Indispensable equipment

Sharp knives. All the slicing and dicing will be done more quickly, and safely, with an all-purpose chef's knife and a couple of small, sharp paring knives for peeling and cutting smaller fruits and vegetables.

Big cutting boards. You'll be more relaxed if you don't have to worry about vegetables flying all over the place.

Salad spinner. Makes for fast and easy washing and drying of greens.

Ingredients & preparation

Don't feel limited to only these choices, they are just ideas to get you started.

Greens are the base. To get the most nutrients, choose dark, leafy greens, such as Romaine or spinach. You can also buy different kinds of bagged greens. Choose one bag or combine a couple different types to add variety. Look for the mixes with the darkest colors to get the most for your money nutrition-wise. All greens, whether loose or bagged, need to be washed before using. Wash and dry your greens all at once when you have a little extra time to spare, Sunday night for example. Store them in the fridge in a salad spinner or perforated plastic baggies.

High-power veggie and fruit choices:

Red and green bell peppers
Carrots
Broccoli
Green peas, frozen, thawed
Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are easy because you can serve them whole)
Cauliflower
Orange sections or canned mandarin orange slices
Strawberries
Grapes
Raisins or dried apricots

Certain veggies can be cut up ahead of time, such as carrots, broccoli and bell peppers, and stored in plastic baggies or plastic containers. Or buy pre-cut bagged veggies, like baby carrots, broccoli florets or shredded cabbage. Most fruits are best when washed and cut up just before using.

Other great add-ons that require at the most a simple turn of can opener:

Chickpeas or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Tuna or grilled chicken
Canned artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
Leftover cooked vegetables, beans or grains
Sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones packed in oil)

Remember, a healthy salad can turn into a nutritional nightmare if you're not careful (a typical chef's salad equals the calories and fat of a Big Mac). Salad dressing is the worst culprit for adding lots of calories and fat. Keep a variety of light salad dressings on hand. Also hold back on other high fat items, such as cheese, bacon bits, ham, croutons, olives and nuts.

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