salad bar

Children take pride in what they create, whether it’s a picture colored with crayons or a meal they helped prepare for themselves and their family. When encouraging healthy eating, participation is a key to success.

Creating a salad bar as a family meal is an easy and fun way to allow each member of your family to have creative control over their meal, while encouraging exploration and adventure of their taste buds. In addition, children can help in multiple ways to prepare the meal and take pride in the variety and choices they’ve helped to make for the family.

myPlate

Your salad bar can have many ingredients, but to ensure you are preparing a balanced meal, you can use MyPlate as your guide. It is a simple way to think about choosing ingredients from each of the food groups including: Vegetables, Fruits, Proteins, Grains and Dairy.

When creating your salad bar feast remember:

  • Make half your plates vegetables and fruits
  • Take time to enjoy eating the meal you’ve prepared
  • Eat low-fat dairy
  • Make half your grains, whole grains
  • Choose lean proteins
  • Use a smaller plate to help with portion control

Themed Salad Bars

Creating a theme for your salad bar will make it fun! It will also encourage your children to try new flavors and foods, while allowing them to explore at their own pace.

Once you have chosen a theme, select foods from the list of ingredients in each column. We suggest 4 vegetables, 2 fruits, 1 protein, 1 grain, 1 dairy and 1-2 salad dressing (store-bought or homemade). Set up foods on the table in bowls or small plates. At meal time, each person can choose foods to build their own personal salad! Enjoy a wonderful and healthy family meal!

Asian

Vegetables Fruits Proteins Grains Dairy
Bamboo Shoots

Bean Sprouts

Bean Sprouts Edamame

Bok Choy

Celery

Cilantro

Napa or Green Cabbage

Scallions

Snow Peas

Water Chestnuts

Asian Pear

Lychees

Mandarin Oranges

Melon

Pineapple

Cashews

Firm Tofu Cubes

Stir-fried chicken,

beef or pork (thin sliced)

Cooked or Fried rice

Crushed Ramen noodles (dry)

Soba Noodles

Asian Cuisine doesn’t often include dairy, so try green tea ice cream for a special treat as your desert.

Sesame Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup Olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
  • ¼ cup. Rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp. Fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. Brown sugar

Directions:
Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in an air-tight container. Cover and shake well.

Mediterranean

Vegetables Fruits Proteins Grains Dairy
Artichoke Hearts

Cucumbers

Hearts of Palm

Kalamata/Green Olives

Mushrooms

Red Onions

Red Peppers

Romaine Lettuce

Spinach

Tomatoes

Yellow Peppers

Cranberries

Dates

Figs

Pears

Pomegranate

Raisins

Shredded Coconut

Chicken

Garbanzo Beans

Hard-cooked eggs

Pistachio

Sardines

Tuna

White Beans

Couscous

Crispy pita chips

Quinoa

Feta Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Lemon Dressing:

  • ½ cup Olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. White wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp. Lemon juice
  • 1 Garlic clove, minced or crushed
  • Pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:
Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in an air-tight container. Cover and shake well.

Creamy Dill Dressing

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup Plain yogurt
  • ½ cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp. Chives or scallions, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well until smooth and creamy. Chill until ready to serve.

Mexican

Vegetables Fruits Proteins Grains Dairy
Avocado

Carrots

Chiles

Cilantro

Corn

Green Peppers

Olives

Onions

Romaine Lettuce

Tomatoes

Guava

Mango

Oranges

Papaya

Chicken

Ground Beef

Pinto, Kidney or Black Beans

Shredded Pork

Tip: cook meat or beans with taco-seasoning.

Brown Rice

Crushed Corn Tortillas Chips

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Shredded Cheese (Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack

Sour Cream

Cilantro Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Cilantro
  • ½ cup Canola oil
  • ¼ cup Lime juice
  • 1 Garlic clove
  • 2 tsp. Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and whirl until smooth.

Simple dressing Idea: use store-bought salsa for your Mexican themed salad bar

Fruit & Nut

Vegetables Fruits Proteins Grains Dairy
Mixed Greens

Romaine Lettuce

Spinach

Arugula

Purple Cabbage

Sugar Snap Peas

Shredded Carrots

Sliced Apples

Sliced Pears

Strawberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

Raisins

Dried Cranberries

Oranges

Shredded Coconut

Pecans

Walnuts

Almonds

Pistachios

Granola  http://bit.ly/13JQKCA Yogurt Dressing (recipe below)

Yogurt Dressing:

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp. Honey
  • Dash of cinnamon or nutmeg
  • ¼ cup milk

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well until smooth and creamy. Chill until ready to serve.