A festive salad
Your body is incredible.
Did you know that? Did you tell yourself that today?
'Cause it is.
I find mine fascinating! It guides me, allows me to move, tells me what it needs, tells me when to slow down or speed up, signals when it needs food, signals when it doesn't, builds strength, builds endurance, runs farther, jumps higher.
Only recently have I become tuned in with this body of mine to realize EXACTLY what it is asking for on any given day. Be that food, exercise, sleep, or water.
After teaching my class yesterday morning I was one hungry machine! But I was hungry for very specific items:
1. a peanut butter sandwich (beautiful combo of protein + complex carbs after my workout)
2. a latte (well, that might have been my mind saying it sounded good! 
but the extra dose of calcium sure was nice!)
3. a giant fresh, crisp salad!
I repeat: my body was craving a salad. All morning I had visions of crisp veggies, delicious avocado and beans. Yes beans. That was what I wanted! Who knew!
And so for lunch I created what I am calling a festive salad. Festive because the primary colors were red + green. How do ya like that Santa?
Simple, delicious, filling and satisfying!
Festive Salad
Find in fridge & pantry:
- black beans
- spinach or lettuce of choice (I wish I had romaine!)
- red pepper
- tomato
- avocado
- lime
Get choppin!
Make yourself some "mock" quacamole:
Chop tomato, remove seeds and most juice. Slice 1/4- 1/2 avocado and add to tomatoes. Onion could go in there if ya have it (I didnt!). Squeeze juice of 1/2 lime in top. Then mush together. It is a glorious mess of a looking thing but it tastes mighty delicious.
Throw spinach, black beans with a bit of liquid from can, sliced red pepper and then top with mock quac! Drizzle more lime juice on top of it all to give it even more punch!
Look at that beauty! Oh yes and I added a bit of this on top for some cheesy flavor.
Twas glorious! Twas festive. Look at that red + green punch!
Here's the thing with me and salads…
They have to, have to "stick to my ribs." If I'm not satisfied, if my body is not content with the salad I will be eating again in a mere 30 minutes.
Critical ingredients for a stick to your ribs salad
- Protein- it never fails me. It must be there in some way even in small quantities. It provides my body with staying power.
- Fat galore– no need to go overboard here! Along with my dressing which is often homemade with olive oil, hummus or yes even peanut butter…I need an additional source of fat in my salad. Avocado, cheese, nuts, a higher fat source of protein, greek yogurt and beyond!
- Variety– For two years in college I would eat the same salad. Every. Single. Day. Ask me how much I like Ceasar salad these days after that? Variety spices everything up! Look for new ideas. Change up the ingredients and never be afraid to add everything in your fridge to your salad. Keep it spicy!
My final note on glorious salads might come off as slightly odd to you. But I'm ok with that…
My former self (pre intuitive eating and full fledge dieter) used to eat salads because I was told to. They were healthy. They were low in carbs. They were low in cals. No matter how I swung it, salads were one of my top diet foods. I didn't eat them because I wanted to (even if it tasted good!). The result? My body was never satisfied. I was never satisfied and I was most certainly not giving my body what it needed nor what it was asking for. The extra result? After each salad that I ate I found myself standing in the fridge hating my diet, hating that I was still hungry and wishing I could eat a loaf of bread.
Consider the idea friends that your body will crave an enormous variety of foods! Salads, bread, dairy, sugar, orange juice, homemade chicken noodle soup and even chocolate.
The key to this lovely process of listening to our body is to honor it. To not ignore it, even if our MIND wants something different. Because yes, our minds often what something different than what our body wants. A tough reality to accept sometimes.
But it can also be a wonderful thing! I promise!
Quick holiday tip!
Allow creativity to be a part of your diet (i.e. eating lifestyle!)
Get in that kitchen, open those cookbooks, search through the blogsphere, ask friends, ask mom and find new ways to insert creativity in your food.
Feeling a bit slow after your last holiday party? Is your body asking for a salad but you don't want just lettuce, carrots and cucumber? You don't have to! Enter creative elements! Try simple but new things. And of course a cookie can go on the side of a salad.
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That sounds like me — eating salad because I'm "supposed to." I want so much to stop doing that. I did have a Caesar salad and half sandwich today for lunch, just because I wanted to.
I actually LOVE Caesar salad, especially the one from Picazzo's. They have the best dressing. Today's was from Wildflower.
Arlene @ Adventures in Weight Loss´s last [type] ..No cabbage
It starts with just telling yourself over and over that you get to decide what to eat, when and how much! No have to's, supposed to's or anything in between! It's a slow process but the shift will happen.
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