Fresh ideas to spice up your salad

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Salads are quick to throw together and a great choice for a light and healthy — but still filling — meal. But hold on! This is not about grabbing the same old head of iceberg lettuce and throwing in a few cherry tomatoes and ranch dressing. When it comes to salad, variety keeps it interesting and adds important nutrients.

Start by experimenting with flavors and textures

Try new lettuce varieties

There are so many lettuce varieties in the produce section — many of them washed, packaged and ready to eat — there's no excuse to pass them up. Mix it up with romaine, bibb, chard, kale, spinach or mixed baby greens. Or try something sharper, such as arugula, radicchio or dandelion leaves.

Veg out on veggies

The sky is the limit here. You can hit the produce aisle for inspiration. Add vegetables that are in-season for consistent quality and to save on produce costs.

Ditch the heavy dressing

Dressings, particularly the creamy varieties (Caesar, blue cheese or parmesan), are the easiest way to sabotage an otherwise healthy salad. One two-tablespoon serving of ranch dressing, for example, has 140 calories, and 130 of them come from fat.

Your best bet is to stick with vinaigrettes, and check nutrition labels for unwanted ingredients like sodium or sugar. You can keep it simple with a little extra-virgin olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Or, you can try a delicious homemade dressing.

Add something smooth

To complement the crunch of lettuce and vegetables, add a smooth component to your salad, such as roasted beets, avocado slices, or cubed sweet potato or squash.

Then, add something sweet

In a salad, a bit of sweetness goes a long way. Toss a little fruit into your salad: berries, pears, apples or citrus fruit work well. A little honey in your dressing will also do the trick.

Just a touch of fat

Monounsaturated fat helps your body absorb the nutrients from greens and other veggies. You only need three grams to reap the benefits. That's the equivalent of ¾ teaspoon of olive oil, ⅛ of an avocado or five almonds. That might not seem like much, so you can add more; just be mindful, as monounsaturated fats tend to be high in calories.

Last but not least, a little more crunch

Croutons are a crowd pleaser, but they are a source of refined carbs, and typically full of sodium-rich seasonings. Instead, opt for something with nutritional value, such as chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, almond slivers or roasted nuts, which can add a whole new level of texture to your salad.

Winning combinations for your next salad

If you're looking for some salad inspiration, look no further than these delicious combinations. Just toss with one of your favorite simple dressings, like a red wine or balsamic vinaigrette.

• Lentil and beet: Arugula, lentils, beets, feta and pistachios. Drizzle with lemon juice.
• Kale and garbanzo: Kale, garbanzo beans, goat cheese, sunflower seeds and roasted red peppers.
• Sweet potato and edamame: Romaine, kale, cubed and cooked sweet potatoes, edamame and avocado.
• Summer shrimp: Broccoli slaw, cooked shrimp, diced jicama, grapes and sliced almonds.
• Spinach and green apple: Spinach, green apples, sliced pecans, dried cranberries and blue cheese.
• Arugula, jicama and radish: Baby arugula, clementine or sliced orange segments, thinly sliced radishes and peeled and thinly sliced jicama.

Four things to know about packaged salad greens

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Not in the mood to start your salad from scratch? No problem. Packaged salad greens are a great way to simplify the preparation process and save time. Just keep these tips in mind when you’re making a salad with them:

1. Prewashed or triple-washed greens are generally safe to eat straight from the package. Many food safety specialists (though not all) say you don't need to wash them at home. In rare cases, when bacteria still remains, washing again at home won't remove them anyway.
2. It's typically better to buy salad greens in a plastic box rather than in bags. Hinged plastic boxes protect the leaves from bruising and tend to keep greens fresher, longer than when they come in a bag.
3. If you do purchase greens in a bag, after opening, transfer to an airtight, plastic container before refrigerating. This will help prevent crushing and bruising and it gives the greens some breathing room. Line your container with paper towels to help absorb excess moisture.
4. Discard greens by the expiration date. Older greens are at risk for developing bacteria. Don't bother sorting through slimy greens; throw the whole package away if this happens.

Whether you prefer a medley of raw veggies and homemade dressing or a bag of spring greens and a bottle of vinaigrette, salads are a great way to eat more vegetables while experimenting with flavors. So, the next time you don’t know what sounds good for lunch, try a new salad combo that sounds good to you.