When life gets stressful, I know that I need to rely on healthy eating, workouts, friends & family, and sleep to get through the period without going insane. There are some big, unexpected changes going on in our life right now, which I will hopefully share with you all soon. Therefore, on Sunday I made it a priority to head to the gym and grocery store before the day got away from me.

I stocked up on lots of healthy ingredients for my desk drawer, office fridge, and our home fridge and pantry so there are no excuses! Lately Bo and I are loving pretzels, grapefruits, string cheese, smoked salmon, and greek yogurt!

I also made sure to pick up the essentials needed for another round of Ziplock salads. If you missed my previous posts you can check out previous ones by clicking on the links: Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Greek Salad and Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Mexican Salad. I saw beets on sale in the produce section of the grocery store and quickly decided that those would inspire and be a key ingredient in this week’s Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Beet Salad!

This colorful salad is my favorite one so far because the textures and flavors kept each bite interesting while the three different protein sources kept me full for longer than other salad choices. I’ll admit that this salad took a bit more prep work on Sunday since it includes quinoa and roasted vegetables but they are both super simple and were able to roast and simmer while we cleaned the apartment.

• 4 handfuls of baby spinach
• 2 handfuls of mixed tomatoes (I’m loving the Zima orange tomatoes)
• 1 handfuls of chopped red onions
• Any random leftover cooked vegetables you have in your fridge (this week I have roasted butternut squash and vidalia onions)
• 1/4 cup quinoa and 3 ounces leftover pork tenderloin (or your favorite protein)
• 1/4 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup sliced beets (canned or roasted)
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola

Many people have asked whether I put everything in the Ziplock bags at the beginning of the week and the answer is no. I take 5 minutes each night to toss everything into the Ziplock bag so it’s easy to grab and go in the morning. I find that this keeps the salad ingredients fresher versus dividing/combining them early in the week.

When I get to the office I toss some dressing in the bag, shake, put it on a plate, and then enjoy! Inexpensive, healthy, flavorful, and delicious!

I hope you like this week’s creation!