Good Morning! (afternoon, evening, whatever......)
As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of salads. I crave the cold crunchiness of them. Even in the middle of winter. Mmmmmm......anyways, I have started making the suggestion, in attempts to have my clients add more vegetables into their diets, to have at least one big salad every day. Usually for either lunch or dinner, but I have been known, on more than one occasion, to have a big, delicious salad for breakfast. But, that's besides the point. The point is, to add more vegetables to your diet, and I really don't think there's a better way to do that than to get creative and make a salad you can look forward to every day! There are SO.MANY.OPTIONS. of what you can put on a salad. You can do a Mexican salad with black beans, chicken, bell peppers, onions, salsa and avocado. An Asian salad with bean sprouts, steak or chicken, cashews, carrots, bell peppers, onions, cabbage, and a spicy peanut dressing. A Nicoise salad with tuna, tiny potatoes, hard boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes and a red wine vinaigrette. A buffalo chicken salad with spicy buffalo (hold the butter) chicken tenders, celery, carrots, onions and homemade blue cheese dressing. (which is sooooo easy, and soooo much better than store-bought dressing)
So, those are just a few ideas to get the wheels in your head turning about all the delicious salad options. Below, I am going to put together a salad "mix and match" for you to print out and keep handy. :)
See how many colors you can get in one bowl! (P.S. I eat my salads out of a (smallish) mixing bowl)
Bottom Layer Options (choose one or mix two or more)
~spinach
~romaine or green leaf lettuce
~shredded cabbage (green AND purple)
~baby lettuce mix
Mid Layer Options (one thing that is really helpful and saves time is to chop up a whole bunch of vegetables at one time, and put them all in a big container in your fridge, so you can just dump them on your bottom layer)
~carrots~onions~cucumber~bean sprouts~jicama~sugar snap peas~bell peppers~tomatoes~mushrooms~
~celery~zucchini~artichoke hearts~hearts of palm~broccoli~cauliflower~alfalfa sprouts~microgreens~beets~avocado~ANY vegetable you like!
Add a Fruit
~chopped apple~orange segments~1T.raisins or dried cranberries~
Add some Protein
~Chicken~Lean Steak~Fish~Hard Boiled Eggs~Cottage Cheese~Spiced and Grilled Tofu~Pork
~Black Beans~Garbanzo Beans~Edamame~
Add some Crunch (just a little bit~a little goes a long way!)
~2T. chopped nuts~1T. sunflower seeds~ground (golden roasted) flaxseed~pepitas (pumpkin seeds)~
Top With a Dressing
Basic Vinagrette:
1 minced clove garlic
1-2 T. dijon, brown or whole grain mustard (whatever you like or have on hand)
2T. vinegar (red wine, white wine, balsamic, white balsamic, applecider etc.)
2T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
VARIATIONS:
~to balsamic vinaigrette, add 2T. orange juice, add oranges and almonds to your salad
~to red wine vinaigrette, add 1t. oregano and use to top a Mediterranean~type salad
~to apple cider vinaigrette add 1 T. OJ and 1t. honey and 1/2 t. curry powder, add apples and raisins to your salad
*Salsa on it's own or mixed with 1T. ranch makes the perfect dressing for a Mexican salad
*Creamy Cilantro and Avocado Dressing~Puree in a blender till smooth: 1/2 ripe avocado, 3/4 c. packed cilantro, 1/2 c. greek yogurt, 2 chopped scallions, 1/4-1 whole garlic clove (depending on how much you like garlic), 1-2 T. lime juice, 1/2 t. salt
*Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing:1/4 c. lite sour cream, 1/4 c. lite mayonnaise, 1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles, buttermilk or milk added to desired consistency, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste (whisk all together)
AND here is a link to Eating Well Magazine's really great article on Power Salads!!!
http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/secrets_to_making_power_salads
I hope this helps some of you get at least a *little bit* more excited about adding more salads to your diet!
Have a great day!
