Life is way too short to eat things that don’t look good or taste good and don’t make you feel good, and can be made even shorter by eating badly. The great part is that eating good food and good-for-you food are not mutually exclusive. You can make completely healthy, beautiful, tasty dishes without a huge amount of effort. Take salads. The gourmet world is full of beautiful, decadent, delicious salads {and thanks to my new photography class, I’ll be contributing to those beautiful pictures hopefully}.
Now you, like me, might not be a “picky” eater per se, but you might be a selective one {fruit bats aside, I don’t just eat anything put in front of me} and might be thinking right now, “Are you serious? Salad? You want me to eat a bowl of leaves and think it tastes good?” When I mention salads to my husband, he often brings up one of our favorite quotes from The Hobbit: “I don’t like green food.”
So no, I don’t want you to just get a bowl of iceberg lettuce, because chances are you’re going to dress it up with a lot of cheese, croutons, more cheese, and creamy salad dressing {made with cheese} that will totally negate the health benefits. Instead, let’s get creative with something more like this “Thanksgiving” salad that I make for the hubby and me when we’re feeling like our diet could use a little more “green food” in it. Chop. Mix. Serve. Done. Besides, it’s delicious.
“Thanksgiving” Salad
Per salad, you’ll need {measurements are approximate – I usually just eyeball it}:
- 1/2 cup diced or cubed turkey
- 1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp blush wine vinaigrette
Chop. Mix. Serve. Done! How easy is that?