A Summer Salad

Wow.

So first, let me explain what I just went through: Flying from Milan to Minneapolis through Amsterdam, seeing my family finally and being surprised by the girlfriend, unpacking, repacking to move to Chicago, fun homecoming activities like American food and the Mall of America, moving, getting set up in the new apartment, job searching, furniture searching, and more! For this I apologize for the lack of posts. Life had gotten crazy!

So. Summer Salad

I was just home and of all the foods that I was enjoying having again for the first time I enjoyed a salad the most. It was my sister's homemade strawberry/pecan/green bean salad. She even made the dressing! A balsamic vinaigrette.

Now, I'm not here to give you another recipe though. Not today. You can ask Emma about that one. What I did want to say is how awesome salad is in the summer for you.

Did you know that the darker the greens, the more packed they are with micronutrients like calcium, antioxidants, and vitamins? It's true. Spinach is one of the best greens to add to the salad. If you don't like the taste, mix it in with the other greens. Use a nice light dressing and the flavor gets somewhat masked.

I hadn't eaten a salad yet with strawberries in it. It was a great addition! But what it really got me thinking was how easy it is to add whatever you want to a salad. It's true! Just throw it in and see what happens. For a nice salad lean towards these:

• strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• cherry tomatoes
• corn
• fresh mushrooms
• all kinds of peppers
• tuna and white chicken meat
• egg whites
• flax seed, chia seeds, and soynuts
• olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette
• no dressings!

and turn away from:

• bacon
•  fried chicken
• tortilla chips
• ranch dressing, creamy Caesar, Bleu cheese, any creamy dressings
• Iceberg lettuce (mostly water!)
• cheeses

The more fresh your salad, the better the availability of awesome natural micronutrients. Once you cook these kinds of fruits, veggies, and legumes, they can lose a lot of the "bioavailability" of the micronutrients (that's how easily they can be used by the body and absorbed into your system). A salad can easily be the entree, side, and dessert all rolled into one dish. And by doing it this way, you can be getting a lot of your servings/day of these groups! 

It's kind of funny...I have looked into some of the salads that restaurants offer and they can be worse to eat compared to burgers, fried foods, and french fries! (Thanks Eat This, Not That) Just remember that when it is called a salad it doesn't mean it's good for you.

As a last note, there's nothing against making a giant salad and proportioning out daily what you want or storing it in 4 tubberwares so that it is available right from your fridge. For the most part, making these salads just needs a giant bowl and a little vegetable chopping!