Before you give up on SALAD, Try these!

I try to have a big salad at least once a day, at least 5 days a week. Some weeks I only get 4 days. But I'm working up to more. Its been about 6 months of  Eating salads. It has changed my body in so many ways. I have reached my 30 pound weight loss goal after 3rd baby, Less bloat, clear skin, maintain weight, steady weight loss, Getting a bunch of nutrient dense food. Not feeling deprived or hungry, Lots of energy to keep up with my kids.
Im really liking the flavored vinegars. I have tried red wine vinegar, orange vinegar, apple cider vinegar.. Here are a few pictures of the salads I love to eat. They are very filling, nutritious and healing. Give em' a try! You can also add Chicken, Fish, or your choice of lean meat if you like to have more protein. I add Chicken to my husbands when he's feeling REALLY hungry. Or even Chopped up Turkey bacon... Get creative!

 I made a veggie dressing out of raw nuts, organic tofu, onions, garlic, sea salt, brewers yeast all blended up. At the bottom of this post, there's a picture of the dressing before I blended it up...I poured it on heavy that day, I was craving a thick creamy dressing. It made a bunch, so I was able to store it in the fridge and have the dressing for a few days.

Sprinkled on top is hemp hearts and chia seeds.

 Black bean burger salad

Orange vinager as dressing, found at Trader Joes, Romaine, spinach, lots of veggies cut up, cilantro, beans... if you like it spicy sprinkle some cayenne or chop up fresh jalapeno..

 Baby Spinach salad

tomato, red onion, seeds, nuts, dried cherries

Orange vinegar for dressing

 Asian cabbage, raw bok choy, romaine salad.

Fresh cooked beans, lots of chopped up veggies, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and sprinkled brewers yeast. (kinda gives it a cheesy flavor.

 Every week I try to prep a big bowel and that current day. It works out to be 6 huge salads. I pre-cut all the non soggy veggies and that way I don't spend a bunch of time I don't have on chopping veggies every day. It takes 1 hr a week... Not too shabby. Sometimes I do it real late when the kids are in bed. Or I'll do it on a weekend when my husbands playing with the kids. Or if I need a break I'll even turn on a show for the kids so I can chop for awhile. Sometimes I even start it, and have to finish it over little chunks of time. It just takes practice.

 Purple cabbage, romaine, spinach salad

This was fresh out of a prep bowl, haven't added the fun toppings yet. See below

 Salad photo right before this one all dolled up.

I made a creamy sun dried tomato dressing. 

1 block tofu, onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, brewers yeast, sea salt, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and as much water as you want to reach desired consistency.

I eye ball everything and never measure... I should probably get better at that.. sorry..

 Showing The baby her work of art. She helps chop veggies, hanging in her Bjorn

 Bok Choy, Romaine, Spinach, Lots of veggies finely chopped, fresh soaked garbanzo beans, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, with red wine vinegar as a dressing.

 Prepping for 6 more days! Once its prepped, it takes 5 minutes to make lunch or dinner. Or pack and take to work. So easy and fast! Try it!I invested in air tight tupper ware and it keeps all the veggies fresh for a week.

 Lunch for my hubby and I

I added black bean burgers and salsa to these.. mmm

 More fresh veggies, raw nuts, creamy homemade nut tofu veggie dressing.

 Taco salad.. Probably my favorite, salsa, Sour cream, beans, avocado... mmmmm

Here is 1 1/2 weeks worth of prepped salad for my husband and I. In the blender is an example of a dressing, more blended up veggies, tofu, tomatoes, seasonings and water. 1 hr of prep = 1 1/2 weeks of lunch or dinner. 

Hope you can be inspired!

Thanks for reading!

My favorite Salad toppings

Salads are one of my favorite foods. All the toppings make it taste awesome and it gives your body all the nutrient dense foods it craves. After I eat a salad I feel energized, satisfied and nourished. When you give your body the foods it REALLY craves, it will work how it is meant to.

Here is a list of some of the toppings..........

Not pictured are whole beans, black, kidney, navy, garbanzo

And Chia seeds

 Raw nuts and seeds. I buy them in bulk and store them.

 Fresh squeezed lemon.. 

we won this juicer at the fair a few years ago, just stick it in and squeeze!

 Hemp Hearts, Flax seeds, Quinoa.. (Costco is amazing with their selection)

 Raw garlic! I put garlic in everything and found buying it already peeled makes it easier to use.

 I freeze half of it because it does spoil fast, no preservatives

I have always wanted to try sprouting. I googled a you tube video by the sprout people and watched how to do it. I just used a jar, and a paper towel and a rubber band.. 3 days later... there was sprouts! 

I want to try Seeds next. 

 I'm all about saving time. I don't want to chop up a salad everyday and honestly I don't have time to chop up a salad every day. But if I take an hour once a week, I can make a lot of salad. In air tight containers it stays nice and fresh. In the blender I have veggies and tofu and I made a salad dressing. Sun dried tomato.. That's another post... I don't add all the wet toppings like tomatoes, avocado, nuts or seeds.. I just prep all the hard vegetables like peppers, lettuce, kale, onion, carrots, celery, radishes, cabbage... the hard ones. Then daily I can add what ever topping I want to make it taste however. Some days I like it creamy with avocado, my creamy dressing or I like it light with vinaigrette or lemon juice. Other days I make it taste like salsa and beans... The possibilities are endless... I have been designated at all the family holidays to bring salad.

My baby girl will have memories of chopping salad. Never too young to start!