Fill up on Salads + Cost//Benefit of Eating Organic
Two questions I get asked frequently:
How to I fill up on salad?
How do I eat healthy on a budget?
Imagine you walk into a salad bar…. you see all of the color… what would you add to your salad?
Salad is not meant to be boring. Salad is meant to nourish, refresh, and restore the body. How many colors can you count on your plate? What does your dream salad look like?
Pick a few kinds of greens: spinach, arugula, romaine, spring mix, tuscan kale, curly kale, butter lettuce, just to list a few…
Pick five or more colors/vegetables, add them grilled, baked, steamed, or raw: beets, butternut squash, cucumber, fennel, bell peppers, celery, edamame, jicama, green onions, scallions, the list really could go on for quite some time…
Add some sweetness: blood oranges, blueberries, dried cranberries, apples, or pears.
Spice it up! Have you tried herbs or spices in your salad? I am not talking about a few small pieces of dill that Trader Joe’s adds to the herb mix bag of greens. I am talking about huge handfuls of fresh herbs like: dill, cilantro, basil, flat parsley, or mint.
Add a healthy fat for flavor, reducing inflammation, and keeping your salad satiating! Try avocado, extra virgin olive oil, chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds. Try toasting pine nuts on a pan for a few minutes by themselves and add, so delicious!
Pick a protein to help repair muscle tissue among many other things… Start with grilled chicken, salmon, tofu, or something that makes your tummy happy!
Extra fun toppings, BEANS! Don’t forget beans, which can provide a ginormous array of nutrients like fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants. Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, pinto, get crazy!
Pick a dressing, which can be a danger zone… but it can also had extra flavor to your salad… you can get the dressing on the side and use the lightly dipping technique. Another recommendation I make to clients is to add apple cider vinegar plus lightly dressed salad. Your salad will feel complete without all the extra dressing. Plus, after adding ALL of the delicious flavors from above, you won’t need to thicken the sauce on your salad. Other dressing could be hummus, plain balsamic vinegar with light extra virgin olive oil, mustard and red wine vinegar with some garlic or shallots, or tahini..
***Note: EAT SLOW, chew your food, let the digestion be EASY on your body…. if you’re not full after this… let’s talk ;) other dynamics could be at play.
Bonus Activity:
Write down the colors of the rainbow on a notes app
Brainstorm different foods in each color
Keep running list
Create a goal to try one new color of vegetable a week
Roast, steam, grill, sauté, or eat raw
Eating on a budget -
Before we get to the cost//benefit let’s do some math.
Meal A: Hamburger meal at a fast food chain can range $1-7.
Meal B: Dozen eggs can range $2-5 + Bananas are 19c at Trader Joe’s + Almond butter is $6 for jar + Bag of apples about $5. Rounding up, about $20 for everything but that could be at least four meals!
So eating healthy is not as expensive as people make it. Of course it depends where you go but it is possible!
Think about the cost//benefit of when you eat well for your body:
DECREASE
Doctor bills
Time spent at doctor
Illness
INCREASE
Productivity
Motivation
Health
Confidence
Joy
Time for making money, having fun, enjoying life!
BALANCE
Mood
Immune system
Energy
Hormones
Gut health
How many colors do you count? Think outside of the box!
Get creative with your greens! Spring mix, little gems, arugula, kale + toppings of walnuts, olives, dried cranberries, scallions, and avocado
Not picture perfect but delicious! Beet, heirloom tomato, avocado, basil, and a little bit of EVOO + balsamic vinegar with some salt and pepper. PLUS, a separate salad of freshly toasted pine nuts, herbs, arugula with same dressing, and the protein - Ono!