Salads can be a wonderful specimen of all the food groups

I love salads. I love to pile on all kinds of veggies - and the greener the better - and even with minimal dressing I can enjoy it quite a bit. But sometimes, it's what you add to it that makes it spectacular...and pretty to look at.

Lettuce is the foundation of most salads. I usually use iceberg as a last resort or mix it in with some green or red leaf or romaine and I absolutely love baby spinach in my salads. Then the fun comes with adding other veggies. In the photo below, I grabbed what was in the fridge - some broccoli and tomato. Since this was my main course for lunch, I threw in a boiled egg, some shredded cheddar, some croutons, some sliced ham and some ranch dressing to round out the food pyramid. The possibilities are endless. You can add any vegetable out there. You can add fruits. Then there are the mayo-based or oil based. The hot ones. The cold ones. So many possibilities, so little time. :)