Kimberlee Speakman is a digital writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Forbes and she has also worked in broadcast television as a reporter for Hawaii-based news station KHON2 News.
One TikToker is bringing restaurant-style salad bars into her own home.
Alabama resident, Melanie Cade, 37, has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a video of her impressive salad bar that she stocks every week for her husband and their nine kids.
In the video, which has garnered over 7.5 million views, Cade - who goes by @raisingcades10 - showed herself restocking the salad bar with fresh lettuce, mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, turkey breast, fresh broccoli among other toppings.
She said that she replenishes the salad bar "once or twice a week" depending on "how busy" they are and "how often" they eat from it. Both the bottom and the top of the standalone bar are refrigerated, maximizing storage space and food options, she noted.
While the top has a dedicated salad bar, the bottom of the table is stocked with bagels, cream cheese and other ingredients for sandwiches, as well as fresh fruit. She also has a "basket with all of our dressings and dips" and juices in there for her kids.
As a busy mom to nine kids, Cade said in the clip that the routine "gives us a quick meal option because the salad bar is always stocked and open."
She added: "And my children are more likely to choose fresh produce if it's already prepped and ready to eat."
Cade tells PEOPLE that her family makes sure to use up all the food eventually so that it doesn't go to waste.
"Before any leftover ingredients go bad, I'll either pull them out and freeze for recipes or use them in something I'm cooking [like] spaghetti, omelets [and] pizza," she says.
As for which ingredients her family loves the most in the salad bar, the Alabama mom says, "boiled eggs ALWAYS go first" followed by "the cheese and sweet peppers."
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Several TikTok users praised Cade for her unique idea in the comments of her TikTok video, with some joking that they would go live at her house if they could eat that well. "So I see that window in your kitchen. Is that drive thru accessible? 😂 I'll swing by and get one to go please,😂" one user quipped.
Others said they wanted to incorporate a similar idea in their own homes, including one woman who teased, "My husband has no idea yet, but we are getting a salad bar."
The sandwich station at the bottom of the bar was even more enticing for some followers, with another commenting, "Would have 5 sandwiches a day 😭."