You’d probably agree that life gets busy and it seems there’s always lots of work to be done, which means easy-fix meals are a huge blessing some days. So, in looking for some healthy ways to quickly deal with supper, a solution that kept popping up on several meal-oriented websites was the Cobb salad.


But Stephanie Romine (a food writer for www.dailyspark.com) took the Cobb salad idea to another level. She suggested we consider using it as a wrap-filler, and provided a terrific recipe for just such a purpose. This way you can even enjoy it on the run. And it seems like we do a lot of running in the warmer months—running to grandkiddos’ soccer and ball games, and so on.

The Cobb, made famous at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles, always includes plenty of tasty ingredients: hearty romaine lettuce, avocado, chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and more. Unfortunately, many of those ingredients are high in fat and calories. A restaurant version can have more than 500 calories and 25 grams of fat.


But calorie- and fat-load aside, the Cobb does well with personal interpretation. You can add or omit ingredients to suit your tastes and depending on what you have on hand. Stephanie’s recipe, for instance, is made with whole-wheat tortillas for some fiber and staying power, and clocks in at about 350 calories and 15 grams of fat—a better option than the original.

And here’s my hot tip that makes this easy-meal idea even easier: prep your salad ingredients all on one day and store in air-tight containers in the fridge. I’m a big believer that if something is easy to do, we’ll be more inclined to do it. And having salad ingredients prepped ahead of time makes the concept of Cobb salad wraps very doable.


Plus, having jars or bowls of prepped foods stacked neatly in the fridge is just pretty! It’s also inspiring and helpful. You’re making it easier for your family to choose well—whole food over processed junk, for instance. AND pre-prepped food is inviting. Folks are more inclined to munch on a few celery or carrot sticks if they’re already prepped and handy.

While having prepped foods in the fridge isn’t a new concept, it is a concept that’s so valuable that it’s worth repeating and exploring. And that’s what I’ve been doing with this idea. In the last couple weeks we’ve been able to put salads together double-fast because the greens were already washed, cut, and divided into individual covered salad bowls. Then, with celery and bell peppers already diced, green onions and radishes already sliced, and grape tomatoes already halved, all it took was picking and choosing and voila, dinner was on!


I also threw many of my prepped salad ingredients into a pot with some leftover vegetable broth, added some cooked brown rice and a drained can of sliced mushrooms, and we had a delicious soup one evening. Prepping food ahead is such a smart trick for easy-fix meals, don’t you think?

So back to the Cobb salad idea. I’ve stuffed pita pockets with salad, but the idea of tightly wrapping it into a tortilla seems like another no-brainer. I added an extra step to Stephanie’s instructions and chopped all the ingredients. They took on more of the dressing flavor this way. And it was delicious. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.




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