30 Day Paleo: Day Twenty Six – Learn to Dress and Prep For Variety

Looking to make healthier choices? Perfect! This is Day 26 of 30 of my 30 Day Paleo Plan. For more information on 30 Day Paleo as well as 30 Minute Paleo, check out the get started page. Post each day on your 30 Day Paleo journey to Twitter or Instagram and show me by tagging me with @dranthonygustin — get after it! 

Learning how to dress a salad for variety is the easiest way to mix things up and keep vegetables tasty. If something tastes great, you’re going to eat it. Salads are not boring, it is just the way you’re making them that is boring!

Store bought dressings are often laden with inflammatory vegetable oils, preservatives and other chemicals. They taste odd and syrupy. The good news is that it is very easy to mix up your own dressings using some simple ingredients.

Choose from a few of the ingredients below and you can create hundreds of unique and tasty combinations.

Citrus – Orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit

Herbs – Tarragon, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme

Fats – Olive oil, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamias

Veggies – Garlic, onion, shallot, scallion, jalapenos, avocado, peppers

Misc – Apple cider vinegar, mustard, red wine vinegar, truffle oil, bacon

TIP – Try some of the ingredients both raw and roasted for different flavors and consistencies.

Utilize your blender for pulsing your ingredients together for your desired consistency. Pairing together a fat with an acid is key for that thick emulsification that some people are after. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations that sound good to you!

If you want your dressing chunkier or aren’t using a lot of solid ingredients, shake your dressing up in a mason jar or a protein shaker. This is a quick and easy method and allows you to store your dressing in the same container that you made it in.

Most of these combinations will last for several day in an airtight container in the refrigerator, perfect for your meal prep salad. Pair with a variety of veggies for convenient lunches all week. The more citrus that is in the dressing will usually help it last a little longer.

Did you create something great and unique? Let us know by tagging us on Instagram or Twitter with #thepaleofix and @thepaleofix so we can check it out and share! When you learn to dress your salads you can make new meals every time!

Learn to dress. Make a new homemade salad dressing in a shaker or mason jar.

recipes: Kale and cabbage with avocado dressing / brussel sprout salad with mustard vinaigrette