Green Salad Staples

A member of my Facebook accountability/support group recently asked what salad staples I keep on hand so I can throw something together quickly. I gave her a list off of the top of my head but I've spent a little more time thinking about it and came up with this:

Pantry:
Black beans no salt added
Mandarin oranges in their own juice (no sugar added)
Roasted peppers
Artichoke hearts in water
Sundried tomatoes in a bag, not packed in oil
Water chestnuts
Dried cranberries ***
Dried cherries ***
Salsa
Balsamic Vinegar
Rice Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil ***
Olives *** my family especially loves Kalamata

Healthy dressings-- I tend to go as natural as possible even if it means higher fat and calories. I don't want a bunch of chemicals on my healthy food. Just use it sparingly. You'll find that you don't need as much if you add a lot of other fun stuff to your salad.

Fridge:

Here is some fordhook chard growing in my garden

Greens I try for a variety of pre-  washed mixes, baby spinach, and any that are growing in my garden
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Green onions this one is usually dependent on my plans the rest of the day!

Seasonal:
Avocados ***
Berries
Asparagus
Beets

Protein:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Shrimp
Canned tuna
Lean ground turkey

Nuts/Seeds***: I like to toast them a bit first (thanks for the tip, Mom!)
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Pistachios
Cashews
Walnuts

Cheese *** is also great in salads. I can't have dairy anymore so cheese is no longer in my staples but a little goat cheese added to a salad can be heaven!

***Be careful with these additions as they are calorie-dense so they can rack up the calories or Points Plus Values very quickly. They can make a "good" salad into a sabotage salad in seconds.

I shop a lot at Trader Joe's and Sprouts but most of these items can be found at any grocery store.

What do you love to add to your green salads?

Spiced-Up Green Tea Smoothie

 

I was experimenting today (like I usually do when it comes to making smoothies) and concocted this gem of a drink. It is packed with healthy fruits, veggies, and spices. I don't know that you could create a drink with more antioxidants than this one! Green tea, berries, leafy greens, cinnamon and ginger are all high on the list of antioxidant powerhouses.

Warning: while there is fruit in this smoothie, it is NOT sweet! Prepare yourself for something more like a V8 kind of drink than a Jamba Juice style smoothie. But it is yummy and so, so healthy!

8 oz of unsweetened Green Tea (I used Lipton Superfruit today)
3/4 cup of fresh blueberries
3/4 cup of frozen raspberries
1 fresh peach
1/2 cup of fresh mint
1/2 of a fresh orange
4 cups of fresh greens (I used parsley, spinach, dandelion greens, purple kale, and fordhook chard)
2 small thumbs of ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

I put all of the ingredients in my Vitamix in the order listed. I also added quite a bit of ice toward the end since I like my smoothies cold. This filled the entire blender so it's plenty for a whole family or a couple of very hungry friends! You could take out the peach and it would probably taste the same; I happened to have one that was on the far end of ripe and didn't want to throw it away. Taking it out would cut the sugar/calories. Keep in mind that if you are following Weight Watchers, they don't count the fruit and veggies in a smoothie as zero Points Plus. I calculated 6 Points Plus for the ENTIRE recipe (which, as I said before, filled the whole blender). This is an incredibly nutritious and filling 6 points! If you had less and added a little protein either into the smoothie or on the side you'd have a snack or meal replacement that could make you happy for at least a couple of hours.

On a side note, I bought these cups at Sprouts and I love them for smoothies.They have the little wire ball inside so that you can shake up a powder smoothie without using a blender. If you don't guzzle down your green smoothies pretty quickly they can start to separate and then you have a thick frothy part that I don't find very appealing. A quick little shake in one of these bad boys and it's good as new!


I hope you enjoy the recipe! Let me know what you think!