Thursday's Unique Picks - Salads that Eat Like a Meal

Contrary to popular belief, The hubby and I do eat something other than hot dogs. 

From my personal stash of vintage goodness, The Salad Book  from  1941.

Flash back two years.

Me: "Hubby, what should we have for dinner?"

Hubby: "I dunno"

Me: "What should we have for dinner?"

Hubby: "I dunno"

Me: "What should we have for dinner?"

My dear husband uttered the words that I never thought I would come out of his mouth.

Hubby: "How about a salad?"

Me: "Say Whaaaaat?" 

It is OK to play with this food! Handmade felt salad set from Little Retro Kid on etsy.

Now, every Wednesday night we eat like bunnies. Not really. Come on, there has to be some sort of transition, you cant just leap from hot dogs to salads. I happen to specialize in salads that eat like a meal.

Make salad night special with this handmade kitchen towel, upcycled from a vintage table cloth from franscrafts on etsy 

As you may have deduced, this week's Unique Picks are inspired by salad night with a fresh selection of finds from etsy sellers and may even inspire you to toss around the idea of having salad for dinner.

To market we go...

Darn, forgot my shopping list. No worries this handy 1970's very veggie needle point handbag from Sticky Lipgloss Vintage on etsy will remind you. Buy Vegetables.

What looks fresh today? Well I happen to think these vintage pieces seem ripe for picking...

I just love this vintage emerald green glass bell pepper jar from Blue Lace Vintage on etsy.

Salt and pepper to taste with a sweet kitschy flare. These vintage carrot salt and pepper shakers from World Vintage's etsy shop.

Lettuce not get ahead of ourselves...

Don't forget the most important ingredient in the salad!

"The Lettuce was a head", hahaha this original artwork from the Wicked Tomato Factory on etsy, is quite pun (as they say)!

I just wanted to cover some of our "House Salad Rules"

No onions. They don't agree with the hubby's discerning palette.

Only Ice Burg Lettuce. Why? Hubby says other types of lettuce taste like you are eating grass. 

"Hubby, have you eaten grass?" Husband replies, " No. But I think I know what it would taste like."

More Salads logic according to My hubby.

A salad containing only vegetables is strictly a starter, just add meat and you can make it a meal.

Where's the beef? Simmer down I've got your meat right here...

Meet this meat market masterpiece letterpress poster designed by YeeHaw on etsy

Original block print with a great vintage look by amanda kindregan on etsy.

It is never considered foul to add a little bit of chicken into the salad either. 

A salad sensation that is currently sweeping our house are salads that also feature fresh fruits...and I don't mean tomatoes smarty pants. 

I used to turn my nose up at salads that had fruit, these days I simply can't get enough! The tempting fruits topping my salads...

Scrumptious strawberries

Sweet as can be vintage strawberry stick pin set from Supplies to Inspire by TheThinVeil on etsy.

and Crisp Pears.

Lovely felted wool pear jar by mymarketstall's etsy shop.

My top two current favorite fruit infused salad recipes via the Taste of Home recipe website:

1. Strawberry Chicken Salad

2.Chicken and Pear Salad (check out the reviews to see my variation on this recipe) (yup dork)

Ingredients are covered but can you dish it out? I can take it.

Dish out some salad in vintage style! This salad serving set is from  My Attic's Treasures etsy shop. If you like these, be sure to check out some other great vintage finds in their shop that coordinate with this set!

A little bit of dirt won't hurt, but you might want to rinse off those fresh veggies.

Handmade Stoneware colander from Jake's Clay Art on etsy, has a unique design and would be quite useful.

Chop! Chop! Don't like the hassle of chopping up all of those veggies?

This vintage Salad Making contraption from Admiredhistory's etsy shop, will make chopping veggies a cinch. This handy little machine is rumored to have an attachment to turn it into a meat grinder as well! Double bonus!!

Finally it is time to plate up...and the usual salad sized plates just won't do.

Go for the "Big Salad".

Simple,beautiful,and a great size for a big salad. This vintage set of robin's egg blue dinner plates is from Vintage Expedition on etsy.

You may have heard the famous quote,

 "You don't make friends with salad..." -Homer J. Simpson

This little salad looks friendly enough! One of a kind handmade appliqued salad pocket apron from Snappy Shop on etsy. 

This is no longer a valid statement in our house, because we have become quite friendly with the salad.

Go ahead, make friends with salad, jazz up your weekly menu and snap up these fresh etsy finds!