Salad Trimmings

in All Posts

As mentioned, the eat-a-salad-a-day thing is going very well.  I like this challenge because it’s totally realistic and attainable (gotta eat something; might as well be green) and it’s yummy.  What I do NOT like about salads is there can be a lot of prep work involved.

IMG_0330

Fortunately, I live near a Trader Joe’s.  Man, I don’t know what I would do without a TJs in my life.  I love how they sell so many healthy convenience foods and the pre-cut produce doesn’t cost a million dollars.

 

My salads are full of:

 

Greens – I like spinach and arugula, but arugula is a little intense so I usually cut it with a blander lettuce, like bib or romaine.  Pre-washed in the bags? Yes, please.

Shredded carrots.

Steamed, out-of-the-pod edamame

Nuts

Cucumbers (I don’t bother to peel ‘em)

Cold grilled veggies, leftover from the previous night’s dinner

Pea sprouts or alfalfa sprouts

Beans, rinsed but otherwise straight from the can

Cheese

 

Goat cheese is my favorite salad cheese.  As Henry says…

Yay Cheese!  I am so thankful – and I’m sure Henry would be grateful, too, if he understood – that Henry can eat cheese.  (He reacted to dairy in my breastmilk so I had to cut it out when we were pumping.)  We introduced it around 1 year and he was fine.  WAHOO.  Cheese is his #1 favorite food, next to oranges.  Yay cheese, indeed.

 

Worth Reading…

 

The comments on yesterday’s post about carving out time for exercise WITHOUT feeling guilty.  There are so many good suggestions in the comments section.  Thanks to everyone who weighed in.

IMG_5040

My favorite quote was from Mandy, who said, “If exercise is not a priority when it’s tough, it’s not going to be a priority when it’s easy, either.”

 

Book Club

 

If you are interested in joining the book club, be sure to check out the end of this post.

books29f-1-web

If you said you wanted to join, but you haven’t gotten an invite to the Facebook group yet, comment again on this post and I’ll resend.

 

For a Laugh…

 

The Oatmeal has a really funny comic on running long distances.

2013-11-07_1338

Here’s the entire comic.  Enjoy!

{ 26 comments }

 

  • Sana November 7, 2013, 2:37 pm

    I just blend all my fruits and veggies. So easy. Also, i would be perfectly happy never looking at my bank account ever again.

  • Alessandra November 7, 2013, 2:49 pm

    Oh my goodness! Henry is so adorable!!!

  • Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries November 7, 2013, 3:07 pm

    Thanks for the salad ideas! They don’t happen very often because I get lazy and am really good at getting in salad ruts because I seem to use the same veggies and toppings. 😉 I also LOVE goat cheese on my salad!

  • Melissa November 7, 2013, 3:28 pm

    I love the ingredients you add to your salads, especially the cold veggies leftover from the night before! I find that the veggies from the previous night end up tasting even better the next day! Yum!

  • Maren November 7, 2013, 3:46 pm

    I prep my salad “base” right when I get home from the grocery store (or as soon as I have time). I buy the organic romaine hearts (the 3 big ones in the package), organic broccoli slaw, and organic green onions. I chop the romaine and green onions and then add all three to a big tupperware and throw in the fridge. Then when I go to make a salad, I already have a nice base ready! 🙂 I unfortunately do not have TJ’s close to me 🙁 someday!

    • Caitlin November 7, 2013, 6:14 pm

      This is a great idea!

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More November 7, 2013, 4:05 pm

    Seriously LOVE Trader Joes for their convenience and great pricing. I love that as a single girl only buying groceries for one, it feels like it makes eating healthy and on budget so easy. Speaking of, they have an apple cinnamon goat cheese – OH EM GEE! I’m lactose intolerant but most of the time can do goat cheese in small amounts and this is seriously a treat!

  • Mandy @ Eat Pray Grow November 7, 2013, 4:08 pm

    Wow, thanks for the mention! That definitely made my day!

  • SuperCutePetContest November 7, 2013, 4:24 pm

    Salads are one of those things that I always think I don’t want to eat, but once I start eating it, I’m like, man this is tasty!

  • Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs November 7, 2013, 4:33 pm

    Your salads sound delicious! I never thought about adding leftover roasted veggies!

  • Kendra November 7, 2013, 5:40 pm

    My daughter had an aversion to dairy while I was nursing as well. After we finished our breastfeeding journey I had to give her soy formula, which she is still on. She is 10 months old now and our Pediatrician recommended introducing dairy via yogurt and cheese instead of trying to switch her formula. Sounds like you did something similar with Henry?

    Does he drink cow’s milk or soy? When you give him cheese it’s the real deal and not soy, right? I’m hoping, like Henry, she outgrows the dairy aversion. We’ll see!

    • Caitlin November 7, 2013, 6:13 pm

      He eats dairy cheese but drinks almond or soy milk because that’s what we have too. I hope she outgrows the allergy!

  • Ali November 7, 2013, 8:00 pm

    In about 10-15 minutes a week, I can clean the lettuce and mix with the spinach and store in the fridge in the salad spinner (super crisp!), shred carrots, chop tomatoes and onions (and other salad veggies), rise and store a can of beans, shred cheese, and make sure I have plenty of dressing options in the fridge or pantry. I usually make enough for at least one salad a day and it takes about 2 minutes to pull it all out of the fridge, throw it on a plate or to-go container, and throw it all back in the fridge and really helps me to eat more healthfully. For instance, I usually only want OJ and cookies when I am sick and since I had salad fixings in my fridge ready to go, I wanted salads instead of sugar with this horrible cold I have. It also helps cut down on costs when I don’t have to buy prepackaged. I don’t have a Trader Joes near me, but even my regular (very) small town grocery store has affordable prepackaged options for when I work too much to prep myself.

    • Lindsay McAlester November 8, 2013, 9:56 am

      Me too! I live oj, cheese crackers, and sweet stuff when not feeling well. I have made it a better habit of eating huge salads for lunch now. So, since I had everything ready to go I had one. For the sweets, I ate a Greek yogurt. I was so proud of myself.

  • Becky November 7, 2013, 8:31 pm

    I have The Blerch tech tee! It’s my favorite race day shirt!

  • Aishah @ Coffee, Love, Health November 8, 2013, 8:58 am

    Caitlin, the “yayyy cheese” kills me lol such an adorable little boy. 🙂

  • Alexa November 8, 2013, 10:45 am

    What kind of dressing do you use?

  • Ali November 8, 2013, 11:40 am

    Thanks for the salad ideas that are easy to prep. I hate cutting veggies – it’s like my nemesis, but I know it’s required in life.

  • Taylor @ Singletrackedmind November 8, 2013, 3:21 pm

    I love TJs for salad toppers! I love buying the beets, lentils, and dried fruit for my salads.

  • Keri November 8, 2013, 4:04 pm

    Will you do a post sometime about your favorite Trader Joe’s products? We are FINALLY getting one in the Denver area around Valentine’s Day 2014. I have a feeling I might be in love (I mean, $2 buck Chuck?! & affordable organics?)…But still, I’d love a list of TJ’s best of the best. Thank you 🙂

  • Elizabeth @ Positive Change November 8, 2013, 6:00 pm

    I loved the comic! Thank you for sharing! I have been doing the salad thing a day as well and really enjoyed switching up the toppings as well. I have been loving lentils and edamame on my salads!

  • Anna {Herbivore Triathlete} November 9, 2013, 9:52 am

    I love that comic, too funny! (And true).

  • Stephanie November 9, 2013, 1:32 pm

    My daughter has a reaction to my milk when I have dairy also, we will be weaning from EP and starting formula at 6 months. Did you have to put Henry on soy or non-dairy formula when he weaned, or were you able to use dairy-based formula? So few people talk about this, would be very interested to hear what worked for you as we are in the same spot.

    • Caitlin November 10, 2013, 2:38 pm

      No I put him on soy because we didn’t introduce dairy until he was a year.

  • Sunnie@ModernGirlNutrition November 11, 2013, 1:50 pm

    Yum! And Henry is such an adorable little guy! I wrote a post today about operation beautiful! I would love if you would check it out 😉

  • Kulasa November 30, 2013, 12:29 am

    Hehehe, gave me my day’s dose of laughter! 😉 Lately I’ve been trying to eat more greens. You inspire me. 🙂

Healthy Tipping Point