Spinach Power Salad {So Fast + So Good!}

I have the fastest salad ever for you today and it is seriously a staple in my diet. I love this salad for many reasons- it is very filling and packed with energy. It is so fast to put together- literally 10 minutes start to finish including making the salad dressing yourself. And most of the ingredients have a long shelf life so you don’t need to run to the store every time you want to put this together.

So here are the very simple ingredients for this power salad:

Tons of fresh spinach (fights disease, full of vitamin c, very low in calories)
Walnuts (loaded with Omega-3s which is especially good for my vegetarian diet since I don’t eat fish. Supposedly walnuts have anti-aging properties too so don’t feel bad about the calories. They are worth it.)
Dried Cranberries (these I just sprinkle on- they aren’t that great for you so just a tiny bit for flavor)
Feta Cheese (creamy and yummy and full of flavor. I like this cheese because just a little goes a long way.)
Garbanzo beans (lots of fiber, B vitamins, complex carbohydrates for more energy- low in calories)

So I find this to be a very filling salad, with lots of flavor and it gives me tons of energy to get through the day.

I add a few handfuls of Spinach and then just sprinkle on the other ingredients.  This will totally be up to your taste- add more cranberries for a sweeter salad, more garbanzo beans if you are extra hungry etc…

I use roughly 3 handfuls of Spinach, 1 tablespoon cranberries, 2 tablespoons of walnuts and about 1/4 cup of garbanzo beans.

I like the blocks of fresh feta cheese you can find in the deli case and I usually just chop off about an ounce or so and chop it into small pieces to sprinkle over the top.

If you have leftover chicken, you can also chop or shred and add that into the salad as well.

Once that is done, I like a very simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  I usually just mix this up very quickly in a mason jar and I pour it on top.

So for two salads I would mix up:

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 2-3 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar— this makes a more tart dressing.  Use less if you prefer more oil.
• Generous pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or I sometimes sprinkle in garlic powder in a pinch
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Put the lid on your jar and shake like crazy.  Now pour over the salad and serve.

Easy!

I make this for lunch all the time and I often put everything into a mason jar and then keep the dressing on the side until I am ready to eat.  I have made this many, many times in the minutes I have before racing to the gym.  So I can promise this is a very fast and convenient meal.

I hope you like my super fast power salad.  Please come back and let me know what you added or omitted.  This really can be customized so many ways– you can do blue cheese instead of feta, add freshly chopped apples for extra crunch, try flavored vinaigrette etc…

And if you have extra Garbanzo Beans, you might try this Ranch Roasted Chickpea recipe:

Or try this Mocha Energy Smoothie– I love these things and make them all the time.