http://www.lawrence.com/users/shenning/photos/2012/mar/25/232252/

It’s no shock that I’m really high on bringing salad for lunch. I’ve blogged about salad countless times in this space. (We should probably just start calling it “Salad Corner” or something, right, Mr. Editor?) [Ed. note: How about Kale Korner?]

Therefore, I’d say that at least four days out of the week I’m having salad al desko. And more, often then not, my eyes are way bigger than my stomach when preparing one at home or creating one at a salad bar. This is a common occurrence, right? I’m not the only one who goes, “I WANT EVERYTHING” when standing in front of a trough of veggies of varying weights. I mean, this IS why they sell it (not-so-cheaply) by the pound, no?

Well, even if it’s just me who’s paying $10 or more for per pound salad (yes, it would be cheaper if I didn’t buy the heavy stuff), chances are that if you’re the type to bring your lunch to work, you’ve been unfortunate enough to have dressed a salad, not eaten it all for one reason or another, left it overnight and come in the next day to find your leftover lunch all soggy in the bottom of the container. I love my salad, but even I really, really hate diving into soggy, next-day greens. I mean, limp and cold just sounds so … appealing, right? Especially in an over-air-conditioned office environment. Brrr.

Thus, I must admit, that many a day-old salad has been pitched and sandwich ordered because of this slight problem.

That said, I’ve found two very easy ways to remedy this particular problem.

The first: Keep a bowl and fork at work. That way, you can put half your salad in a bowl, dress it and then see where you are after you finish. I found a nice HUGE one (I’ve found the bigger the bowl, the less chance at dressing splatters on my desk) at World Market for $6. It works like a charm and is great to keep on hand for other random office delights.

Meanwhile, the second is a brainstorm that’s happened most recently: Keep a package of nori sheets right there in your desk next to your snacks.

Nori sheets are just sheets of seaweed used to make sushi rolls. They’re pretty inexpensive and very good for you (lots of iron and about five to 10 calories per sheet). But here’s where they come in when discussing soggy salad: they’re your knights in black-green armor.

Seriously.

Have leftover dressed salad that’s gone all wilty? Just spoon it in and wrap it up:

http://www.lawrence.com/users/shenning/photos/2012/mar/25/232251/

http://www.lawrence.com/users/shenning/photos/2012/mar/25/232250/

I’ve found it works, no matter the dressing type. The nori is pretty neutral, considering it’s a sea veggie. Plus, it seems to stay good forever in a cabinet (though you might want to place an open package within a plastic bag) and it won’t add loads of calories or artificial crapola to your meal like some wraps.

And, thus, another salad is saved from the trash.

P.S.: If you try it, let me know what you think.

P.P.S: Note the nori is pretty chewy, and for best results, you should eat it immediately after filling it with salad. If you let it sit, it will be hard to tear with your teeth.

P.P.P.S: Nori is also really good slathered with hummus and filled with pieces of avocado.