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12 Healthy Salad Recipes That Make Lunch Exciting Again

Shake up your weekday lunch with these tasty, healthy salad recipes that are great on the go.

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Courtesy Amber Wilson For the Love of South Blog

Southern Cobb Salad Recipe

For the Love of the South adds flair to one of their healthy salad recipes—the Cobb salad filled with okra, fresh herbs, and a finishing drizzle of this blogger’s signature four-ingredient “Alabama White Sauce.” If you like to mix up your meals, here are 16 healthy recipes for weight loss that aren’t salad.

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2 / 12
Courtesy 86 Lemons Blog

Edamame Chickpea Power Salad with Avocado-Lime Dressing

Power salad is right! This healthy salad from 86Lemons loads up on protein-packed stars like edamame and chickpeas, and gets it velvety coating from a salad dressing with avocado, ginger, shallot, lime, and more nourishing ingredients. Warm it up in the office’s microwave before digging in. Or you could try fixing up one of these 15 healthy appetizers for lunch at work.

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3 / 12
Courtesy Iowa Girl Eats blog

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad Recipe

Sweet corn, crushed tortilla strips, and good ole BBQ sauce—even veggie-haters will dig into this down-home salad from Iowa Girl Eats. Pro Tip: A pizza cutter makes quick work of chopping lettuce. Follow these 50 healthy eating tips to live longer and leaner—plus, they’re nutritionist-approved.

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4 / 12
Courtesy cookie and kate blog

Roasted Delicata Squash, Pomegranate, and Arugula Salad Recipe

Your lunchbox called, and it begged for these healthy salad recipes from Cookie and Kate, like this vibrant salad packed with tender squash, tangy feta, and a fancy-sounding maple-balsamic vinaigrette that comes together quickly with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Don’t miss these 10 heart-healthy recipes that cardiologists cook for themselves.

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5 / 12
Courtesy Lemons and Anchovies

Steak Salad with Mint-Scallion Dressing

A nice way to use up dinner leftovers at lunch, Lemons and Anchovies reinvents a classic steak salad with a piquant mint-scallion dressing recipe that packs flavor and heat.

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6 / 12
Courtesy Annie's Eats

Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salad Recipe

Why didn’t we think to elevate a jar of salsa into an array of healthy salad recipes? Annie Eats creatively lets key salsa players (tomatoes, cilantro, red onion) tango with healthy, satisfying salad superstars (avocado, black beans, corn).

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7 / 12
Courtesy Sarah Britton, My New Roots blog

Fattoush Salad with Za’atar

This Lebanase-style salad from My New Roots tosses healthy tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, and more with the traditional Middle Eastern spice-blend, za’atar, which tastes of sumac, sesame seed, and herbs. It’s traditionally served with fried pita, but you can also pack flatbread or crackers for this lunch.

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8 / 12
Courtesy Smells Like Home

BLT Panzanella Salad Recipe

Classic Tuscan bread salad, panzanella, and the signature American BLT, harmonize in this happy hybrid on Smells Like Home. Great for lunch or dinner. If you’re diabetic and need to lay low on the carbs, try whipping up one of these easy diabetic recipes you can make over and over again.

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9 / 12
Courtesy cookie and kate blog

Kale, Clementine, and Feta Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

Clementines, avocado, and pepitas, tossed in a honey, lime, and jalapeño dressing dazzle in one of these healthy salad recipes from Cookie and Kate. No pomegranates? No pom-blem: Use a handful of dried cranberries (or raisins) instead.

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10 / 12
Courtesy Susan Voisin

Marinated Zucchini and Chickpea Salad Recipe

Make this simple, healthy salad recipe from Fat Free Vegan the day before you take it to work so the fresh lemon juice and vinegar have time to “cook” the zucchini. For a touch of sweetness, experiment with flavored vinegars like raspberry or fig.

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11 / 12
Courtesy dinner was delicious blog

Roasted Corn and Cilantro Salad Recipe

Fresh corn mingles with bold red pepper and jícama (a sweet root veggie) in this Mexican-inspired salad from Dinner was Delicious. Top with Cotija cheese or Queso Fresco for a filling lunch. Aside from adding more salads in your diet, here are 9 more tricks to make your diet more Mediterranean.

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Courtesy Susan Voisin

Broccoli Slaw with Pineapple Curry Dressing

I slaw, you slaw, we all scream for broccoli slaw! Fat Free Vegan‘s healthy rendition achieves sweet-spicy perfection with pineapple juice, curry powder, and red chile pepper flakes. Of course, it’s totally OK to splurge every now and then especially if you’re eating these 12 delicious and healthy desserts that actually help you lose weight.

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Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest