How can you take a salad from ho-hum to WOW? We are going to tackle this idea during this series. Here are the topics I’m going to discuss during this series:

1. Change Up Your Greens

2. Add Some Healthy Fat

3. Protein, Protein, Protein

4. Toppings Matter

5. How About Roasting Some Veggies?

6. Add Some Fruit

7. Cheese Lovers Unite

8. Seasonal Veggies and Eat the Rainbow

9. Salad Dressings Matter

10. Grains and Pasta

A word of caution: When you add multi toppings to the salad, you need to be careful you are not adding too many calories. Salads can be healthy but too many toppings can cause them to become “junk” foodish.

Add Some Healthy Fats

People are often scared of eating fat but there are some healthy fats that are good for you.  Why?

1. They will keep you full between meals.
2. They give you a layer of protection which keeps your core temperature regulated.
3. They help you digest certain vitamins.

So which types of fats should you add to your salad?

1.  Avocados
2. Cheese – My favorite cheeses are feta and goat cheese.
3. Eggs – Hard boiled or even a fried egg
4. Fish – Such as salmon and tuna
5. Nuts – Just make sure they are just nuts without all of the extra ingredients. Be sure not to add too many nuts because those calories will add up.
6. Chia seeds – I love chia seeds.
7. Extra virgin olive oil – Make your own vinaigrette using EVOO.
8. Olives – One of my favorite ways to get healthy fats.
9. Tofu
10. Edamane
11. Sunflower Seeds
12. Tahini / Hummus – Another one of those ingredients that you can go overboard with so don’t use too much of it.

Happy eating,
Traci

Today I’m starting a brand-new blog series. Since it is spring, many people are starting to want to eat lightened up foods such as salads and sandwiches. I’m not a big sandwich eater unlike my Hubby. I enjoy salads if they are done right. Many restaurants call iceberg lettuce and a few veggies a salad. It’s not very satiating and leaves you feeling hungry afterwards.

How can you take a salad from ho-hum to WOW? We are going to tackle this idea during this series. Here are the topics I’m going to discuss during this series:

1. Change Up Your Greens

2. Add Some Healthy Fat

3. Protein, Protein, Protein

4. Toppings Matter

5. How About Roasting Some Veggies?

6. Add Some Fruit

7. Cheese Lovers Unite

8. Seasonal Veggies and Eat the Rainbow

9. Salad Dressings Matter

10. Grains and Pasta

A word of caution: When you add multi toppings to the salad, you need to be careful you are not adding too many calories. Salads can be healthy but too many toppings can cause them to become “junk” foodish.

Let’s dive into the first topic of changing up your greens.

Changing Up Your Greens:

Usually people think of salads as being just iceberg lettuce. That’s fine but there is no nutritionally value to iceberg lettuce. It’s what I grew up on and is a favorite of my mother-in-law’s. I love variety in my salad. Even Romaine lettuce can bore me.

So how can we change up your greens?

1. Add kale. Get some prepackaged chopped kale so you don’t have to massage it.
2. Even spinach adds some nutrition to your salad. Pretend you are Popeye or even a caterpillar like my children did when they were younger.
   1. Spinach adds iron and protein to your diet.
   2. For more information about the nutrition spinach brings to your diet, please follow this link.
   3. It’s a powerhouse veggie so indulge in your spinach.
3. Get some “fancy” greens. Aldi has a variety pack of different greens for $1.99. I get those greens and cut them up for the week. (My mother has decided she likes those “fancy” greens.)
4. Use cabbage as a possible base. You can get some already shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix to make your life a little bit easier.
5. Here is a link to other types of salad greens that you could possibly use as a base for your salad.

Have fun with adding different greens to your salads.

Join me next Friday when I’ll discuss adding some healthy fats to your salad.

Until then, happy eating,
Traci