I cringe everytime I hear someone say they HATE salads. Frankly I would too if your definition of a salad was the same (Iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, a few shreds of carrot and onions) as what you buy in Walmart, Tesco, or the quick stop deli. I love what certain chain companies, like Freshii, are doing by opening the doors to diversity in healthy eating, but if I had to spend €9 on a salad every day my bank account wouldn’t go far for anything else.
Fresh Veg Preservation-Curb the food waste!
Another thing I’ve found is that most people don’t know how to properly store fresh fruit and vegetables to keep them fresh for the week, or they get caught up in the “Best By” dates, for example, printed on a package of strawberries. “Best By” dates for fresh produce are just a recommendation from the packing plant as to when they will be at peak freshness, not a mandatory requirement like prepared foods. A salad spinner does wonders for your leafy greens when you dry the bowl before putting it back in the fridge. I’ve had lettuce leaves stay fresh for over a week this way! Wrapping your half of cucumber or bell pepper in foil, or storing them in an air tight jar in the fridge, keeps moisture from leeching out preserving the crispness. Washing and drying skin fruits, like berries, in water with a splash of vinegar and a drop of my favorite lemon essential oil from DoTerra, kills the bacteria that can cause mold growth. We often forget that much of the produce we buy out of season has already been in storage for up to 3 months or more. Take advantage of the knowledge and technology we have to make your fresh produce last a full week (or more), and if you have any other fresh food preservation tips please leave them in the comments of this post!
Lets get chopping
The trick to having a good salad is 1) good ingredients, and 2) a wide colorful variety. I always have less base (lettuce or spinach) and way more of everything else! Another important key is adding sweet vegetables to give your taste buds a kick, and I like to add some form of fruit for a little more lasting stamina. And this is not a small side salad! Often times this is my lunch during college and keeps me awake for the last half of the day!
I always top it off with my favorite vinegar based dressing pictured below, or drissle with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar!
- 1/3 Part Butter head lettuce and/or spinach (or leafy greens of choice)
- 1 medium sized Carrot
- 1/3 Cucumber
- 1/4 Red or Yellow Bell Pepper
- 3 closed cup mushrooms
- 1/4 large Avocado
- 6-8 prunes (or 1 Kiwi, 1/2 C berries, raisins, etc.)
- Sprinkle heartily with Chia seeds
- A few bits of Feta cheese
- A small palm full of Almonds of other nuts
Don’t be afraid to experiment with adding different green vegetables like broccoli, or adding sprouts, and different types of nuts and seeds to fit your Bio-Individuality.
Did you know?
The acidic properties in vinegar help to break down the nutrients in our vegetables so we can better absorb them! Take calcium in spinach for example, often times we can’t redily absorb it because of the speed it may move through our digestive system. By using a little Balsalmic Vinegar we can help our bodies in the digestive process and get more value from our fresh nutrient dense foods. It also is an anti bacterial with according to this article could be beneficial in reducing EColi on your lettuce. What’s not to love about this miracle juice!
What do you do to Jazz up your fresh salads? Let us know in the comments below!
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