Salad; a Healthy Diet Staple

I thought I would write a post about SALAD, ‘cuz I love it!

YUM!

It’s such a healthy diet powerhouse!

It’s super healthy, low in calories, versatile, goes with anything, and is a great way to eat tons of veggies!

However, I don’t know about you, but when I make salads at home, they only last a day or two before they turn grody and wilted.

So, I came up with a “system” that helps to keep my salads yummy, fresh and plentiful!

It’s not rocket science, but I thought I’d share it with you nonetheless.

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K, so I LOVE to buy my salad greens at Costco….they are always crisp, fresh and cheap!  Yay.

I buy the big ‘ol pack of Romaine lettuce hearts…it’s like $3.50 or so for 6!

I also buy the big ‘ol box of baby spinach (perfect for protein shakes and omelets too!)

I usually chop up two or three Romaine hearts at a time and keep them in a big ziploc bag in the crisper drawer.

I love it because I can use the lettuce for sandwiches, tacos, or whip up a quick salad in a hurry.

AND, when I do make a salad, I chop the toppings up and keep them in separate containers.

That way, I can use the toppings on salad, sandwiches or just eat them by themselves.

Everything stays so much fresher this way and I get through it all before it dies!

YAY!

So, here are some pics….

My chopped Romaine Lettuce

My salad toppings: cucumbers, tomatoes, apples and sugar free candied pecans.

My compiled salad with a side of homemade pizza.

K, that’s just one example.

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Oh, and FYI, here’s how to make the candied nuts.

You can use any kind of nut you like and you can use real sugar if you prefer.

Whatever you want….

Sugar Free Candied Nuts

I used raw pecans from Costco and Splenda

In a pan on the stovetop, put in a 1/4 cup or so of Splenda.

Add the nuts (I used about a cup). Mix it up and cook over medium high heat.

The sweetener will eventually begin to melt (about 5-7 minutes) and will coat the nuts. Keep cooking until most of the sweetener is melted.

 Then you just lay it out on a plate to cool and you’re done!

So easy…and yummy!

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Here’s some of my favorite salads…

• The one above: candied nuts with a fruit (apple, strawberries or grapes) and whatever other veggies I have on hand.
• Greek Salad: tomatoes, black olives, cucumber and feta cheese.

This one has hard boiled eggs too!

• Chef Salad: hard boiled eggs, ham or turkey, and whatever veggies I have on hand.
• Taco Salad: taco meat, refried beans, tomatoes, salsa, lite sour cream, cottage cheese, a little shredded cheddar and whatever else.

• Tuna Salad: tuna mixed with lite mayo and pickles atop a bed of lettuce

Those are probably my favs, but I also love to make a “clean out the fridge” salad sometimes too!

Oh, and here’s a tip….if your lettuce is a little wilted, throw it in a bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes or so (I do this while I’m chopping toppings.)

Drain the ice water and your lettuce will be fresh, chilled and crisp!

YUM!

So, eat up!

Healthy Eats!

So, here’s the deal….

I’ve been a slacker blogger.

My little sis has been in town visiting from Connecticut and we have been par-taying!  We’ve had so much fun, but I haven’t had much time to blog.   I’ve also been eating a little crappily…..all for the sake of my sister, of course! 😉  We had to eat some yummy sentimental treats.  It’s been very fun, but I’m ready to be disciplined again.

So, I am officially on the wagon again and it feels SOOOO good!

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I love to set short-term goals for myself.  They don’t seem so overwhelming that way.  So, here is my goal until Friday, August 12th (just under 3 weeks away.)

• No sugar or white flour
• Exercise 6 days a week (5 is acceptable if I have a legitimate reason)

That is it.

I will let you know my progress.  Oh, and btw the reason I chose to end my goal on August 12th is because Kev and I are going to be running a 12 person relay race on August 12-13th.  It is called Epic Cache-Teton Relay and it’s from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY.  It will be fun.  Yay.  Oh, and August 12th happens to be Kev’s 40th birthday.  Freaky.

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Anyway, Kev and I went on a 5 mile run tonight.  It was great, but I was a little bummed because we were supposed to go to our Boot Camp class (my fav!).  We went to the gym and when we got there we found that the child care place was closed (in honor of Pioneer Day).  Lame lame lame.  So, as I stood there with both my little kids, bumming out, Kev and I decided we would just go on a run later on when it cooled off.

I must say that as the night wore on, I really really really did not want to go on a run.  I was very tired and just wanted to veg.  But, I remained stalwart and strong and got ‘er done!  yay!  We didn’t leave until about 9:30 pm.  I hate to run late at night, but it actually felt pretty awesome.  It was quiet and peaceful and the perfect temperature.  It had also just rained, so it felt very fresh outside.  Loved it.

I must also say that I was tempted several times to just cut the run short and do 3-4 miles, but I just kept on going!  It was freaking hard at times as well!

I must also say that running is not easy and it is not for wimps.  Sometimes I have a great run and it feels effortless and energizing, but….lately most of my runs have been very hard and exhausting!  I still love it though!  I don’t know quite how to describe it, but there is something so awesome about pushing yourself…running farther and faster than you thought you could.  I also LOVE music and LOVE being outside.  It is so so so awesome….the best therapy ever.

If you don’t like running, it’s probably because it is HARD!  Do it anyway.  It is very very good for your body…and your mind!

There, that is my schpeal on running.

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I ate some very yummy healthy food today that I thought I would share with y’all.  Here ya go…

The kids wanted waffles for breakfast, so I made healthy, yummy whole wheat waffles.  No sugar, oil, white flour, nothin’.  Yay.

Whole Wheat Waffles

1 3/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1 T Baking Powder

2 Eggs; separated

1 3/4 C. Skim Milk

1/2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a large mixing bowl stir flour, baking powder and salt.

Dry Ingredients!

In a separate mixing bowl beat egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and applesauce.

Wet Ingredients!

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients all at once.  Stir mixture until blended.

Mixing wet and dry ingredients together

In yet another small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Egg whites, before mixing...

Egg whites after mixing...

Gently fold beaten egg whites into original mixture.  Do not over mix.

Folding the egg whites in...

The waffle batter, ready to roll...

Pour batter onto preheated waffle maker which has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Cook and Enjoy!

I had two waffles. I topped one with almond butter and one with Smart Balance spread, sugar-free Log Cabin syrup and blueberries! Yum!

Smart Balance spread and Sugar-free Log Cabin syrup

These were very good waffles.  My husband, children, and even my son’s friend gobbled them right up!  I found they were a little better if I cooked them on the crispy side.  The applesauce makes it a little “softer”, so cook them a little longer!

Also, I loved these with almond butter, but the sugar-free syrup with blueberries was my favorite!  Yummmy!  If you don’t like sugar free/artificial sweetener things, you could also use “lite” syrup and just go easy.  You could also use any kind of fruit, with a little whipped cream or some honey or agave nectar too.  Whatever.

I loved the egg whites too.  Sometimes I add one whole egg, but today I just did the whites.  Yum.

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This is what I had for lunch…

Cottage Cheese/Yogurt/Fruit/Granola Mix-up

This is a pretty easy, yummy, healthy lunch or snack.

• 1/2 C. low-fat/non-fat Cottage Cheese

• 1 small container Greek Yogurt (I love Greek Yoplait honey vanilla flavor)

• Fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, pineapple, etc.)

• 2 T Granola, cereal, nuts, etc. (just add a little something for some crunch!)

Mix it up and enjoy!

I used low-fat Cottage Cheese, greek Yoplait honey vanilla yogurt, blueberries and Flax Plus granola

The finished product

This is a very easy, quick, healthy snack.  I loved it.  If you wanted to make it even healthier you could use plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fruit, a little honey or agave nectar…whatever.  I just really like the honey vanilla flavor one.  You could even skip the granola/crunchy stuff to save on calories.  After I ate this, I realized I should have chilled on the granola.  It is so yummy, but very caloric.  I should have just sprinkled a little on.

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For a snack/pre-workout meal (which ended up being a pre pre pre workout meal because I couldn’t go to the gym :-(), I had my current favorite protein shake…

Chocolate Spinach Almond Protein Shake

1/2 C Water (you could also use skim milk or almond milk if you want)

1 scoop Protein Powder; chocolate

1 T Cocoa Powder

1/3 C plain oats

1 T Ground Flax Seed

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

2 big handfuls fresh baby spinach

ice cubes

pinch Xanthan Gum(optional)

Slivered Almonds (optional)

Mix water, protein powder, cocoa, oats, flax seed, vanilla extract and almond extract in blender.  Add spinach and mix well.  Add ice cubes and mix very well.  Mix in Xanthan Gum.  Sprinkle almonds on top and enjoy!

Here it is. It looks a little freaky because of the spinach. I hadn't sprinkled the almonds on top when I took this pic either.

Seriously, so yummy.  I love it!  You can’t even taste the spinach at all (I promise!)  The oatmeal blends up so fine that it’s barely recognizable.  This is a very yummy, healthy shake.

What the heck is Xanthan Gum, you ask????  Well, I don’t know exactly what it is, but it is used as a thickener.  It makes the shake very smooth and creamy.  You really only need a pinch.  Don’t add too much.  Oh, and I bought mine at Winco in bulk.  I also bought a little empty spice jar to keep it in.  I’m sure you can find it at most grocery stores too.  Bob’s Red Mill brand sells it too.

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Oh, and this was dinner.

Taco Salad!

I love taco salad….yummy, easy, healthy…yay!  My husband and kids LOVE tacos!  It is so nice because nobody complains about dinner!  I love them because they are so easy and I can make them healthier for me!  When we have tacos, the kids just eat them on regular tortillas and I either make a taco salad or use a lo-carb, high protein/fiber tortilla for me.

Tonight I made it into a taco salad, obviously.  I used iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, fat-free refried beans, ground turkey taco meat, a little cheese (I splurged), low-fat cottage cheese, and salsa.  Yum!

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K, there is my day.  I’m sure I won’t post everything I eat most days, but I figured I would today since it’s been so long since I posted!