I finished my first 10 days of #30daysofsalad last week. In the beginning of this month, I resolved to eat a salad for lunch everyday in the month of April. I wanted to challenge myself to eat healthier, to learn how to make better choices in my day to day life, and to find creative ways to eat clean(er). It's been so much fun so far. sometimes it's challenging but I'm finding that this little extravaganza is helping me to be more mindful of what I put into my body. I actually find myself planning my life around my salads! it's pretty great. for example....
when I'm meeting up with people for lunch, trying to decide what to eat... I'm finding myself asking them "Can we go somewhere that has salads?"
... or when I'm at a restaurant I'm asking the server, "is there any way you can make this into a salad?"
also, we had a lunch banquet last week for Eugene's school with a pre-selected menu (no salad meals) and I had a 2-second drama queen moment about not being able to eat a salad for lunch. we ended up eating a salad for dinner instead. :)
here's what my 10 days looked like:
day 1 // work salad - with artichoke, chicken salad, beets, peas, hard boiled eggs, kidney beans, mushrooms, corn, jalopenos and grape tomatoes. (+ a green smoothie)
day 2 // post-meal prep salad - roasted zucchini, butternut squash, eggplant, asparagus and carrots, grilled lemon garlic chicken, quinoa and artichoke salsa over a bed of arugula.
day 3 // artichoke, couscous, grape tomatoes, butternut squash and olives with balsamic vinaigrette over a bed of arugula + spinach
day 4 // open faced egg salad + avo sandwich on squaw bread // corn, feta, couscous, bell pepper medley over a bed of kale
day 5 // lunch date with erin at euro cafe in santa ana - caprese salad with grilled chicken
day 6 // home-made sashimi salad - lots of good veggies: romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, avocados, alfalfa sprouts, radish sprouts.
day 7 // leftovers from a taco party we hosted made a yummy "burrito bowl" salad - avocado, quinoa, shredded green + red cabbage, bean + corn salsa over a bed of spinach and arugula
day 8 // asian chicken salad from trader joe's (with super crunchy wonton noodles)
day 9 // a quick lunch stop after my optometry visit at which wich (who knew that the home of supreme sandwiches could make such excellent salads!) my loaded chicken salad "bowlwich" includes spinach, tomatoes, banana peppers, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, house chips, olive salsa, chicken salad, mozarella, feta cheese + EVOO
day 10 // some goods from the salad bar at work + sprouts/avocado I brought from home.
since day 10, i've been in kind of a salad rut (today is day 14...) i don't know what it is! trying my best to persevere through it and keep myself distracted by eating different variations of salads (!!!) there are a few things i've learned during my first 10 days
1. you really don't need to put any sort of dressing if you have tasty toppings. my favorite thing to use has been a little drizzle of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and maybe a splash of balsamic vinegar to add some zing!
2. you can pretty much find a way to eat a salad at any restaurants. most places will have salads available (though it may not be the most popular item)
3. some places are willing to even make certain dishes into a salad
4. eating salads can be fun if you let yourself get creative with it
5. i realize it helps me when i have a lot of different textures and colors in my salads!
6. couscous + quinoa are such great rice substitutes. i am a total rice lover/freak and so that was the hardest thing for me to let go - but after adding a bit of couscous and/or quinoa here and there, it helps curve the craving!
7. even if you are making food for your family, you can make anything into a salad if you opt out the carbs and put it over a bed of arugula/spinach/lettuce, etc! (i.e. burrito bowl salad, sashimi salad, roasted chicken + veggies salad, etc...)
i'm nearly halfway through the month!
so excited to find more and more fun ways to eat more salad.
will update you after day 20!
xoxo
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