Salad for Lunch

Now that I have mastered my healthy Oatmeal breakfast, I will take on lunch. I am committing to eating a salad everyday for lunch. Research has shown that leafy greens are most highly associated with longevity and are the most nutrient packed foods available to us. So why not make it a staple of my daily diet?

Salads can be made with many different ingredients and there are hundreds of salad combinations out there. The salad that I will be eating everyday for lunch this week will be one particular salad I love. My good friends Andrea and Amber introduced me to this salad and I have enjoyed it ever since.

You start by placing two big handfuls of spinach leaves in a bowl. Add 8 strawberries.




Add a few mandarin oranges.




Add a handful of chopped red onions and 2 TBSP of feta cheese.




Top with 2 TBSP of dressing.




This is the important part. I know in the past, I probably have used WAY more than 2 TBSP of dressing. This is where a salad can become really bad for you. So I actually measured 2 TBSP. It was more than enough dressing to coat the salad. The dressing I used for this salad was Krafts Raspberry Vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil. In 2 TBSP there are 60 calories and 4 grams of fat...not bad!

Besides the spinach and fruit in this salad, the olive oil has its own health benefits. Olive oil is considered so good for you because of its high content of "good fat" and antioxidants. Extra virgin olive oil is best for you because it is the least processed and is from the first pressing of the olives.

Fighting and preventing heart disease and colon cancer are just two of the many benefits olive oil has to offer. The recommended serving of olive oil per day is 2 TBSP.

Toss and serve.




Looking at this beautiful salad, it screams, "I am delicious" and "I am healthy". And to even top that off, I can rest assured that salads also provide many health benefits including:

• Increased fiber
• Lowers cholesterol
• Feel fuller so eat less
• Antioxidants
• Cancer fighting
• Helps you consume the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables

*So for 1 week, I will eat this salad everyday for lunch and I will revisit this topic and let you know how it makes me feel.

After 1 week I plan on continuing to eat a salad for lunch everyday but I will vary the ingredients. Any good salad recipes out there?

Bon Appetit!