4 S's Recipe #3: Salad

Kickstart the NEW Year with the 4 S's for OPTIMAL HEALTH: Smoothie, Soup, Salad & Stew.

Nobody puts baby in a corner! So why do we only eat "side salads" or BORING salads with a protein on top? Let's get creative with salad... make it nutritious AND delicious.

• It's all about that base - greens, grains or both?

I love a mixed green salad with quinoa, or an arugula salad with farrow. Why? Because you are amping up the fiber AND the protein while adding texture to a salad.

• MORE cowbell, I mean protein...

On top of your base, add beans, chickpeas, shrimp, chicken, salmon, grass-fed steak or organic cheese to amp up the protein in your salad. My faves are chickpeas and salmon, but get creative and try new things!

• Rabbit food?

Mix up your veggies & fruits. Don't just go for tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, try adding artichoke hearts, asparagus, roasted beets or squash, apples, fennel bulb, cauliflower, snow peas, peppers, shaved Brussels sprouts, grapes, peaches, pears, olives, onion, etc. Skip the dried fruit, and pump it up on the fresh stuff!

• Go NUTS for healthy FATS

Adding organic dry roasted nuts and seeds not only add a fun texture and crunch, but they also add healthy fats and protein to a salad. Other healthy fats include avocado, good olive oil, and hard boiled eggs.

• No nude salads!

Make a salad dressing that ALSO adds flavor AND nutrition. Like these two: Blueberry Balsamic & Creamy Strawberry. But if you want to keep it simple, stick to a squeeze of citrus juice (lemon, lime, blood orange are my faves), a touch of good olive oil, and maybe a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar which can add a nice acid and also help balance blood sugar levels.

Here's one of my favorite warm winter salad recipes:

Ingredients:

-1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-Salt and pepper, to taste

-4 cups baby spinach

-1/4 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts

-1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

-2 tablespoons crumbled feta or blue cheese

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-Juice of half of a blood orange

-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until squash is tender.

3. In a large bowl, combine baby spinach, nuts, pumpkin seeds, cheese, and roasted butternut squash.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, blood orange juice and vinegar.

5. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

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Love & yum,

Lindz