I make salad in advance a couple times each week and yes, it takes time but I eat a salad with every lunch and every dinner, so advance prep is usually necessary due to work/life commitments.

The base is usually romaine, carrots, celery, and cabbage. I wash all, lay it out on a kitchen towel, and chop with a ceramic knife to help limit browning. Put in a bowl as chopping, then mix up to blend when finished chopping all. Put a paper towel on top of the combined salad and turn the bowl over so excess moisture drains onto the paper towel. Change out the paper towel each time I get a serving out.

While chopping, I'll also cut some carrots into sticks for nibbling while fixing meals.

This week I have red, yellow, and orange peppers from a Costco multipack. I chopped and sliced (also for nibbling) one of each color and put those in a separate bowl to store, again with a paper towel. These seem to have a lot of moisture so I decided to keep separate from my base mix.

When I actually make the salad to eat, I'll put some of the base mixture and some peppers, then I add some other vegetables to the serving, such as bagged broccoli slaw or bag salad kale mix or just regular kale.

For toppings, I make my own mixture of sunflower seeds, pepitas, roasted edamame, peanuts, sliced almonds, etc. and store in a sealed container in the fridge with the produce. I usually overserve myself on this.

TLDR: use a ceramic knife for chopping and store cut salad with a paper towel on top and turn the bowl upside down to absorb excess moisture.

My favorite salad right now is quinoa, diced cucumbers, diced red onion, and tomatoes, with chimichurri sauce (olive oil, parsley, shallot). It’s delicious. My kids love it.

Everyone likes different things so it’s hard to say what you and your kids would like. I personally hate both iceberg and romaine.

I usually use the bagged baby spinach or arugula. I make either a quick honey Dijon vinaigrette (honey mixed with white vinegar, add a scoop of Dijon, then a drizzle of olive oil). I like adding chopped apple , hard boiled egg and walnuts or pecans, but my daughter prefers just the greens.

I also love the chopt Mexican green goddess dressing which you can buy at chopt to bring home.

Some toppings are good pickled in advance — so put thin sliced onions in with some vinegar salt and sugar a day or so before and then you put that in the salad. I hate raw onions but like them pickled on a salad.

Another salad i like that keeps well is shredded broccoli stalk and carrots with a vinaigrette of rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, a little avocado oil, and the Thai red curry paste. It’s really yummy and the broccoli holds up well.

I like the boxes of spring mix. Then make and keep your own vinaigrette in a pour-y thingie (oil dispenser). Add parmesan crisps—maybe sliced cucumber— yum!

Recently rediscovered the simple deliciousness of iceberg as a Cesar salad. So crisp! I just buy croutons and dressing,

I think the easiest way to make salad less boring is experimenting with different dressings. You can buy or make your own jarred dressings. Once you know the basics, you can change them up easily. Jamie Oliver had great recipes in one of his books.

We eat a large salad every night and IME you should not prep things ahead very much because they get wilted or drippy.

Romaine washed in a salad spinner, cucumber peeled and sliced, bell peppers, cherry tomato, feta cheese, nuts or croutons or dried cranberries. Maybe corn if we have it.

I like green onions but not fruit (apples, mandarin orange) and the rest of my family is opposite so we mostly don't do those.

Some of my favorites:

--roughly chop up kale and massage with olive oil and course salt. Dress with lemon juice and add chopped, dried cranberries and pine nuts or almonds

--spinach salad (I buy the big containers of pre-washed baby spinach and it lasts well) with pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and Italian dressing

--quartered cherry tomatoes with chopped up cucumber and a vinaigrette-style dressing. Can add feta if desired.

We do a ton of salads with most dinners.

Usually some sort of lettuce (romaine, spring mix, sometimes chopped iceberg but it's not my favorite), cucumber, bell pepper, carrots (tri-colors are fun!) are my mainstays. Sometimes tomato, celery, avocado, green onion, olives, marinated veggies like peppers or artichokes or hearts of palm.

Dressing is typically a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic, olive oil, salt, pepper, dijon, a little sugar or honey, garlic powder, chili flakes, and lemon squeeze). One likes Olive Garden Italian, one likes olive oil/lemon/salt, one likes dry salad.

If the meal is Mexican I can add cilantro and corn.

If the meal is Greek I can add olives and feta.

We love salads though.

Tips:
- mix up your favorite salad toppings (chopped veggies, cheese, etc.) and store separate from the lettuce
- Kale and cabbages will take longer to wilt
- romain and iceberg wilt or turn brown quickly, especially if you cut with a knife. they are still safe to eat but look unappealing. try washing/drying whole leaves and store in containers. they when you are ready to eat, you can chop and assemble quickly.
- dress right before serving

If you want to prepare in advance, you could wash and chop the other ingredients (tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, onions, whatever), then throw it on top of pre-washed bagged greens or spinach the day. Top with simple olive oil and vinegar and you’re done.

If you like crunchier romaine, the only thing that I find works is one of those salad spinners. Otherwise washing and drying becomes a chore.

I wash and dry romaine lettuce and keep a container in the refrigerator at all times. Even my teens will take a few leaves, tear it up and eat with lunch.

How are you preparing them? If you use the jar method where you put the dressing on the bottom and then layer in ingredients with the lettuce going in last, you’ll have a fresh salad ready to go. For a family, I would save some larger jars and prep them ahead of time.
https://andianne.com/six-mason-jar-salad-recipes/

Definitely prepare them right before eating, not the day before (unless we’re talking about something sturdy like a kale or grain salad).

Our default is Caesar. I just buy the bags of chopped salad kits and use 1/2 the dressing, everyone seems to enjoy it!

I make a very simple salad: chopped romaine, green pepper, green onion, tomatoes, smashed garlic, Lemon, olive oil, salt pepper.

It is so light and delicious. We eat it most nights with dinner.

I’d like to feed my family (and myself) more salad- as a side dish, just to up our veggie intake. When I prepare my salads in advance, I feel like they look wilted and unappetizing the next day. I love eating salad at other peoples homes, but my salads are just so boring. Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions for an easy every day salad that’s also appealing to the family?