Make-Your-Own Salad Bar

It's no secret that I love salad bars. LOVE them! Salads from restaurants rarely contain enough veggies for me, so salad bars give me the chance to load up. And there are usually more vegetarian protein options (beans, nuts, eggs, cottage cheese, etc).

After spending $8 on a (very delicious) salad bar from Jason's Deli, I decided that I should make my own salad bar at home. I grabbed a bunch of veggies at the store, and then spent about 30 minutes prepping everything. Now I have a salad bar to get me through the week!

Here's a breakdown:

• 1 bag spring mix (on sale for $2)
• 1 bag romaine hearts (on sale for $2)
• sliced almonds (already had on hand)
• chickpeas ($1.29)
• fresh corn (already had on hand)
• red bell pepper (on sale for $0.77)
• broccoli slaw - a mix of shredded broc, carrots, & red cabbage (on sale for $1.88)
• sliced olives ($1.16)
• grape tomatoes (on sale for $3)
• sliced mushrooms (on sale for $1.88)
• kidney beans ($0.99)
• feta cheese (already had on hand)
• hard boiled eggs ($1.59)
• salad dressing (already had on hand)

Grand Total: $16.56

Not bad, considering what I'm showing above should make at least 4 salads, plus there are leftovers of several of the ingredients!

I had a nice, big salad for dinner tonight. Yum. I can't believe there are people out there that don't eat vegetables...

This set up would also be good for a dinner party...everyone can make their own and pick and choose what toppings they want. We do this for family dinners at my parents' house, and it's a big hit.

On a side note, this is what Kate came home from the store with.

Yes, that is a bottle of bacon flavored vodka. Much to my surprise (and possibly to Kate's chagrin), my initial research tells me that it is, in fact, vegetarian. Vegan, even. Many mistake it as being infused with bacon, but it seems to just be bacon flavored. And from what I've read, that flavor is chemically made.

But I'm not taking any swigs of it just yet. I'll let you know if I do. Have you ever tried it?