This past weekend Ryan and I had a cabin weekend reunion with a bunch of our friends. After a two-year drought on getting together, it was wonderful to be in the same house for a weekend! The weekend was filled with meat, s’mores (yum!), and beer. Copious amounts of all three, which was delicious, but not a good decision for the day to day. Now it’s time to get back to the work week grind – meaning I gotta stuff my lunchbox full of vegetables to make up for the weekend partying. So, to get on track I’ve got a new lunch box (it’s called Freshy Bag and I’ll tell you all about it) and it’s going to be packed full of kale Greek salad this week.
Greek salad is my absolute favorite salad. I’ve made it once before on the blog here but with bulgur. Why with kale this time? Because Harris Teeter only sold a gargantuan bag of kale and so now I have to put kale on, or in, absolutely everything I make. Oh and also, kale is like…trendy… or a super food… or something. Most importantly, don’t forget to massage the kale. It makes a difference. It sounds like I’m joking but I promise I’m not.
But anyway, I loooooove Greek salad. I love the watery freshness of tomatoes and cucumber, the salty-fatness of olives and cheese, and the bite of raw onions. And the kale gives an added crunch and heartiness too it. It really is my favorite and it’s a meal that’s going to make me feel good about myself and keep me going during the week. No sad desk lunch for this chick.
Ok, in fairness sometimes I do have sad desk lunches. Or sad lunch on a school bus, or in the car in the parking lot, or scarfed down at museums and sites across DC. I go all over for work, often I’m out of the office all day, so I eat on the run. I try to bring my lunch along with me, shoveling down bites when I can. You know because I love food and eating. And also, so I don’t get hangry with my students and colleagues.
Recently I started carrying my lunch in the Freshy Bag and it’s really upped my lunch game. Sad desk lunches no more! First, it’s got sturdy black fabric that’s durable as I throw it around in my travels. But, it’s also pretty smashable (that’s a word right?) so it fits into my backpack with all the other things I need to carry. I also like that it’s got a simple look that’s nice but not so flashy.
However the absolute best thing about it is how it keeps things cool and fresh. I put a string cheese in my Freshy Bag and left it un-refrigerated for 3 hours. When I took it out it was still slightly cool! It wasn’t as cool as it was when I put it in the bag, but it was pretty dang fresh. In the name of science I tried this with a string cheese outside of the Freshy Bag and that cheese was… sweaty. Gross right?! I love cheese, so the fact that Freshy Bag keeps cheese tasty is a win in my book. This week as I carry around salad I know my veggies will be crisp, my cheese intact, and my food generally unwilted.
My only gripe with the Freshy Bag is that a few of my friends said that the logo kinda looks like it says fleshy bag. I know it doesn’t say that, but they put the idea in my head and now I can’t get it out. And now I’ve put the idea in your head. I’m sorry.
I think the main top pocket being a side zip instead of a top zip is unusual. At first I didn’t like it, for no particular reason. But now I’m into it. I still think it’s an unusual design, but I think it makes putting things in and taking things out much easier and neater. We all know I’m a big spiller, so anything to keep me from accidentally empty my salad down into my lunch bag is a win. I also like that there is a bottom layer of storage that’s large and easily accessible. I don’t know the reason why there are two compartments – maybe to separate hot and cold foods – all I know is that I find it pleasing. If you’re interested in a Freshy Bag of your own, you can find them on Amazon for about $20.
And if you’re interested in upping your vegetable intake this week, definitely whip up this kale Greek salad. For me, it ticks a lot of boxes. It’s got vegetables, a bit of protein, and lovely creamy cheese. Did I mention already that I love cheese?
This recipe is good for about 4 servings at lunch (with some other snacks of course) or about 2 giant servings if you were going to have it as your whole meal.
This is a salad I definitely get excited for. And I assure you, I’ll be eager to dive in at lunch time however… all this talk of vegetables kind of makes me want to eat chocolate. Is that wrong?!
Messy level: Salad is probably one of the cleanest meals you’ll ever make. Clean, chop, and mix all the ingredients and that’s it. Don’t splash around too much as you dress the salad and you literally won’t make a mess. Boom.
- 4 cups kale, leaves washed and torn
- 1 large cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained from a can
- ½ large onion, chopped
- ½ cup feta crumbles, or more to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix so everything is evenly distributed throughout.
- Give the salad a look over, anything you'd like more of? Then add more of that ingredient!
- Dress with your favorite salad dressing. I prefer making a mix of olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard.
- Serve and enjoy!
Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
