Strawberry Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette

This delicious Strawberry Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette is packed with fiber and nutrients, and is the perfect way to enjoy fresh strawberries. Plus it’s a great option for salad meal prep and it makes a delicious grab-and-go lunch. 

My healthy eating journey has had starts and stops. It has had moments where I wanted to quit and even moments where I did for a little bit.

I’ve had moments where I hate how I look, think, or feel.

It took months of figuring out how to make changes for what my body needed, to learn what balance I could create to be happy and healthy.

I have tried counting calories and restricting as well as clean eating. It took real effort, determination, and strength. And the result has been so worth it!

Once you start making these positive changes, it becomes a little easier, moment by moment. It’s important to, when you make a bad choice, to not beat yourself up.  Instead, focus on the positive choices you have made, and the progress — no matter how small. You’ll find positivity goes a long way to rebounding faster!

HOW TO MAKE A STRAWBERRY SALAD

The best thing about making a strawberry salad is you really don’t need a ton of ingredients to make it vibrant and flavorful – the strawberries help a ton with that.  And it’s so easy to make, too!  To make this salad, it’s just a few simple steps, like:

1. toast the oats and pecans;
2. toast the coconut flakes;
3. combine the greens and strawberries;
4. make the vinaigrette;
5. drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve!

If you wanted to make this strawberry salad even simpler, you could always skip toasting the pecans and coconut, but the flavor and added texture when they’re roasted is totally worth the little extra effort – trust me!

WHAT’S IN A STRAWBERRY FIELDS SALAD?

Okay so this strawberry salad is FILLED with nutritious, delicious, and clean ingredients, including:

• baby spring lettuce mix;
• rolled oats;
• coconut flakes;
• raw pecans;
• goat cheese;
• and, of course, strawberries!

Like I mentioned earlier, this is a very simple recipe for a very flavorful salad.  I love finding new ways to incorporate healthy foods into my lifestyle, especially given how good strawberries are for you.  Did you know strawberries are…

• a great source of fiber;
• rich in vitamin C;
• a great source of potassium;
• rich in antioxidants.

How To Make Chia Seed Vinaigrette

Oh but that’s not it! This strawberry salad has a DELICIOUS and healthy chia seed vinaigrette, which requires just 4 ingredients, including:

• olive oil;
• red wine vinegar;
• raw honey;
• black chia seeds.

See? All clean, healthy, and nutritious ingredients.  Compare this to your normal poppyseed vinaigrette, which typically contains vegetable oil, white sugar, and poppy seeds, which is high in sugar and unhealthy fats.  Plus — this vinaigrette recipe tastes just as good, if not better, than a poppy seed vinaigrette.

Winner: THIS chia seed vinaigrette.

MEAL PREPPING SALADS WITH STRAWBERRIES

Okay, so you’re on board with making yourself this delish strawberry salad, and you’re wondering if it will work for meal prep.  The answer is YES, it’s great as a grab and go salad to enjoy during the week, but I do have some suggestions on how to package and prep your salad for best results.

1. Prep the dressing and store it in an airtight container, like this mason jar with these air-tight lids. This step is pretty important because we don’t want to toss the salad with the dressing yet if you’re gonna wait a few days to eat it.  This will help to keep the salad as fresh as possible when it’s time to eat.
2. Next, it’s time to prep the rest of the salad.  Because strawberries are so delicate, I recommend slicing them in half (not into slices) when meal-prepping your salad. airtight containers or mason jars to store the salad.
3. In a large mason jar or air-tight container (I use these 1-quart mason jars for my salads), follow this order, starting from the bottom:
   1. halved strawberries
   2. goat cheese
   3. pecans, oats, and coconut flakes
   4. greens

Storing your salad this way will help keep it as fresh as possible during the week.  Then, when it’s time to eat your salad, just pour the salad out from the jar into a large bowl, drizzle with the dressing, and then toss to coat.  Bing. Bang. Boom.  Stored like this, these salads will last up to 4-5 days in the fridge.  Tasty meal prepped strawberry salad for the win!

PS Check out my post for more info on how to meal prep mason jar salads!

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS STRAWBERRY SALAD

While this is a super easy salad to make, I wanted to share a few tips for how to avoid any potential issues and also to find ways to suit your healthy lifestyle.

• watch the oats, pecans, and coconut flakes carefully while in the oven so they don’t burn;
• use unsweetened coconut flakes to avoid added refined sugars;
• use fresh, un-bruised strawberries;
• store the salad in air-tight containers if using for meal prep;

Substitution Suggestions For This Strawberry Salad

SinceI know no lifestyle or dietary requirements is quite the same, here are some recipe substitution recommendations for how to make this salad work best for you:

Vegan and Non-Dairy Substitutions:

• replace goat cheese with avocado;
• replace raw honey with pure maple syrup in the vinaigrette;

Tree Nut Substitutions:

• replace coconut flakes and pecans with hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds
• can use avocado for added fat in replacement of coconut and nuts

Gluten-Free and Paleo Substitutions:

• use gluten-free oats or replace with hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds for texture

Strawberry Substitutions:

• replace with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or avocado

As always, though, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below and I’ll be happy to help!

Strawberry Salad Recipe Video

Strawberry Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette

This delicious Strawberry Fields Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette is packed with fiber and nutrients, and is the perfect way to enjoy fresh strawberries. Plus it's a great option for salad meal prep and it makes a delicious grab-and-go lunch. 

For the salad:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, (sliced)
• 2 cups baby spring lettuce mix
• 2 tbsp rolled oats, (uncooked)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup raw pecans
• 3 tbsp goat cheese, (crumbled)

For the chia seed vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 2 tsp black chia seeds

1. To make the chia seed vinaigrette, in a medium mixing bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, raw honey, and black chia seeds. Stir well and then set aside.

2. To toast the oats, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and add the oats. Place in the oven and toast, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Set aside and allow to cool.

3. To toast the pecans, increase the heat in your oven to 325 degrees F. Place the roughly chopped raw pecans on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or parchment paper and toast them just until they become aromatic, about 8-10 minutes. You have to watch them carefully as they are easily burned. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then chop into small pieces.

4. To toast the coconut flakes, add the unsweetened coconut flakes to a baking sheet lined with tin foil or parchment paper and place into the 325 degree oven for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Toss frequently and watch carefully. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
5. To assemble the salad, in a large mixing bowl, combine the baby spring lettuce mix, sliced strawberries, toasted oats, toasted pecans, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted coconut flakes
6. To serve, drizzle with the chia seed vinaigrette, toss, and top with a little more toasted coconut and enjoy.

If you’re prepping this salad ahead, make sure to keep the dressing in a separate container and then toss right when you’re ready to enjoy.

See the post for ingredient substitution recommendations. 

This post contains affiliate links for products I highly recommend.

The post Strawberry Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

* This article was originally published here

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