While there might not be one right way for everyone to eat, there are some basic things that can help pretty much everyone live a healthier life with more energy and lots of other benefits. Some of those basic things are:
- Eat more vegetables!! Eat lots–as many as you can. Greens are especially fantastic for you.
- Eat more raw fruits and vegetables. Try to have some at each meal.
- Drink lots of water. The rule of thumb is to drink half your weight in fluid ounces of water. For example, if a person weighs 140 pounds, they should drink 70 fluid ounces of water. (I think I personally need more than this. Experiment around and see how much you need too.)
- Eat less meat.
- Cut out processed foods–especially processed sugars as much as possible.
- Cut out food additives and chemicals as much as possible.
There are two things you can add into your diet that are quick and easy and that make a huge impact:
- Salads, drizzled with healthy, delicious salad dressings
- Green smoothies, packed with delicious fruits and greens
Today I want to tell you about my very favorite food in the entire world, salad! Salad can be so delicious, and there are so many different ways to make a salad that it never has to get boring. I want to show you just how quick and easy it can be to eat salad every day.
I make a really big bowl of salad about every 4 or 5 days, and then we eat it every day until it is gone. It takes me 30-40 minutes to make the basic salad and clean up, so it averages less than 10 minutes per day. That’s pretty doable in my book. Here is what I do.
I wash, spin-dry, and chop one head of lettuce, and then I add whatever I feel like to the lettuce. The one rule to follow here is to NOT add vegetables that are extra juicy or acidic to the mix, (like tomatoes) because they will cause the salad to go bad quicker. (You can put things like tomatoes in a separate container and add them the same day.) I will often mix with the lettuce something like 1 bell pepper, 1 cucumber, 1-2 cups shredded cabbage, and 2-3 carrots.
(By the way, don’t you think Heavenly Father’s foods are so beautiful?!! Every time I make a salad, I can’t help but think that about all the bright vibrant colors! 🙂 )
I mix this basic salad up in a large bowl and then store it in containers in my fridge. It usually makes around 16 cups, which is about how much salad my children and I eat in 3-4 days. The salad mix will easily last 4-5 days in the fridge. On day 4 it is still good enough to feed to company. If we still have some by day 5, the lettuce is often starting to brown a little on the edges, although it still tastes great.
We always start our dinner each day with a big plate of salad. We call it “Part 1.” It is so quick and easy, because all I have to do is pull a container out of the fridge and scoop up salad onto everyone’s plates. Then we sprinkle lots of add-ons on top of our salad. (This is nice because everyone can customize it how they like.) It is easy to also have the add-ons already prepared and in separate containers in the fridge as well, so it goes pretty quick. Some of our favorite add-ons are:
- tomatoes
- avocado
- sprouts-our current favorites are alfalfa and lentils
- beans-open up a can or cook your own ahead of time and freeze them divided into small amounts.
- red onions
- kalamata olives
- shredded unsweetened coconut
- sunflower seeds
- various nuts
- peas
- mushrooms
- pineapple
- mandarin oranges
There are no limits to what you can add on to your salad. If you can think it up and picture it on your salad, then it will probably be delicious! 🙂
What do you like to put in your salads?