Meal Prep Spinach Beet and Chicken Power Salads
by Katie Webster
January 1, 2018 (updated 1/16/23) Jump To Recipe
Looking for Meal Prep Lunch ideas? How about making this high-protein meal prep salad with chicken and beet for a week’s worth of healthy hunger-busting lunches?
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Meal Prep Spinach Beet and Chicken Power Salads
Meal prepping can be difficult to get into, but trust me, when you’ve started you’ll realize how much of a life-saver it is and you won’t be able to stop. You’ll especially love this idea for a meal prep lunch salad, because who really ever has time to make a great lunch mid-workday anyway.
Recipe Highlights
- Can be customized to the veggies you have on hand or your favorite protein
- Mix up the dressing during the week for more variety in the flavor
- Makes use of seasonal veggies
- High in protein (30 g each!)
- Large portion but low-calorie density
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
- Baby Spinach: Use regular spinach if baby spinach isn’t available.
- Beets: Peeled and shredded raw beets.
- Other Vegetables: Carrots and kohlrabi.
- Chicken: Make one batch of my Garlic Herb Marinated Chicken. For these meal-prep salads, one batch yields enough chicken to provide 30 grams of protein per serving.
- Toasted nuts or seeds: Use walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
- Dressing: One batch apple cider vinegar salad dressing or another of your choice. I have a huge selection of healthy home-made salad dressings to choose from. This Maple Tahini Dressing or This Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette would also be super yummy with the ingredients in these Meal Prep Salads ingredients.
Step-by-Step Instructions To Make These Meal Prep Spinach, Beet and Chicken Power Salads
Step 1: Assemble salads
Set 5 resealable containers on the work surface. Divide the spinach among the containers, then top with beet, carrot and kohlrabi. Add the chicken and nuts or seeds. Seal the containers shut.
Step 2: Diving dressing & refrigerate
Divide the salad dressing among 5 small jars or resealable storage containers. Refrigerate the meal prep lunch salad up to 5 days. Serve the salad with the dressing.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Pack these salads in resealable meal-prep glass containers with snap-lock lids and place them in the fridge. Pack the dressing separately and they will last for 5 days in the fridge. I like the little tiny ball jars for this, but any little spill-proof resealable container works well. Make sure the chicken is completely cool before adding it on top of the salads.
These are totally customizable! Feel free to swap the spinach out with any other preferred lettuce and chopped veggies in place of the beets, kohlrabi and carrots.
Switch the chicken for another protein such as rotisserie chicken, Vegan “tuna” salad made with chickpeas or you could also make a batch of my Crispy Pan Seared Salmon to mix it up. I love the convenience of buying cooked cocktail shrimp too.
Also, if you don’t like nuts or have an allergy, omit them completely or add croutons instead. Just make sure to keep them separate so they do not get soggy.
If you’re following the Whole30 diet, use this Tahini dressing or Mustard Dressing without the honey.
Additional Meal Prep Recipes to Make
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Meal Prep Spinach Beet and Chicken Power Salads
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
Description
A High-protein meal prep lunch idea: Spinach, Beet and Chicken Power Salads. Prep on Sunday and bring lunch to work all week long. 30 grams of protein, 10 grams of net carbs and naturally gluten-free, paleo and whole30 compliant.
Ingredients
- 1 5-ounce box baby spinach
- 2 small beet, peeled and shredded
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and julienne cut or shredded
- 1 batch grilled Garlic Herb Marinated Chicken
- 10 tablespoons toasted nuts or seeds, such as walnuts or pumpkin seeds
- 1 batch apple cider vinegar salad dressing or another of your choice
Instructions
- Set 5 re-sealable containers on work surface. Divide spinach among the containers. Top with beet, carrot and kohlrabi. Add chicken and nuts or seeds. Seal container.
- Divide salad dressing among 5 small jars or re-sealable storage containers. Refrigerate up to 5 days. Serve the salad with the dressing.
Notes
Whole30: To make this recipe Whole30 compliant, use Tahini dressing or Mustard Dressing without the honey.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salad
- Calories: 377
- Fat: 27
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 30
Keywords: Power Salad,Meal Prep Salad,High Protein Salad with Chicken,meal prep spinach beet and chicken power salads
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
This looks crazy good! Especially the serving….whoa I need a big piece!
★★★★★
Hey Kristina! I am glad you’re digging these salads. We love a big salad at lunch around here.
I’m so gonna listen to that “Unmillennial Life podcast” Thanks so much for this post – I had no idea I’d need that much protein! And WOW – I adore beets so THIS salad is calling my name!
I am curious if the beets are cooked or raw? I wasn’t sure if raw beets would be ok to eat, or taste very good raw.
Hi Katie.. I have never had raw beets.. this is ok to do? I was thinking of using the pickled beets instead,,, I love those.. but if I can use raw, what is the general flavor of them? LOVE this salad.. the more protein the better!!!
Yes you can eat the beets raw. I love pickled beets too, but I think they may wilt the salads wile they sit in the fridge for the week. In general the flavor of the raw beet is less pronounced. Not as sweet, still mildly earthy. Glad you’re on the protein train. It is so important!
This looks so delicious and heart healthy. Love the selection of veggies and the dressing. I rarely eat beet but would love to add more to my diet.
I love beets too, but am more likely to use them in the summer (we love them pickled.) I am glad you appreciate that I included them. Have a great day Veena.
I decided that this will be my lunch next week. It looks amazing, I am all over your pictures!! and I do enjoy spinach and beet during winter. 🙂
Awesome! Please let me know how you like them. I appreciate the feedback. Have a great weekend.
Oh this looks like a perfect addition to my work lunch routine! And can I just say that I LOVE that you used kohlrabi? It’s one of my favorite veggies, and I almost never see it included in recipes.
I am so with you Jen, I think more folks should get on board with Kohlrabi. Glad you appreciate that fact. Happy Cooking!
I’m loving the carrots and pepitas mixed into this meal prep. What a great bunch of textures.
I am so glad you mentioned that Ginny because that was a big plus for me too. Have a great day and thanks for coming by.
This looks so delicious, love the sound of the dressing!
Thanks so much Emily. That dressing is one of my favorite stand-bys!