A Fresh, Fiber-Rich Lunch That's Perfect for Busy Weeks

If you're looking for a hearty salad that actually keeps you full, this Crunchy Broccoli & Chickpea Meal Prep Salad is one to add to your rotation.

Packed with crisp broccoli, protein-rich chickpeas, leafy spinach, crunchy almonds, and fresh herbs, this salad comes together in minutes and holds up well in the refrigerator, making it perfect for meal prep lunches.

One of my favorite things about recipes like this is how versatile they are. It's satisfying as a vegetarian meal, but it also pairs beautifully with grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or salmon if you'd like to increase the protein even more.

Whether you're packing lunch for work, enjoying an easy dinner on a busy weeknight, or looking for a colorful side dish, this salad is simple, fresh, and easy to customize.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Great for meal prep
Naturally high in fiber
Plant-forward and vegetarian
Easy to customize
Comes together in about 15 minutes
Travels well for lunches
Delicious served chilled

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Nutritional Highlights

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables you can add to your meals.

It's rich in:

Vitamin C
Vitamin K
Folate
Fiber
Antioxidants

Lightly steaming the broccoli keeps it crisp while making it easier to digest.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas provide a combination of plant protein and fiber that helps make this salad much more satisfying than a typical green salad.

They're also a good source of:

Folate
Iron
Magnesium
Potassium

The combination of fiber and protein may help support balanced energy and keep you feeling fuller longer.

Baby Spinach

Spinach provides vitamins and minerals without overpowering the flavor.

It contributes:

Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin K
Folate
Iron

It's an easy way to add another serving of greens to your day.

Almonds

A small amount of toasted almonds adds healthy fats, crunch, and even more staying power.

They also provide:

Vitamin E
Magnesium
Plant protein

Flaxseed

Ground flaxseed adds extra fiber and plant-based omega-3 fatty acids while blending seamlessly into the dressing.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast adds a savory, slightly cheesy flavor without dairy.

It's also a source of B vitamins and can contribute a small amount of additional plant protein.

Easy Ways to Customize

One of the best things about this salad is how flexible it is.

Add More Protein

Try adding:

Grilled chicken
Grilled shrimp
Grilled steak
Grilled salmon
Tofu
Tempeh
Hard-boiled eggs

Change the Greens

Instead of spinach, try:

Arugula
Kale
Mixed greens
Romaine
Spring mix

Add More Vegetables

Mix in:

Cucumber
Bell peppers
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded carrots
Radishes
Avocado

Change the Herbs

Fresh herbs completely change the flavor.

Try:

Parsley
Chives
Dill
Basil
Mint

Add More Crunch

Top with:

Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts
Pecans
Pistachios

Broccoli Crunch Salad: Recipe

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1½ cups broccoli florets
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp toasted almonds, chopped
1½ tsp nutritional yeast
1½ tsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp Green Goddess dressing
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Steam the broccoli in a steamer basket for 3–5 minutes, or until bright green and crisp-tender. Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, spinach, almonds, nutritional yeast, flaxseed, Green Goddess dressing, cilantro, salt, and pepper.
Add the cooled broccoli and gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
Divide between two bowls and enjoy immediately, or refrigerate for meal prep.

Meal Prep Tips

This salad is perfect for preparing ahead.
Store in airtight containers for up to 2 days.
For the freshest texture, keep the dressing separate until you're ready to eat.

Salad in a Jar Option

This recipe also works beautifully as a salad in a jar.

Layer ingredients like this:

Dressing
Chickpeas
Broccoli
Spinach
Almonds and herbs

When you're ready to eat, simply shake the jar or pour it into a bowl.

Coach's Notes

Don't be afraid to build your salads so they're satisfying. Adding fiber, healthy fats, and protein can turn a side salad into a balanced meal.
This recipe is a great base—customize it with your favorite vegetables, herbs, or proteins.
Meal prep doesn't have to be complicated. A hearty salad like this can make healthy lunches much easier during a busy week.
Healthy eating becomes much more sustainable when you have meals ready to grab and enjoy.

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A way of learning how food, mindset, habits, lifestyle, and your body's own signals interact — so you can make choices that work for you.

Includes:

Nutrition Pathways (Mediterranean, High Protein, GLP-1 & More - recipes, meal plans & action steps)
Discovery - tools & educations to learn and experiment with. Enjoy topics from mindset (identity, self-talk, limiting beliefs, perfectionism), self-care, habits and motivation to nutrition and eating behaviors.
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August 29, 2026

Food & Nutrition

10 Healthy, Budget-Friendly Breakfasts

Breakfast can look a little different when you’re eating with a GLP-1 in the mix. Appetite may be lower, so instead of focusing on eating a large breakfast, the goal is to make the food you do eat count.

That means prioritizing protein, fiber-rich non-starchy carbohydrates, and a little healthy fat to create a balanced meal that is satisfying without being overly heavy. These 10 breakfasts are simple, budget-friendly, and designed to provide approximately 25 to 30 grams of protein per serving.

You don't need specialty foods or complicated recipes. Most of these meals use simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store, and many can be prepped ahead for busy mornings.

August 26, 2026

Warm Fall Salads Without Lettuce: 3 Cozy & Healthy Recipes

As summer starts to wind down, I find myself naturally reaching for meals that feel a little more substantial. Crisp salads still have their place, but there’s something really satisfying about a bowl of warm roasted vegetables, hearty grains, lentils and creamy dressings.

These three recipes are perfect for that in-between season. They’re packed with vegetables and plant-based ingredients, but they’re also easy to customize with your favorite protein if you want to turn them into a more complete meal.

And you don't need lettuce to make a great salad.

How Families Can Build Simple Habits to Boost Wellness Together

August 24, 2026

Daily Wellness

How Families Can Build Simple Habits to Boost Wellness Together

Busy parents and caregivers juggling work, school schedules, and household demands often want family self-care to happen, but it keeps getting pushed to “later.”

The tension is simple: wellness becomes one more task, while stress, short tempers, and scattered days quietly shape the home. Without shared family health routines, even well-meant self-care strategies for families stay inconsistent and everyone feels it.

A clear, realistic plan builds family wellness motivation and supports holistic family wellbeing as a normal part of daily life.

Why Immersive Wellness Getaways And Health Retreats Are Essential For Mental Reset

August 23, 2026

General

Why Immersive Wellness Getaways And Health Retreats Are Essential For Mental Reset

Life’s pace has quickened as we are caught up in cycles of perpetual work, social and family obligations, screen time and the incessant need to be available. As a result of this, burnout is almost universal. Fortunately, people recognize this and are making positive changes to combat this burnout and exhaustion. Pausing, relaxing and resetting is in high demand. It is no surprise people are seeking out mental health retreats.

Vacations do little to nothing to reset. Wellness retreats, on the other hand, are purposed for just that. They offer therapeutic relief along with nature immersion, movement and community involvement. Changes can truly last for years following an intentional retreat.

This article will provide insight into the power of retreats. We will review the impact of retreats on participants and the reasons they work. We will explore how depression life coaching complements retreats. We will also explore negative thinking and how it consists of retreats. This article is intended to put the pieces of the “mental reset” puzzle together so that you can enjoy infinite renewal.

Mood Foods: 10 Foods That May Help Boost Your Mood Naturally

When we think about our mood, we usually look outside of ourselves for the answer. We look to the external.

Maybe you're stressed about work. Maybe there's tension in a relationship, you're worried about finances, you're overwhelmed by family responsibilities, or you're simply having one of those days when everything feels a little harder than usual. And, of course, all of those things matter.

Our mood is influenced by what is happening around us, how we're thinking about ourselves, how we're sleeping, how much stress we're carrying, and how we're feeling about our health and our lives as a whole. But there's another piece of the puzzle that we don't always think about:

What we eat can influence how we feel.

August 18, 2026

30 High-Protein, Low-Carb Meals That Are Satisfying & Budget Friendly

Eating high-protein and lower-carb doesn't have to mean giving up the foods you love or living on salads and grilled chicken. The goal is to create meals that are satisfying, nutrient-dense, and easy to fit into real life.

For many people, increasing protein while being more intentional about carbohydrates can help meals feel more satisfying and make it easier to manage hunger throughout the day. The key is to focus on what you can add—protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and fiber—rather than simply focusing on what you need to take away.

And remember, lower-carb doesn't have to mean no-carb. Foods like berries, beans, lentils, vegetables, and whole grains can still be part of a healthy eating pattern. Your individual nutritional needs, preferences, activity level, and health goals matter, so use these recipes as a starting point and customize them for you.

August 13, 2026

The Power of Unplugging: How Time Away Can Refresh Your Mind and Body

In the modern age, it can be difficult to step away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Your phone can be waiting for you to respond before you finish your breakfast, and the stress of work can follow you home. With social media, spending time outside of work can turn into a comparison of your life to others'. While being more connected than ever before, the constant stimuli of the modern age can lead to a busy, cluttered mind and leave us feeling restless. The only solution is to power down and take a break from the screens that surround us.

August 2, 2026

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Oatmeal

As summer starts winding down and routines begin to return, having a few easy breakfasts you can prep ahead can make healthy eating so much easier.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Oatmeal is a simple combination of creamy rolled oats and a naturally sweet strawberry-rhubarb chia topping. It's packed with fiber and made with just a handful of wholesome ingredients, making it a delicious option for busy mornings, back-to-school breakfasts, or meal prep.

And don't feel like you have to stick with strawberries and rhubarb. Once you have the basic idea down, you can use the same chia fruit topping with whatever fruit you have on hand.

It's Not Willpower: What Your Cravings Might Actually Be Telling You

A client asked me a question yesterday that I thought was worth sharing because it gets at something I talk about all the time when we’re working on eating habits and sustainable weight loss. Often times, I draw inspiration from questions that I’m asked or certain scenarios that clients present to me. I figure if they’re asking - some of you are wondering too.

She said, “I always want a cookie. There’s a point almost every day when I want one. Is that just a thought distortion, or does it mean I’m weak-willed?”

My answer was simple: that cookie could mean a lot of different things.

And figuring out what it means is much more useful than deciding that you have no willpower.

This is actually what I teach on a daily basis and what I work with clients on - finding the source of the challenge and then learning how to decode it so you can take the steps to move forward.

July 28, 2026

The Real Reason Diets Don't Work

A client told me recently, "I hope this is the one. I've tried everything else."

She was talking about a new high-protein plan. And I've heard some version of that sentence more times than I can count — keto, low-carb, macros, whatever the current program happens to be. There's always this quiet hope attached to it: maybe this is finally the thing that works.

Here's what stands out to me every single time. It's never about the diet.

If you're someone who keeps searching outside yourself for the right diet, the right protocol, the perfect plan — you're probably always going to be searching. Not because you haven't found the right one yet. Because the thing you're actually looking for isn't a plan at all.

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Broccoli Crunch Salad with Chickpeas (Easy For Meal Prep)