Throwing together a salad is generally the last thing I do for a meal, so I’m often exhausted from all the cooking I’ve done previously. This is the salad most often eaten at our house. Of course, play around with the ingredients and add or delete veggies to your liking. I like to make sure that at least half of my dinner plate is filled with raw veggies every night to increase my water and fibre intake, as well as all the vital nutrients raw veggies provide, so why don’t you make that a new rule in your house, too?

4 to 6 cups leafy greens
(romaine, butter or leaf lettuce; spinach, red lettuce, kale, chard or any combination thereof–the more different kinds of leafy greens, the prettier the salad looks)

1 or 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
1 small cucumber, peeled and quartered
1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped
1 or 2 carrots, grated (peeling optional)
1/2 cup very fresh, white button mushrooms, sliced
3 or 4 radishes, sliced thin
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss well with the dressing of your choice.

Serves 4.