Have you ever wanted a salad, but didn’t want to go to the trouble to make one? I know I have!
To avoid missing the opportunity to eat an alkalizing dish with all kinds of bone-building nutrients, I’ve found that one of the best tricks is to keep my refrigerator stocked with pre-made salads. That way, I can have a salad every day without worrying about prep time.
With summer upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere, these salads provide a crisp, cool picnic food that’s easy to pack up and take along.
And don’t think that a daily salad means just a bowlful of lettuce. Salads can be delicious, colorful, and varied as well as providing a wide range of nutrients for your bones.
So let’s take a look at these scrumptious, make-ahead salads!
Salad Basics
Romaine lettuce forms the base for two of these salads, and for good reason. Romaine is a Foundation Food on the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, and it provides the Foundation Supplements silicon and Vitamin K. Romaine lettuce contributes crunchy texture to salads, and retains its crunch well after preparation. Just make sure you’ve washed and thoroughly dried the leaves before you assemble the salad, and do not add salad dressing until you’re ready to eat it. And try as much as possible to get the organic kind.
The following recipes are pH-balanced, and you can make a meal out of them by adding protein, such as chicken, turkey, lean beef, or fish. Just make sure you balance the acidifying protein by adding more of the alkalizing ingredients.
And finally, a word on salad dressings. Rather than acidifying your salad with conventional bottled dressing that may have ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and preservatives, try mixing up your own alkalizing dressings. You can find quick and nutritious recipes for bone-smart dressings in Bone Appétit, the Save Our Bones cookbook.
Let’s get started with a colorful salad recipe that’s full of interesting textures and flavors.
Quinoa-Green Bean Salad
This creative recipe blends a variety of flavors with a delicious crunch.
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4 Servings
pH-Balanced
Ingredients:
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked
- 2 cups green beans, trimmed, cooked, and cut to desired size
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh peppermint, chopped (you can substitute approximately 1 tablespoon dried peppermint)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted or raw
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted or raw
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate in a covered container or single-serve containers.
Cucumber-Date Salad
Sweet dates, crunchy pecans, and crisp cucumber combine in this lettuce-free salad.
4 Servings
pH-Balanced


Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 6 dates, pitted and cut in slivers
- 1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives, minced
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate in a covered container or single-serve containers.
South Of The Border Delight
This flavorful salad will delight salsa-lovers.
4 Servings
pH-balanced
Ingredients:
- 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup corn, cooked (use organic only)
- 2 cups black beans, cooked and well drained
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate in a covered container, or in individual containers.
A Little Planning Makes Bone-Smart Eating Easy
Now you have delicious, bone-nourishing salads that you can grab and take on a picnic, to work, or while you’re busy at home. Simply top with your favorite dressing – which you can also make ahead and store in a container to take along with you – and your salad is complete.
If you like tips and ideas like these for bone-smart meal planning, then you’ll really appreciate the 30 Day Meal Planner, if you didn’t get it yet. It’s included with the Bone Appétit recipe book as a free bonus, and gives you a month’s worth of daily meals and snacks, all clearly labeled as pH-balanced, acidifying, or alkalizing.
Your Bone Healthy Meal Confusion Ends Today!
With Bone Appétit you'll get a 30 days menu of pH-balanced breakfast, lunch and dinners plus two daily snacks.
You may choose not to follow the 30 Day Meal Planner precisely, which is just fine; it is very flexible and allows plenty of room for your own recipes and ideas, or you can get ideas from the over 200 recipes in Bone Appétit to create your own bone-smart menu.
You’ll find that with Bone Appétit by your side, eating to build your bones is a lot easier than you thought!
Please share your comments and meal planning ideas with our community by posting a comment below.
Till next time,
I have started to make salads every day now. Today I used Olive oil and sprinkled with lemon juice, it was delicious.
That sounds really yummy, Sue!
I am like so many I need a paper book in front of , not digital, so I feel I mess out on a lot.
I have come across other sites that do put information out so just keep looking, I even found books. To bad every has to be out of so many reash. I am disappointed so much out of a lot of our reach.
I fell and had 2x neck surgery. due to fracture of the secondcervical vertebrae.My neurosurgeon said that my bones were thin and brittle. I have your books and reading your emails. I am eating the foods good for the bones.I do not take anyOsteoporosis drug.I do not seemy doctor because he always reminds me to take the drug for Osteoporosis. Any advice for me Vivian, am getting worried about my bone status.-
Thanks for your reply.
I would like to have some recipe on salad dressing since I have suffer with acid reflux
I would order you Bone Appetit but you appear to only have it and the 30 day menu in the digital format. I have tons of books which I have sent to the Cloud. I prefer to read a real book on paper.
I even have an ancient college degree in nutrition, and I LOVE seeing creative ways others choose to stay healthy. Thanks for sharing. ME
You are welcome, Martha Ellen. Learning never has to stop! 🙂
Hi Vivian, I was just on Amazon and notice your book Osteoporosis Reversal Program Manual Expanded Edition. The paperback price is $499.00. I wanted to point this out as it appears to be a mistake.
Thanks for these salads and all you do. I eat a lot of salads to help stay healthy. I also make a few portions at a time and store for easy eating. I make a few with various beans and vegetables and put the salad over greens when I eat them. My two favorites are made with chickpeas and other veggies. I stay away from mayonnaise, one is called mock tuna, has avocado as a base with chickpeas, and other bad stuff so appreciate healthy recipes when I see them.
That sounds delicious, Louise!
I am one of those people who grew up baking/cooking etc and now in my older years really do not enjoy it much anymore. I eat good food because I know it is good for my body, and I love salads and could just eat those for every meal. These recipes today are interesting and compel me to try them out….and get OUT of my same salad rut I am in currently. Thank you for not only the recipes, but all the medical/druginfo and the exercises. I’ve been with you a long time and always enjoy and share your e-mails with others. Keep up the good work! Thank you!! Meg
You are more than welcome, Meg. I think you are right on track to add some variety to your salad “routine.” ?
I always have a jar of sliced garlic and oregano covered with cider vinegar in the cupboard. I add an equal amount of olive oil to make a simple salad dressing. You could also use other herbs, like thyme.
That’s a great tip, Julie. Thank you!