It could be due to the majority of my days have been reduced to terms such as diaper changes, deciding between the bouncer and the carrier, and if that crying meant hunger or gas… so maybe it’s because my whole day is consumed by these tiny, super important yet super minor decisions, I have done all I can to simplify my culinary pallet. The last thing I have the energy for is to decide what I’m going to make for dinner.
But I’m also hungry always, so a non-meal of something like dry cereal or a frozen meal or a sad can of soup will barely make a dent in the black hole that is my stomach. So I’ve simplified things to the most delicious basics: soups, salads, and sandwiches. All prepped at the beginning of the week and therefore requiring nothing more of me for the rest of the week except scooping into an eating vessel and maybe a bit of good old fashioned microwaving.
*note: this dream scenario may sound like I have my life perfectly together and I pretty much redefine the term “domestic bliss” but don’t be fooled. This meal prep usually spans an entire day (if not multiple days) with frequent interruptions from an inquiring canine and a hungry baby who will not be satisfied with scraps thrown in his general direction like the dog. One of the most important step to this meal prep business is waking up the day of and declaring boldly, without a hint of fear or doubt, that meals WILL be prepped today. It’s essential that this is said with conviction or it most certainly will not come true
Anyway, I’ve found I would be perfectly content living on these three types of food (plus nightly popcorn, obviously) for the rest of my days. The categories are versatile but never demand complexity to be delicious. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our decisions could be neatly categorized in the familiar yet always thrilling options of soup, salad, or sandwich? Why make things more complicated than need be?
So those are the things you can expect from me for, I don’t know, the next 18 years? Or I might be craving something more exotic in three days time. Who knows? Humans are weird.
This salad is one of the first I prepped all at once, enough to feed Jackson and me for an entire week, which is no small feat (or quantity of kale). Whenever we needed a real meal but had zero free time to make it (which was always), we reached for these pre-prepped salad ingredients. It’s a very sturdy salad that will serve you well all week. It’s also quite appropriate for fall, and I know there’s no worse way to offend someone than making a dish for the wrong season. This recipe is extremely easy to double, triple, quadruple… the biggest problem you’ll have with that is finding a big enough baking sheet (hint: just use two).
Remember though, this is a salad, not a science experiment so all the measurements are a bit of an approximation. Let your spirit be free when making your salad, let it guide you to the measurements that are right for YOU. Is this flowery advice just a way to absolve me of the sin of never measuring anything properly? Possibly, but it’s still good advice.
You can use kale or baby spinach interchangeably for the base of this salad (or use a mix of both!). The cauliflower used in this recipe is for people who hate cauliflower, aka my husband, but somehow make room in their hearts for THIS cauliflower (the secret is love and Parmesan). I used a mixture of butternut squash and sweet potatoes (I’d like to attribute this idea to my culinary genius but the truth is I just couldn’t decide which would be better), but you can of course just go with one or the other if you’re partial. Farro is always a salad perk because it takes a bed of greens and actually turns it into something filling. I added chicken to my salad as well, but it’s totally optional or sub roasted chickpeas. The dressing turned out to be quite delightful: a lemon and parsley concoction.
The only thing that should wait to be prepped until mealtime is the apple. No one likes a pre-chopped, mushy brown apple. So get yourself some quality apples, something with a crisp bite to it, and add them fresh to each salad.
I so hope you love it and it makes your life a little easier!
Farro and Roasted Cauliflower Fall Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 head cauliflower broken into florets
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled. seeds removed, cubed
- 2 cups sweet potatoes cubed
- 2 raw chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 cup farro dried
- 1 bunch kale (or raw baby spinach) stems removed and chopped
- 2 apples diced
- salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the salad
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out cauliflower florets.
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Drizzle with olive oil and toss with 1/2 cup Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
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On a second baking sheet lined with parchment paper, combine sweet potato and butternut squash cubes and arrange chicken breasts next to them Drizzle with olive oil and toss with oregano, salt, and garlic powder.
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Set timer for 35 minutes, stirring the contents occasionally.
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Take the potatoes/squash and chicken out when slightly golden and soft all the way through and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
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Raise the oven temperature to 425 and continue to cook cauliflower an additional 15 minutes until golden and the edges are crispy.
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Meanwhile, cut up chicken and cook farro according to package instructions.
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Add kale to large bowl. Top with farro, cauliflower, sweet potatoes/squash, remaining parmesan, chicken, chopped apple, and dressing. Toss to combine and serve while still warm.
For the dressing
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Combine all ingredients except olive oil in food processor. Once combined, slowly add in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
