28-Days-to-Lean Meal Plan
With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.
Read articleWith the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.
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Read articleChances are you think of salads as something to serve only during the sunnier months—and nothing more than a sidekick to a hunk of meat. Well, you’re wrong on both counts. If you prepare your salads with a little creativity and smarts, they can be filling meals that help you pack on muscle and shed fat this winter. The following six salads bring together a host of underrated veggies, protein heavyweights, and inspiring dressings. Whip them up at home this season for major upgrades to your diet and physique, not to mention your cooking skills.
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Brian Klutch / M+F Magazine
With strips of seared steak, sweet roasted squash, fresh pears, and a bold and creamy dressing, this salad won’t disappoint at dinnertime—or anytime. The steak, squash, and dressing can all be prepared ahead of time for a quick, protein-rich meal.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
Divide spinach among serving plates. Top with squash, steak, pears, and pecans. Drizzle on dressing.
The Macros
Mix it Up: You can tweak this salad in a number of ways. Try substituting sweet potato for squash, blue cheese for Gorgonzola, baby kale for spinach, and apples for pears.
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Brian Klutch / M+F Magazine
The dressing and sauerkraut lend this slaw a tasty tang, while the turkey sausage guarantees your muscles are well fed. If you can’t find kohlrabi, go with shredded celery root, parsnips, turnips, or broccoli.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
The Macros:
Blade Runner: Employ the shredding blade of a food processor to prepare your vegetables in a flash. Don’t have a food processor? Use the large holes of a box grater.
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Brian Klutch / M+F Magazine
This monster salad has lots of terrific flavors and textures. The American-farmed rainbow trout is a nutritional powerhouse—inexpensive, sustainable, and loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fats.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
The Macros:
Go Fish: Don’t like trout? You can sub in wild salmon, arctic char, or even smoked mackerel, which requires no cooking.
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Brian Klutch / M+F Magazine
This salad turns the classic Caesar on its head by swapping out the soggy lettuce and breadcrumbs for more nutrient-dense brussels sprouts and quinoa. The anchovies add a lot of flavor as well. If you don’t feel like cooking your own chicken, pick up a rotisserie bird at the supermarket.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
The Macros:
Don’t Guess: Use a digital thermometer to determine if meats such as chicken and pork have been cooked enough. Chicken should have an internal temp of 165°F; pork, 145°F.
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Brian Klutch / M+F Magazine
This earthy salad proves that vegetarian eating need not leave you yawning. Roasting whole beets wrapped in foil helps them retain moisture, and time in the hot oven elevates carrots’ natural sweetness.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
The Macros:
Blast Your Pan: When preheating your oven to roast vegetables, slide the sheet pan in the oven. Placing vegetables on a red-hot pan will encourage better browning and flavor.
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Brian Klutch / M+F Magazine
For a salad to work as a main dish, it can’t just taste delicious. It also needs to offer a good balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. This one delivers in all categories.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
The Macros:
Rub it Down: Don’t love kale’s bitterness? Massage the leaves. This will release enzymes to reduce its bracing flavor.
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