Salad: Warm Mexican Salad

Ok. This one's a little bit different. But don't hate on it before you give it a try; you might just end up liking it.

Yes, it's a warm salad with lettuce. And no, you don't see warm and lettuce used in the same sentence very often. I was actually inspired by a salad that Wendy's serves. I ordered it one time, and loooved it! Basically, it's lettuce greens with fresh veggies like tomatoes, onions, and avocado (not really a veggie, but work with me here) and then a chili mixture poured over it and topped with cheese. And the best part? Because of the spices in the chili, you don't need a dressing! It's perfect just the way it is!

Chop your veggies:

tomatoes, chopped
onions, chopped
avocado, cubed
anything else you can think of that you might like in this type of salad


Make your chili:

1 can each of black beans, dark red kidney beans, and yellow corn
balsamic vinegar
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
red pepper
salt

Pour contents of cans into pot. Add seasonings to taste, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Note: I drained one of my cans because I thought it might be a little too much liquid with all three cans. However, you do need some liquid, we're making a chili here, so don't drain off too much. In fact, it would probably be fine not to drain anything.


Assemble your salad:


Place lettuce greens (Spring Mix, leaf lettuce, etc.) into bowl. Sprinkle veggies on top of lettuce. Pour a spoonful or two of the chili over your salad. Top with some shredded cheese and enjoy!


Variation: Add some chicken or ground meat and you've got yourself a main dish!


Note: best served individually instead of one big bowl out of which everyone serves themselves, and because of the cold/warm nature of this salad, it needs to be eaten right away.

Healthy Breakfasts: Smoothies

One thing that I am working towards in preparing to eventually be a wife and mother is healthy eating. It's something that I have a little bit of a passion for anyway, but I know that in being the woman of the family, my children's health is going to depend heavily on me, not only in what I feed them, but also in what I eat.

Unfortunately, "healthy eating" to some means always eating things that don't taste good and never eating things that do. Well no. That's not quite right. Sure you might have to work on changing your palate a little, especially if you are used to eating junk food all the time, but there are so many good foods out there and so many different ways to prepare them; it really is quite fun. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to try something new.

For breakfast lately, I've really been into green smoothies, that is smoothies with raw greens in them. Now when I make a smoothie, I usually am just blending fruit. No dairy, no added sugar, just fruit. On occasion I will add some Greek yogurt if I feel like I need some extra protein that morning, or I will use some coconut milk for a different flavor. I'm not too picky, but sometimes simple is better. When I've got my smoothie how I want it, I wash a good-sized handful of raw greens such as spinach or kale and blend it into my smoothies. It will usually turn the drink green, but it won't be enough to really taste. And honestly, I can't think of a better way to eat raw greens!

So here's what you need to make your own:

fruit juice (I like apple. You can get it without added sweeteners, and it goes with just about any other fruit)
banana
frozen fruit (slightly thawed to make it easy to blend)
handful of greens (spinach, kale, bok choy)
blender

This is not a science here, guys. You can make your smoothie however you please. You need just enough juice to make the fruit drinkable, and enough fruit to give the drink substance. Add a few ice cubes at the end to make it extra cold and give it a little bit of a crunch, and enjoy a yummy, healthy breakfast!