaded harvest bowl is packed with seasonal ingredients, fresh flavor, and finished off with a dreamy maple dijon vinaigrette! Perfect to meal prep ahead of a busy week, or quickly throw together as an easy meal in under 30 minutes.

maple dijon dressing being poured over a harvest bowl

What You’ll Need to Make a Harvest Bowl

Sweet Potato – Peel and cube two sweet potatoes before roasting. Or, if you’d like, replace the sweet potato with your favorite squash. Peeled and cubed butternut squash, sliced acorn squash, or even sliced delicata squash would all taste great in this harvest bowl!

Chicken – Two boneless and skinless chicken breasts are lightly seasoned, then roasted to perfection! For a vegan option, see the “make it vegan” section below.

Quinoa – Any variety of quinoa is jam-packed with health benefits! It’s full of nutrients, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, fiber, and is a complete protein. Talk about a superfood, eh? Feel free to use whatever kind of quinoa you have handy – white, red, black, or rainbow – they all taste great. Or, if you don’t have quinoa, you can replace it with cooked brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, farro, or barley.

Kale – Similar to the quinoa, any variety of kale will taste delicious in your harvest bowl. So, use whatever you can get your hands on – curly kale, dino (lacinato) kale, red kale, or even baby kale. Though if using baby kale, no need to massage it, just add straight to your bowl, then toss in dressing.

close-up image of sliced chicken over a meal prep harvest bowl.

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t skip massaging the kale! This step is super important to achieve nice, and tender kale. Skipping this step will result in tough, and hard-to-chew kale, just all around unappetizing!
  • I highly, HIGHLY, recommend doubling up on the maple dijon salad dressing. It’s seriously the star of this harvest bowl, and you’ll regret not making more. Also, leftovers stay fresh in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three weeks!

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: For a healthy, high protein vegan meal, leave out the chicken. Then, either double up on the sweet potatoes, or replace the chicken with a can of drained then rinsed chickpeas!

Make it Paleo/Grain-Free: Simply leave off the quinoa and you’ve got yourself a totally paleo and grain-free harvest bowl.

two meal prep containers showcasing this harvest bowl recipe.

How to Meal Prep This Harvest Bowl

  1. Roast the sweet potatoes and chicken.
  2. Cook the quinoa.
  3. Make the maple dijon dressing.
  4. Massage the kale.
  5. Divide the massaged kale, cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes and chicken, sliced apples, fried cranberries, and sliced almonds between four meal prep containers.
  6. Store remaining dressing separately.
  7. When ready to eat, remove one of your meal prep containers from the fridge and drizzle with some extra maple dijon dressing – enjoy!
Harvest Bowl (easy to meal prep!)
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Harvest Bowl (easy to meal prep!)

5 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: Main, Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

These fully loaded harvest bowls are packed with seasonal ingredients, fresh flavor, and finished off with a dreamy maple dijon vinaigrette! Perfect to meal prep ahead of a busy week, or quickly throw together as an easy meal in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 1-2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breast

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil

  • salt and black pepper, to taste

  • 2 cups kale, finely chopped

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa

  • 1 apple, sliced

  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds or pumpkin seeds

  • For the maple dijon dressing:

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Place sweet potatoes and chicken breast on a baking sheet, then drizzle with avocado oil, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Toss potatoes to coat, then roast for 20 minutes, tossing potatoes halfway through.
  • While chicken and potatoes roast, make the dressing by adding all dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisking to combine.
  • Place kale in a bowl with half of the dressing, then toss and massage dressing into the kale with your hands.
  • Once potatoes are tender, remove from the oven and assemble bowls with all ingredients – roasted sweet potatoes, massaged kale, chicken, quinoa, apples, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds. Store with remaining dressing on the side, then top with dressing right before eating.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Asian Cucumber Salad

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spiralized cucumber being lifted off a plate of asian cucumber salad

Cool and refreshing Asian cucumber salad! Full of flavor, and easy to throw together in a few simple steps. The perfect side dish or healthy lunch recipe.

overhead image of asian cucumber salad on a plate with a spoon

What You’ll Need To Make Asian Cucumber Salad

Mini Cucumbers – Six mini seedless cucumbers are the star of this recipe. I cut mine into fun little spirals for my salad, but you can simply slice them instead. If slicing, I recommend a mandolin to help slice the cucumbers as thin as possible.

Fresh Ginger – Fresh ginger goes a long way in this Asian cucumber salad! Start by cutting about a 1-inch piece from a knob of whole ginger. Then, peel your ginger with either a spoon or a vegetable peeler. Once peeled, run the ginger along a microplane or the fine side of a box grater.

Rice Vinegar – For a hint of acidity, rice vinegar tastes best. However, if you don’t have any, feel free to use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in its place.

Sriracha – While optional, I recommend a tiny drop of sriracha to round out the flavors in this recipe. For a mild version, start with just 1/2 teaspoon. Or, for a spicy Asian cucumber salad, add upwards of 1-2 teaspoons.

close-up image of asian cucumber salad on a plate

How to Cut Cucumbers

  1. Cut 1/4-inch of each end of a mini cucumber.
  2. Place two chopsticks on either side of the cucumber.
  3. Then, make thin (about 1/8-inch) diagonal cuts along the cucumber, stopping when your knife hits the chopsticks.
  4. Flip cucumber over and make the same exact cuts, in the same direction, on the other side.
  5. Lastly, cut each the cucumber in half, then add them to a bowl for this recipe!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: For a 100% gluten-free Asian cucumber salad, use tamari in place of the soy sauce. Tamari tastes just like soy sauce, but unlike soy sauce, is certified gluten-free!

Make it Vegan: Use maple syrup in place of the honey for a completely vegan side dish.

Asian Cucumber Salad
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Asian Cucumber Salad

3 from 42 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: SidesCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

Cool and refreshing Asian cucumber salad! Full of flavor, and easy to throw together in a few simple steps. The perfect side dish or healthy lunch recipe.

Ingredients

  • 6 mini cucumbers, spiralized (see Notes) or thinly sliced

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon sriracha, optional

  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced

  • pinch of sesame seeds

Directions

  • Place cucumber in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, then let sit for 10-15 minutes while you make the dressing.
  • Whisk together the ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sriracha in a small bowl.
  • Check on the cucumbers, and drain the water that’s gathered at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Add dressing, scallions, and sesame seeds to the cucumbers and toss to coat. Either serve immediately or let marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

Notes

  • How to Cut “Spiralized” Cucumber: Cut off each end of a cucumber, then place two chopsticks on either long side of the cucumber. Then, make thin diagonal cuts along the cucumber, stopping when your knife hits the chopsticks. Flip cucumber over and make the same cuts on the other side. Last, slice each cucumber in half, now they’re ready for this recipe!

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30 Minutes or Less

Fresh Avocado Salad (ready in 5 minutes!)

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overhead image of avocado salad in a bowl with lemon on the side

This avocado salad is BURSTING with fresh herbs and vegetables! Perfectly ripe avocado, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and tangy red onion tossed in fresh lemon juice and olive oil. This super quick and easy salad recipe comes together in one bowl, and in under 5 minutes!

super close-up image of avocado salad

What You’ll Need To Make Avocado Salad

Avocados – Duh! The main ingredient, the stars of this show, are two perfectly ripe large avocados. How can you tell when an avocado is ripe? Give it a gentle squeeze, and if the skin feels firm but gives a little, then your avocado’s ripe and ready to use in this salad! However, if your avocado feels especially hard and doesn’t give at all when squeezed, then it’s not ripe and should be left at room temperature overnight to ripen.

Lemon Juice – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice gives this salad a nice touch of acidity and brightness! The lemon juice also helps to preserve the freshness of the vegetables in this dish. Though if you don’t have any lemon juice, a touch of apple cider vinegar will work too.

Fresh Herbs – Use any kind of fresh herb you’d like! I used fresh basil and OMG it was delicious. But I’ve also made this plant-based meal with fresh cilantro and fresh parsley, both of which were just as tasty.

Salt – I swear by lightly salting avocado, no matter what dish it’s in. A tiny pinch of salt brings out the rich, creamy, almost buttery taste in avocado. And if you don’t already have some, I highly recommend investing in some flaky sea salt. For this salad recipe, wait until the very end to add the salt. Salt, while enhancing flavor, will also turn the avocado brown. Therefore, to keep your avocado salad looking as bright and fresh as possible, salt the salad right before serving!

avocado salad in a bowl with serving utensils.

Tips and Tricks

  • If you’d like to prep this recipe ahead of time, then prep all ingredients except the avocado. Once avocado is removed from its skin and exposed to air, it’ll brown pretty quickly. This browning doesn’t mean the avocado’s gone bad, and won’t at all affect the taste, though it simply won’t look as pretty. Therefore, chop and prep all other herbs and veggies, then toss in the avocado and salt right before serving to keep it looking vibrant and fresh!
  • Enjoy this avocado salad as-is, or add in your favorite plant-based protein for a heartier meal. A can of drained beans, a cup of lentils, or some crispy cubed tofu would all go perfectly in this salad! Though if not vegan, feel free to serve this salad as a side dish to roast chicken, pan-seared salmon, or really any main course.
  • Store leftover avocado salad in an airtight container. Though before securing the lid, press a piece of plastic wrap over the veggies so that it comes into contact with the top of the salad. This’ll help prevent the avocado from turning brown, and lock in freshness for up to three days!
overhead image of avocado salad in a bowl with lemon on the side

This Avocado Salad Is…

Fresh Avocado Salad (ready in 5 minutes!)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: SaladsDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

This avocado salad is BURSTING with fresh herbs and vegetables! Perfectly ripe avocado, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and tangy red onion tossed in fresh lemon juice and olive oil. This super quick and easy salad recipe comes together in one bowl, and in under 5 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 2 large avocados, diced

  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 English cucumber, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, and/or basil

  • big pinch of salt

  • fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

  • Add all ingredients except salt and black pepper to a large bowl and toss to combine.
  • Just before serving, sprinkle in salt and black pepper, then eat immediately.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Steak Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

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close-up image of dressing being poured over steak salad

Perfectly pan-seared steak atop a bed of fresh greens, finished off with a drizzle of tangy cilantro-lime vinaigrette! Super quick and easy, this steak salad comes together in under 15 minutes.

Overhead image of steak salad on parchment paper with cilantro lime dressing on the side.

What You’ll Need To Make This Steak Salad Recipe

Flank Steak – Flank steak is a thin, lean cut of beef, and takes just a few minutes to cook. I love pan-searing flank steak, which gives it this incredible brown crust. We also keep the seasoning on the steak simple, since the rest of our salad is loaded with flavor. A generous sprinkling of salt and black pepper is all you’ll need, followed by a drizzle of avocado oil for cooking.

Mixed Salad Greens – Feel free to use any type of salad greens you’d like! I love a good spring mix for my steak salad, but really any bed of greens would taste delicious. I’ve made this recipe with fresh arugula, chopped kale, and baby spinach – all of which turned out perfect!

Cilantro – I’m one of those people who looooves cilantro. It’s perfectly fresh and flavorful. However, if you don’t like cilantro, you can use fresh parsley in its place. And whichever herb you use, make sure to reserve a little extra to top off your finished salad.

cilantro lime dressing being poured over steak salad.

Tips and Tricks

  • Have fun with this healthy lunch or dinner recipe! Add or remove any fresh herbs and/or veggies you’d like. This is also a great meal to use up any leftover produce you have lying around …before it goes bad!
  • Add this steak salad to your weekly meal prep! The best way to prep this recipe is to cook the steak and assemble your salads, then store them separately from your dressing. When ready to eat, toss in the cilantro lime vinaigrette and enjoy!
  • If marinated steak is more your thing, then marinate the flank steak in half of the cilantro lime vinaigrette for 30 minutes before cooking. If you have the time, this extra step truly takes this recipe to the next level!
close-up image of steak salad.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Replace the flank steak with either cauliflower steaks or tofu steaks for an easy, healthy vegan meal.

Add Cheese: If not dairy-free, sprinkle a small handful of crumbled queso fresco, or herby goat cheese into this steak salad!

Steak Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

5

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

Perfectly pan-seared steak atop a bed of fresh greens, finished off with a drizzle of tangy cilantro-lime vinaigrette! Super quick and easy, this steak salad comes together in under 15 minutes.

Ingredients

  • For the steak:

  • 1 pound flank steak

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or any high-heat oil

  • For the salad:

  • 6 cups mixed salad greens

  • 1 ear sweet corn, sliced off the cob

  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

  • 1 avocado, sliced

  • 1/2 English cucumber, chopped

  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

  • small handful fresh cilantro, chopped

  • For the cilantro-lime vinaigrette:

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 2 limes, juiced

  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  • Pat steak dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper, then drizzle steak in avocado oil.
  • Place steak in a hot pan, and cook about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare steak.
  • Remove steak from pan and let rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, before thinly slicing against the grain.
  • Make the cilantro lime dressing by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Make the cilantro lime dressing by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Fresh and Delicious Niçoise Salad

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close-up image of nicoise salad in a bowl

A classic French Niçoise salad, fully loaded with all things fresh and delicious! Bursting with seasonal spring veggies such as crisp green beans, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and capers. This hearty Niçoise salad is then finished off with a tangy and herby dijon vinaigrette.

overhead image of nicoise salad in a bowl with dressing on the side.

What You’ll Need To Make This Niçoise Salad

Dijon Mustard – This French mustard works perfectly in this French recipe! Two tablespoons of tangy, slightly spicy Dijon mustard gives our dressing loads of delicious flavor. If you don’t have Dijon mustard, you can use spicy brown mustard or 1 teaspoon of ground mustard seed in its place.

Olive Oil – Plenty, and I mean plenty of olive oil is essential to a smooth and creamy vinaigrette! I like having two different kinds of olive oil in my kitchen – one cheaper, less flavorful kind, and one higher quality kind. The higher quality olive oil is exactly what I’d reach for in this, or any, salad dressing recipe. Whereas the cheaper, less flavorful olive oil is perfect for cooking, since much of its flavor will get cooked off anyway!

Baby Potatoes – These creamy, adorable potatoes are traditional to all Niçoise salads recipes. Either red or yellow baby potatoes will work here (I used a combination of both). To prep them for this dish, give them a good scrub under cold water then slice each one in half. Once prepped, quickly boil the baby potatoes until fork tender, then coat in dressing and add to your salad!

Lettuce – Really any kind of lettuce would work in this salad! Boston or butter lettuce taste both fresh and crisp, and are the perfect base to this hearty salad. However, I’ve swapped out the lettuce for arugula, baby spinach, and romaine – all were delicious!

Eggs – Hard boiled eggs, soft boiled eggs, or anywhere in between! There are a ton of boiled egg how-tos out there on the internet, in case you need some guidance. I followed this jammy egg recipe and my boiled eggs turned out PERFECT.

Tuna – It’s not a Niçoise salad without some flaked tuna! Similar to the olive oil in this salad recipe, we want to use good quality tuna as well. Also, look for solid canned tuna, as opposed to chunk light tuna. And for an even richer, more flavorful tuna, use tuna packed in oil – it’s extra buttery and delicious!

close-up image of nicoise salad on a plate

Tips and Tricks

  • When making the Niçoise salad dressing, *slowly* pour in the olive oil, while whisking. Doing this will help to emulsify the oil into the dressing, creating a smooth and well-combined vinaigrette. And take your time here, because rushing this step could cause the dressing to separate.
  • Boil the fresh green beans for no more than a few minutes! Green beans cook quickly, and can overcook even quicker. Therefore, to ensure they maintain their crisp-ness, boil them for no more than 3 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking!
  • Add this Niçoise salad into your weekly meal prep! To do this, simply chop and prep all salad ingredients, then whisk together the dressing. Divide and assemble your salads into four separate containers, and store the dressing on the side – then, when ready to eat, dress your salads and enjoy!
nicoise salad on a plate with white wine on the side

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: For a vegan Niçoise salad, leave out the hard boiled eggs, and replace the tofu with a cup or two of cooked lentils.

Make it Paleo: This recipe is easily made paleo by leaving out the potatoes! If you’d like, you can even use cauliflower florets in their place.

Fresh and Delicious Niçoise Salad

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

A classic French Niçoise salad, fully loaded with all things fresh and delicious! Bursting with seasonal spring veggies such as crisp green beans, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and capers. This hearty Niçoise salad is then finished off with a tangy and herby dijon vinaigrette.

Ingredients

  • For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon honey

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • 3/4 cup olive oil

  • For the salad:

  • 1 pound baby potatoes, sliced in half

  • 8 ounces green beans, trimmed

  • 1 head Boston lettuce or butter lettuce, chopped

  • 2 (5-ounce) cans tuna, drained (see Notes)

  • 4 eggs, boiled

  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 5-6 radishes, ends trimmed and cut in half

  • 1/4 cup mixed olives

  • 2 tablespoons capers

Directions

  • Make the dressing my whisking together all ingredients except olive oil. Once combined, slowly pour in olive oil while whisking to emulsify oil and create a smooth dressing.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add in the sliced potatoes along with a pinch of salt. Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 10 minutes, then drain from water. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and toss in ¼ cup of dressing.
  • Bring another large pot of water to a boil, then add in trimmed green beans. Cook green beans until tender, about 2-3 minutes, then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Once cool, remove green beans from ice bath.
  • Assemble all salad ingredients on a large platter – cooked potatoes, green beans, lettuce, tuna, boiled eggs, red onion, tomatoes, radishes, mixed olives, and capers. Drizzle some dressing over salad and serve with extra dressing on the side.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Tuna: Canned tuna packed in oil is ideal here, since it’s moist and has more flavor. However, if all you have is canned tuna packed in water then that works too!

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