Aren’t you tired of eating the same salad every night? With limited selections in the dining halls, we often find ourselves making the same salad over and over and over again. Instead of throwing some greens on your plate and calling it a day, try out these 5 tips to spruce up your salad.

1. Spice it up

salad

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At the end of the salad bar, there’s a selection of spices and herbs that can seriously upgrade your salad. Sprinkle some basil, dill, oregano or cracked red pepper to really top things off.

Spoon Tip: dill is a great addition to a simple green salad with a creamy dressing, like ranch.

2. Look beyond the salad bar

salad

Photo by Grace Robertson

A lot ingredients provided with the entrees actually work great in a salad. Hot dog night? Skip the dog and add grilled onions, bacon bits, and some sautéed broccoli to your leafy greens. Pay a visit to the egg station add a fried egg to top off your Cobb salad. Other add ons like dried cranberries and sunflower seeds also work well when crumbled goat cheese or bleu cheese is available.

3. Meat is good for me

salad

Photo by Grace Robertson

One of the best parts of a salad is the protein, but a scoop of tuna salad gets old fast. When there isn’t anything catching your eye in the salad bar, grab two pieces of grilled chicken and cut it up. When sirloin is on the menu, top off your caesar with some steak strips.

4. MIX IT UP (literally)

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Theres nothing worse than taking a bite of your salad and having it be just a leaf with some vegetables. Let’s be honest, a salad is nothing without the dressing. In order to get your dressing spread evenly around your greens try putting a bowl on top of your salad bowl (or plate) and shake it around. This will get your salad perfectly even, avoiding the awkward dry spots and dressing clumps.

5. Get inspired

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Photo courtesy of Piril Dobrucali

Finding good recipes online can be a great way to inspire you in the dining halls. Many of the salad bar ingredients already go well together, its just a matter of realizing it. If you go in with an idea of what you want then you are much more likely to identify things that will actually taste good together. Get inspired from other cultures and create an exciting greek salad or taco salad.