1. Choose leafy greens as your base. Spinach or baby spinach, a mix of arugula, endive and radicchio, crispy chunks of romaine or even wilted chard provide vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and fiber. The darker the leaves, the more nutrient-rich they are!
2. Make your plate a rainbow. Red and orange vegetables like carrots and peppers contain huge amounts of Vitamin A. Their natural sweetness are pleasing to children as are canned or roasted beets, corn and veggies made into interesting shapes. (Broccoli florets can easily be presented as edible trees!)
3. Don’t be afraid to add fruit to the mix. Whether dried – cranberries, blueberries or raisins – or fresh – strawberry slivers, blueberries or soothing-smooth avocado (yes, it’s a fruit) – people’s inclination to choose sweet foods makes a fruit-filled salad an easy sell.
4. Think outside the salad plate. Slivered almonds, sunflower seeds and caramelized almonds or pecans add crunch, flavor and protein. Or throw on chunks of hard salami or olive-oil-packed tuna.
5. Remake traditional salad dishes – a Nicoise salad doesn’t have to be laborious. It’s simply a combination of cooked potato chunks, bite-crisp green beans, tuna, olives and a dressing with anchovies. Have fun with the essential ingredients and make it your own creation.
6. Don’t be limited by bottled dressing. While there are hundreds of pre-made salad dressings to choose from, you can also make your own! Remember this formula: all salad dressings contain two things – a fat and an acid. Common fats: oils, mayonnaise, dairy (sour cream, for example) or egg yolk. Acids: vinegar, citrus juice.

Vinaigrettes combine acid and oil, sometimes with herbs. Emulsified dressings combine oil, vinegar and a third ingredient like mustard or egg yolks. Creamy dressings are made from heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt, crème fraiche, buttermilk or tahini plus an acid and flavorings.