Packable Diabetes-Friendly Salads

August 27, 2019
EatingWell’s best packable salad recipes—all healthy, delicious, and suitable for people with diabetes. These salads can be made the night before and packed up for an easy lunch option. Keep the dressing separate to avoid soggy lettuce!
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Salmon Couscous Salad

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This healthy and easy salad is designed to be made with precooked or leftover salmon. To quickly cook salmon, lightly brush with olive oil, then roast in a 450 degrees F oven until the fish is opaque and firm, 8 to 12 minutes.

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Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens

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Protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas add staying power to this zesty and healthy salad recipe.

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Greek Salmon Salad

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If mixed salads fail to fill you up, try this hearty Greek salmon salad recipe, which calls for bulking up a traditional bed of mixed greens with roasted vegetables and protein-rich salmon. Leftovers make it a breeze to put together this delicious Mediterranean salad. Here we suggest two recipes you could meal-prep ahead of time--Lemon-Roasted Mixed Vegetables and Sweet & Spicy Roasted Salmon--but you can use whatever roasted veggies you have on hand and pick up a precooked salmon fillet from the deli counter at your grocery store. This healthy salad would also be good with chicken. Serve it for an easy dinner or pack it up for lunch.

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Grilled Chicken & Feta Greek Salad

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Packed with seven kinds of veggies, this salad will make a dent in your daily vitamin recommendations. Top your veggies with lean juicy chicken, tangy feta, and roasted red pepper hummus.

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Peach & Roasted Beet Salad with Hazelnut-Yogurt Dressing

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Pairing beets with fresh, ripe fruit is a wonderful alternative to the typical beet and goat cheese salad recipe. Be sure to use whole-milk yogurt for the dressing--lower-fat versions yield watery results.

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Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

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Swapping tofu for the bread in these meal-prep Caesar salad bowls bumps up the satiety factor with 18 grams of protein. These crispy tofu croutons originally appeared in Lauren Grant's recipe for Diabetic Living magazine (see Associated Recipes). Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, has flat, dark green-blue leaves--and its tenderness makes it perfect for eating raw, like in this salad.

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Summer Shrimp Salad

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Use an array of colorful tomatoes to make this healthy shrimp salad pop. Cooking the shrimp with fresh herbs and garlic infuses them with flavor without coming off too strong for a light dinner salad that's perfect for summer entertaining.

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Mixed Vegetable Salad with Lime Dressing

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Using potatoes and green beans gives this gorgeous and healthy salad a salade niçoise feel, but you can use whatever suits your fancy. If you steam any of the vegetables, don't overcook them--if they're mushy they'll fall apart when you toss them with the dressing.

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Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken

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This healthy chopped salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. You can reserve the remaining hard-boiled egg half for a snack.

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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

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This scrumptious and healthy salad combines elements of Caesar salad, pasta salad and chicken salad for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes (and most of the prep can be done ahead). Use your blender to whip together the tangy buttermilk-based dressing, which would also be great on a salmon or chickpea salad.

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Chicken & Spring Vegetable Tortellini Salad

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Store-bought tortellini and frozen peas keep things quick in this healthy 30-minute meal. Jazzed-up bottled salad dressing helps you go even faster. Look for one with 200 mg or less of sodium and 3 g or less of sugar per serving.

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Fresh Sweet Corn Salad

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We love fresh summer corn when it's in season, but frozen corn makes a great year-round substitute in this quick and easy side dish.

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Buffalo Chicken Salads

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Enjoy super-tasty Buffalo chicken that's easier (done in your slow cooker!) and healthier (topping a salad!) than traditional wings.

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Apple Spinach Salad with Thyme-Dijon Vinaigrette

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This light and quick homemade dressing recipe is perfect for drizzling over most any tossed salad, and it works great on this apple spinach salad.

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