This fall has been all about getting back into a healthy routine and also watching my spending. In Boston, getting takeout salads is much easier and also more expensive, and I would rather spend that money enjoying the end of patio season and eating out!

Sometimes though, I just can’t kick my craving for certain Sweetgreen salads, so I have figured out how to make my customized versions of them at home. I also tend to use some similar ingredients between a few of them, with two or three key changes, so that I can maximize my one-person groceries and not risk my produce going bad.

Nancy’s Chopped Salad

This salad was limited edition, and I fell in love (with a few customizations of course!). In addition to doing a small amount of prep, the other key to this is mixing your lettuce! The original combined arugula with romaine, but I like to sub in kale. The other essential ingredient is the pesto vinaigrette, which dresses up any salad.

• A mix of half kale, half arugula

• Sliced cherry tomatoes

• Diced cucumber

• Salami, diced

• Roasted chickpeas

  • I roast mine in advance with EVOO, salt and pepper, and some crushed red pepper or cayenne for heat. This adds a little bit more flavor to the salad, and some crunch which is important to keep me from getting bored! You can also keep them for the

• Pesto vinaigrette

  • So easy to make - you just take some EVOO and either balsamic or apple cider vinegar, and add in a spoonful of pesto. Mix with a fork to really break it up, and add to the salad! I almost always add cheese to salads, but with the pesto vinaigrette you don’t need to.

Harvest Bowl

This one is incredibly easy to do if you put the time in for a little bit of meal prep - they key is to roast sweet potatoes (or butternut squash if you prefer) and chicken in advance so that you have it on hand to make this quickly. I usually sub farro for wild rice, since I’m not a huge wild rice fan, I also often do it without a grain at all.

• Kale

• 1/2 of an apple, diced (I prefer honeycrisp for the crunchiness!)

• Goat cheese

• Roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash

  • Make sure you cut it into bit sized pieces before you roast it!

• 1/2 of a chicken breast

• 1/3 cup of Farro (optional)

• Balsamic vinaigrette

Mexican Corn Elote Bowl

I find myself craving Mexican flavors and this bowl really scratches the itch!

• A mix of either kale or spinach, with arugula

• Sliced cherry tomatoes

• Goat Cheese

• 1/2 avocado

• 1/2 chicken breast

• Roasted Corn ( I like to just sautee a little bit of frozen corn in a pan with olive oil and a sprinkle of cumin for that Mexican flavor! Do it over high heat to get that browned, roasted taste and look)

• Crumble a few tortilla chips on top

• Squeeze a lime wedge

• Balsamic vinaigrette, with a dash of sriracha for heat