the salad drawer

I kept buying the fancy spring mix and then just... not making the salad.

I saw this on TikTok: a whole salad bar living inside someone’s fridge drawer. I ordered the containers before the video was even over. No hesitation. One hour after they arrived, we had a salad bar in our fridge. I loved it so much I set one up in my sister’s fridge for her birthday.

I keep everything in small matching containers with plastic tongs because it makes me happy (this is 43). You don’t need matching containers to do this, but I didn’t actually follow through until I had them. Once I invested, I was committed.

a moment for the containers

​These are the containers I use. They have removable trays in the bottom, which keep produce slightly elevated so it stays fresher longer.

I tuck a paper towel under the tray to catch any extra moisture. If it gets damp, just swap it out midweek.

My fridge drawers are really wide, which makes this setup easy. If your drawers are narrower, you can absolutely stack these on a regular fridge shelf instead.

This set was about $20 and Amazon has plenty of similar options. Use whatever fits your fridge and your budget.

One important note: they are not dishwasher safe. Ask me how I know.

don't skip the dressing

Even if you never make the salad drawer, make one of these dressings.

They’re fresh, light, and take about two minutes to make. No chopping. No blender.

Store-bought dressing is completely fine, but if you have the ingredients on hand, these are worth it.

The creamy garlic yogurt one is the one I make most. My kids will eat anything it touches.

​→ my favorite homemade dressings all in one place.​

This is the full version: everything washed, chopped, and waiting. Once it’s set up, building a salad takes about 30 seconds. 

I will not pretend my family was as impressed as I was. I live with all boys.

But here’s what actually happened. The kids grabbed cucumbers and ranch after school. The hard boiled eggs disappeared. Very few actual salads happened, but they ate vegetables because they were already there. Mission accomplished. 

For protein, I cook a batch of my go-to balsamic marinated chicken at the start of the week, diced small so it’s easy to scoop. I also keep hard boiled eggs in the drawer. I use the 5-5-5 method in the Instant Pot. It’s easy. I have no excuse not to do it. 
​
No time to cook this week? Jump to the Medium Effort version instead.

For greens, one large bag, clamshell, or two heads of lettuce is plenty for the week. I usually buy a pre-washed spring mix because I hate washing and drying lettuce, but romaine is great too. If you prep your own, make sure it is very dry before it goes into the drawer. Wet lettuce will not last the week.

For toppings, think restaurant salad bar. Frozen peas and corn go straight from the bag. Jarred banana peppers or artichoke hearts are easy additions most people don’t think of. And add cooked pasta. I know. But Jason’s Deli has pasta on their salad bar and ever since I tried it I have never wanted a salad without it. I cook a batch and toss it with a little Italian or Caesar vinaigrette before it goes in. I am not sorry.

Use what your family actually eats. There are no wrong choices here.

Make two dressings so things don’t get boring by Wednesday.

I’ll be transparent. In real life I either do the full High Effort version or I eat cereal for dinner. There’s no in between. This version is for the balanced person I aspire to become.

For protein, skip the cooking entirely. Grab a rotisserie chicken and shred it. Store it in a container so it’s easy to scoop throughout the week. Hard boiled eggs or diced deli ham work here too.

For greens, this is where I take the biggest shortcut and I have zero regrets. A 32-ounce bag of pre-chopped romaine fits the large container almost perfectly. Already washed, already chopped. Just dump it straight in.

For toppings, skip the fancy stuff. Pre-shredded carrots, frozen peas or corn straight from the bag, English cucumbers (no peeling required). Store bought pre-chopped vegetables are completely fair game here.

For dressings, pick one from the list above and keep a store-bought backup your family likes. I usually do one creamy and one vinaigrette. Two options, five minutes of work.

The salad drawer isn’t happening this week. That’s fine.

Grab a few pre-made salads from the store. There are some really good ones now and they are still loaded with vegetables. My go-to is an Asian style salad with rotisserie chicken thrown on top.

Vegetables are vegetables. And if you have five extra minutes, swap the packet of dressing for one of the homemade ones above. Either way, it counts.