Summer salads help you beat the heat!

By now you know, I love a good menu plan I can use over and over. And I love soups…big comfort food for me. But when it’s hot outside, no one wants to crank up the oven and heat up the inside, too. I start looking for cold dishes to put in my menu plans and cooking methods that will help me beat that heat. Enter summer entrée salads.

I crank up the crockpot overnight or use the InstantPot during the day to cook up a bunch of chicken (bought at best prices of course…find out how here), boil some eggs, or (easiest of all) open a few cans of salmon or tuna…then go salad crazy. Here are my 6 current favorite salads for the summer heat! And if you use compliant ingredients, these salads are good for your Whole30, too! (Link to original recipes in each title if available)

Ultimate Chicken Salad

My assembly is a little different…remember, my focus is on better, smarter or faster…

Chop the apple, put it in a large bowl and use the lime juice to coat it and keep it from turning brown. Then add the chicken, grapes, veggies and almonds and stir to combine. In small bowl, combine mayo and all the spices; and stir well. Then add the seasoned mayo to the chicken mixture and stir it all together. This is my husband’s new favorite!

Chinese Chicken Salad

I substitute cole slaw mix (my “go to” to speed things up!) and use fresh clementines or mandarins when they’re in season and a good price. Love the flavor of this dressing but be sure you just put it on right before serving and give it a toss. Leaving cut cabbage in the sauce can make it soggy if left too long.

Madras Chicken Salad

This original recipe was just perfect…the only thing I do different is double the recipe! (Thanks, nomnompaleo.com!)

Salmon Salad

I cut the black pepper in half…but I do that with most recipes. Just an overbearing flavor for me.

Fall Chicken Protein Salad

These last two recipes are only available in the Whole30 book so far as I can see. For me, those two recipes alone would have been worth the purchase price!

Egg Protein Salad

What’s YOUR favorite summer salad to beat the heat? Share in the comments below…I’d love to add more to my repertoire!

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