Salad Hack

I’ve always been one of those people who try to outrun a bad diet.

It worked for a long time,

…but then it didn’t.

Also, I’ve always been turned off to salads I make at home.

They were just never satisfying, and definitely not tasty.

But then I became the proud owner of Shalane Flanagan’s cookbook, Run Fast. Eat Slow.

(Thanks Karen! :))

In the book she has several salad recipes that are great! I like them because they each include a different, healthy, and satisfying grain.

The only problem is I NEVER had all the ingredients in the house at the same time…and if I had only a few they’d be rotten in the produce drawer of my fridge before I could get the remainder. Sigh.

However, I found that if I keep the grains in stock at home, give up on sticking exactly to the recipe, and each time I go to Ingles or Aldi make a run through the produce aisles, grabbing what’s on sale at the time, including a lettuce or kale, then I’m always ready when lunchtime hits.

{To make things even easier my friend let me use her instant pot so I can have my grains ready within 15 minutes… cause when I’m ready to eat, 15 minutes is about as long as I’m willing to wait! (No one likes a hangry mama.)}

Here’s what you need to keep your salads spinning:

Grain of choice:

Quinoa

Farro

Wild rice

{If you click the pictures it’ll link you to Thrive Market. That’s where I order my health foods that are sometimes hard to find in the grocery stores.}

I usually cook 1 cup dry grain…that’s about right to mix with a normal size bag of lettuce.

A green or leaf:

• Lettuce of choice
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Spinach

I usually buy it by the bag. I’m not lazy…I just like the efficiency. 😉

Assorted veggies:

I buy what’s in season or on sale. (And hopefully I’ll have these popping up in the garden soon thanks to my dad and my hubby!)

• Bell peppers
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Beets
• Tomatoes
• You know what veggies are, right? 😉

And (optional) fruits and nuts:

• Grapes
• Apples
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Etc….

Mix it all together with a little vinaigrette:

This can be as simple as oil and vinegar or something a bit fancier.

I do like adding a little apple cider vinegar to mine…

***Here’s a good recipe: yummymummykitchen.com

And voila…a salad you can make at home that leaves you feeling like you actually ate a meal. Plus, you won’t feel weighed down, AND you’ll have lots of good energy to burn when you come to workout with me at the Y. 🙂

Eat up!

And praise the Lord!