On Today's Menu: A simple and healthy lunchtime salad

For many of you who are my friends on Facebook, you are all too familiar with my sharing of what I am enjoying for lunch or dinner. I have received quite a few requests to post some recipes on what I eat; but the reality is there really are no recipes to my quirky salads... I just use whatever I have to mix in that day.

I will also throw in the fact that summer is right around the corner, and I am on a mission to get back into swimsuit shape! I am a true foodie at heart, but I am also a bit of a health nut; and that shows up in the meals I prepare at home on a daily basis (or at the office)!

Lunch doesn’t have to be complicated; but it should be food that is going to not only be nutritious, it is also going to give you natural energy and be “waist” friendly!! So here is my take on what would be an “every day” salad for me!

I keep a crystal salad bowl and silverware in my office for a couple of reasons. One, I don’t like to eat on paper/plastic anything (not as appetizing to me)... nor is it very “green”, and two, it is much easier to “toss” a salad in a bowl, as opposed to a paper plate!! Tossing in crystal bowl = easy; paper plate...not so much!

From Healthy Salads

Ingredients:
A handful of salad greens (about 3 cups)
(you could use any mix… I prefer the Trader Joe’s Organic mixes).

2-4 pieces of fresh diced fruit (i.e. peaches, apricots, strawberries, avocado, bananas, mango)

2-3 tablespoons of raw nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachios or pine nuts)

1-2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil

(salt and pepper to taste... Or seasoning salt)

Directions:
Place the greens in your salad bowl. Top the greens with the diced fruit of choice (as mentioned above, today I am tossing avocado, white peaches, a few strawberries and two tropical “baby” bananas). Lightly season the fruit, toss in the nuts, drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and voila... the 5 minute lunch!

In this economy it makes more sense to take a little time to shop ahead for your weekday lunches. You will spend pennies on the dollar by preparing your own salad when compared to going to a deli/restaurant to buy a pre-made version. Also, keep in mind that the quality of the pre-made salad will not be as good as one that you prepare yourself!

On a health note: Using olive oil in lieu of a dressing eliminates preservatives and sugars that are not good for your health or your weight. Olive oil is also great for controlling your cholesterol. Flax seed oil is also a great alternative as it supplies you with much needed Omegas, and aids in proper digestion of good fat in your body and helps to eliminate “bad” fat.

Raw nuts are healthier (believe it or not) than the roasted and/or salted variety, they supply you with protein and Omegas. Check out this link so that you can read more about the added benefit of raw nuts... and you thought the nuts were just to add crunch to your salad??

On a flavor note: I use “Essence of Emeril” for my seasoning. It is a cajun mixture that is a creation of the mastermind chef Emeril Lagasse. It is available to purchase at most grocery stores, but you can make the freshest and most natural alternative, by making it from scratch. (I will post the recipe on a separate blog entry).
Using “Essence” gives any salad a spicier kick and lots of flavor!

So consider that the salad idea I just gave you is not only supplying your body with a great array of much needed vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and cancer fighting radicals, but it is low in fat, low in calories (a great friend to our waists!), friendly to your wallet... And my favorite part... it’s DELICIOUS!!

Bon appetite mes amies!! :)