Okay, you all.  Just like the saying, “You don’t have to drink alcohol to have fun but it really helps” can be pretty true; so is you don’t have to eat salads to be healthy, but…… you know where this is going.

And in reality…. salads; not necessarily.  Veggies, yes.

SO, we are going to talk about eating veggies for like a quick minute.  Or for this whole blog post. My numero uno way to ingest my veggies is on top of a taco, but I am saying salads can help and I try to make them great and not boring. Lettuce and dressing just isn’t a salad to me.

I basically raid the pantry like the food is expiring tomorrow and put it on my salad. 

I’m gonna give you my recipe for a big ol’ salad that fills me up and gets me a ton of macros.  What’s a macro? The macroonutrients are the fat, protein, and carbohydrates that make up food. They help you create energy.

In my salads I use a base of greens.  Sure, you can your basic iceberg lettuce.  But, that’s boring to me. I add arugula, kale (chop it up really small and mix it with other stuff- always my secret to hide ingredients and it mostly always works), romaine, or another darker leafy green.  Or start with the basics and branch out after a while. But greens for the base. You can buy bags of greens at the store these days or separately and chop it yourself and save more of the green, you know?

Then I add a protein.  Whatever. Things I use are pork meat from last nights crockpot pulled pork, shredded chicken (again; left over from yesterday- or the day before), a quickly warmed chicken sausage, can of shredded chicken, steak from last night’s BBQ, maybe even a boiled egg. Add it in.

Here’s a quick tip I have on the protein. Make extra the night before. And hide that stuff from your family before you serve dinner.  Do not leave it out for the husband’s 3rd round into the kitchen or the growing tween’s late night snack.  Hide that to have for your salad tomorrow.

Next tip for my protein:  I add flavor to my salads by taking whatever it is, throwing it back into a pan with some seasonings and warming it through while the meat takes on flavor of the seasoning.  If you like meat that is more juicy you may not like this. But if you are a savory/seasoning/jerky fan like I am you may love it. I make a few days worth in a batch, toss in some seasonings (that’ll be a whole other post on what I use) and cook through until it takes on the seasoning.  Then put it into the fridge for the week!

After the protein, I grab a carb.  I know carbohydrates are controversial, but I don’t know why. They are great sources of energy. I am not necessarily talking about bread or process junk food. Well, I am a fan of those, but they aren’t the best source of carbs. I think too much of that is no good and I think that ideology is where carbs have gotten a bad rap.

Carbohydrates are a macronutrient; as I mentioned hey are one of the three main ways the body obtains fuel for the central nervous system and energy for muscles.  I don’t discount them and I don’t go without them.

That being said, the American diet is way too full of those processed carbs that destroy our gut health and make us feel like slugs.  We don’t need a lot, but we need them. I do often see people trying to eat “clean” hitting way too many carbs. It shouldn’t be the main show. Although our hearts want it; it’s not meant to be. 😉

Something that should help with energy can really suck it away if it’s the wrong kind of something. And it’s no wonder there are masses of people eating way too many carbs or too many processed carbs getting that out of their diet and losing weight or feeling great.  But, it’s not that carbs are bad. Too many are bad. Junk is bad. Healthy carbs in the right quantities are great!

And, in the meantime, I’m gonna tell you the kinds of carbs I put in my salad.  Quinoa, Farro, a chopped up prebaked potato (even white——-gasp! But mostly sweet), black beans, & chickpeas are my most common faves.

Now, listen to this. Sometimes I don’t put carbs in my salad, though. After I just went on and on about how we need them; remember the part where I said we don’t need a lot of them? If I have a burger or a sandwich that day….. then I skip the carb in my salad.  I already had a couple of starchy carbs that day. That’s the trick. A little thought about my food without obsessing. What will make me healthiest; which at the end of the day makes me the happiest.

So after the carb, I look at a fruit.  I know! Another carb! But fruit is good for you and you cannot convince me it’s bad. I love to throw a berry on there.  Blues, strawberries, raspberries, but also maybe a sliced apple or pear. About a cup or so is plenty.  They are great for your digestive track and they are also a source of many essential nutrients. I won’t stop eating fruit.  #SorryNotSorry

Then I like to throw on a seed.  My fave is roasted pumpkin seeds.  Throw those things in the oven for a bit with some seasoning on Sunday while you are chopping the rest of the stuff. Then pull out enough for the day each day of the week.  Easy Peasy. But, I also do some sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds.

Then, of course, I top with dressings.  I happen to like vinaigrette. And that happens to be the best for you.  I recommend making your own, but whatever, grab one if you need. Limit yourself to like 2 tablespoons though.  Don’t feel like that’s enough? Add in water, vinegar, and some extra seasonings to make it go further. But no extra oil.  

And hate vinaigrette?  That’s okay. Give yourself the ranch or whatever.  But, give yourself less. Like 1 tablespoon. Then add water.  Shake it up, it goes farther. And the fact your salad is made with a bunch of veggies that are mostly water helps.  If it makes it less flavorful then throw some garlic powder, onion power, dill, and maybe some pepper on to add the flavor without the added stuff you don’t need. Moderation will be the key to that couple of TBSPs of dressing not tanking your day.

Bam.  Salad done!

Wait.  What? This salad has a lot of calories? If you are having that many calories you could go to Taco Bell?  I hear that a lot. “By the time I add all that stuff, doesn’t the calories defeat the purpose?”  No. They don’t. I don’t count calories. I live a life of habits, choice, and freedom. That means I just know I WILL still go to Taco Bell sometimes. I have 3 kids. They play sports.  I’m busy. It happens.

But, comparing the macros (that word again) that make my body run right, digest food better, deliver nutrients, fight free radicals that can cause cancer, keep my skin more elastic as I am hitting 40 + to the stuff that tastes good, poisons my body, and slows my entire system down while also not in any way delivery nutrients to help me thrive—— I mean, cool.  Similar, right?

So, there.  Why all calories are not equal in health. And why I am not really a huge fan of counting calories.

Okay! Go try one of these big ol’ salads and let me know what you think or share your fave combo.

Next up I’ll talk all my fave ways of having tacos with you because I am a serious taco junky and taco junkies are my peeps! 

Xoxo- Autum