When it comes to food and eating for wellness, I’m not asking you to take anything away from yourself. I’m asking you to consider adding something in.
SALAD.
I’m not talking about that same old/same old iceberg lettuce go-to that nobody looks forward to. Why would I ask you to consider eating a salad that you don’t look forward to? I’m talking about getting vegetables into your diet in a manner that works for you by asking you to RETHINK salad.
Because it can save you money.
Because it will fuel your body with nutrients.
Because it will begin to teach you through trial and error what YOU require in your salad to create it as a meal that satisfies and fuels you.
I want to assure you before we go any further with this that I make a mean salad. My salad making skills were first discovered and honed nearly 40 years ago while working at Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers. Back in the 80’s, salad bars were king and Wendy’s was at the top, known for their “Garden Spot” salad bar. EVERYTHING was fresh. Every vegetable was chopped, sliced, diced, or shredded by hand. Nothing was prepackaged at this time. And because of that, I learned the first KEY to a superior salad:
Use a minimum of two different kinds of lettuce, chopped into uniform BITE SIZED PIECES in your base salad. I’m over emphasizing that bite sized part for a reason. I have yet to meet a person who wants to cut up their salad while they eat it, and that especially goes for me, so everything in my salad is no bigger than bite sized and much of it is smaller than that. We had a crisscrossed, stainless steel, dangerously sharp bladed contraption at Wendy’s that chopped it into nice little bite-sized squares. I chop mine by hand with a stainless steel knife. I’m aware that experts in the field will advise you to tear your lettuce to prevent premature browning, but I prefer to chop mine. If premature browning is occurring, I’m unaware of it. Tear or chop- it’s your salad, thereby your choice.
Once a week I create a big bowl of salad base to be used throughout the week by using chopped, bite sized lettuces or greens, shredded carrot, red cabbage shreds, diced sweet peppers, and thinly sliced red onion rings. Pretty boring, right? Not for long…
Remember, that’s just your base. You’re going to build from there. I add a variety of things before sending it off in a packed lunch or considering it a meal. I share them HERE.
But first:
Take some time to consider what it would take to turn this base salad into a satisfying meal for you. This is your creation and there are no wrong answers, only expression of self. Your salad becomes more than food; it’s your art- meant to be created and enjoyed.
fit BEYOND form 
Leave a Reply