Is Your Salad Making You Fat?

Photo Credit: morgueFile

Salads aren't always healthy.

Sure a bed of greens and chopped vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals. But, have you ever taken a closer look at all those salad toppings you pile on?

Beware of These 4 Calorie-Heavy Salad Toppings

1. Croutons: These crispy chunks of dried bread add minimal nutrition and lots of calories to your salad. Instead try adding a sprinkle of equally crunchy almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds to add texture to the salad.
2. Dressing: A drizzle of ranch or dollop of blue cheese dressing is just fine. But when your salad bowl looks like soup, you're simply using too much dressing. Experiment with non-creamy dressings like flavored vinaigrettes if you like a lot of extra added flavor.
3. Cheese: I was shocked when I found out a serving of cheese is the size of two dice. Really? That's tiny! It's easy to sprinkle up to 200 calories and a day's worth of sodium on an entree-size salad without much thought. If you can't part with this dairy topping, opt for lower-sodium cheeses such as whole-milk mozzarella, sliced Swiss and crumbly goat cheese.
4. Dried Fruit: Skip the raisins, dried cherries and dried cranberries preserved with extra sugar. Use fresh whole fruits like sliced grapes, strawberries or pears instead. You'll use less (since the chunks are bigger) and consume fewer calories.

The takeaway? Enjoy anything you want on your salad, but in moderation. If you're going to use half a bottle of dressing or a cup of dried fruit, you might as well skip the salad altogether and just order pizza.

So, what healthy salad toppings do you enjoy?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Easy Colorful Three-Bean Winter Salad

Photo Credit: Angela Tague

The lack of a garden or local farmer's market makes the winter months tough. How in the world am I supposed to enjoy fresh, local produce with a blanket of snow on the ground?

It's time to get creative with what's available at the grocery store.

I was craving a non-leafy salad the other day and tossed this little gluten-free gem together. It was delicious enough to eat as a main course. Leftovers worked well as a side dish. If you love three-bean salad, give this simple vegetarian recipe a try!

Colorful Three-Bean Winter Salad

• 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 2 cups three-bean salad (homemade from a jar, or canned)
• 1 can garbanzo beans (or soak and cook your own!)

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and let them soak in the tart dressing from the three bean salad. Enjoy!

What types of salad have you been making during this cool weather?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

5 Minute Spring in Winter Salad

Spring-in-Winter Salad. Photo: Angela Tague

I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can start digging around in the garden. So, lately I've been bulking up on fresh, raw produce to soothe my "I wish it were spring" cravings.

One of my favorite salad bases to experiment with is cabbage. Well, actually those bags of pre-cut cabbage slaw. They usually contain shredded red or green cabbage and shaved carrots. As a bonus, these are usually quite inexpensive during the winter in my neck of the woods.

Yesterday I whipped up a zesty salad that instantly made me think of warmer weather. Try this 5-minute cabbage salad as a side dish with dinner tonight!

Spring-in-Winter Salad

• 1/2 bag of cabbage-based cole slaw mix
• 1 big apple
• 2 limes
• 1 cup salted almonds

  

  Photo: Angela Tague

1. Pour approximately 1/2 of the bag of cabbage-based cole slaw mix into a large mixing bowl.
2. Wash the apple and limes. I like to use a bright red apple such as Fuji, Braeburn or Jazz. Chop the apple into bite-size cubes. Place them on top of the cabbage mix. 
3. Slice the two limes in half and squeeze the fresh juice over the apples. This helps prevent browning and adds the zesty spring flavor to this salad.
4. Use a small food chopper or food processor to chop the salted almonds. Then, sprinkle them on top of the apples. Use a pair of tongs to toss and mix the salad. That's it!

If you're making this salad for a holiday celebration, try using two small apples: one red and one green. You can also add dried cranberries or raisins to this salad for an extra touch of sweetness.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

PS: Visit me on Twitter to read more articles about health and nutrition!

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Eating Clean: My "S" Lunches

Photo: Beglip, Morguefile

The point of following a whole foods diet is to eat clean. Since I avoid preservatives and processed foods, this means cooking from scratch a lot.

Often I'm asked how I can do this without being in the kitchen for hours each day. Well, I try to keep breakfast and lunch simple. Breakfast is usually a mix of fruits, soy milk and juice blended into a smoothie.

At lunch, I stick to my favorite four "S" lunches:

1. Salads
Salads are so fast to put together. Start with a bed of dark leafy greens such as romaine or baby spinach. Then I chop whatever vegetables I have on hand, add a little cheese and chopped hard boiled egg (made ahead of time) for protein. Lunch is ready in 10 minutes or less. If you're not a vegetarian, add cubes of cooked chicken or turkey.

2. Soups
My go-to lunch soup is usually potato. I put a cup of water and a thinly sliced potato in a small pot. While it boils I chop up a bit of red onion. After the potato is softened and most of the water has evaporated, add a cup of milk and use a stick blender to make the soup creamy. Finally toss in the onion, some shredded cheese, a little seasoning and lunch is ready. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Steamed
Lately I've been on a Brussels sprouts kick. I've been buying them fresh and experimenting with how to cook them. Today I washed, cleaned and sliced in half a big handful of the little green cabbages. I tossed them and a thinly sliced potato into the steamer and five minutes later they were soft. I sprinkled on some sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a pat of real butter. Yum!

4. Sauteed
Ok, when I have a little extra time, I fire up the rice cooker and saute a bunch of vegetables on the cook top. While the rice cooks, I slice onions, broccoli, carrots, tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers and really any other vegetable I want to add. Add a little extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and caramelize the onions and brown the mushrooms. Finally, I add the other vegetables and cook them just until they are warm and slightly softened. Serve over a bed of brown rice with a splash of soy sauce or liquid aminos for a healthy lunch in about 30 minutes.

What are your go-to, whole foods lunch favorites?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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Arugula and Avocado Salad

My mouth-watering arugula and avocado salad.

The one good thing about these hot, dry days of summer is enjoying treats from the garden.

Thankfully a few of my friends are avid gardeners and love to share their produce.

(Thanks, Mandy & Jess!)

The other day I decided to play around in the kitchen with some fresh arugula. I've had the leafy greens in salads made with a blend of various lettuces, but this was the first time I've enjoyed arugula solo. It's sweet flavor with a peppery finish is definitely an acquired taste.

After playing with a few ingredients, I settled on making an arugula and avocado side salad to go with dinner. After rinsing the greens I added cubed avocado and slices of mozzarella cheese. Then I dressed the salad with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil. The creamy avocado was a perfect match for the arugula.

So, have you tried arugula? How do you like to eat it? I still have a few handfuls waiting the refrigerator, so I want to use it up soon!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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Leafy Green Quiz

Do you know what's on your plate? Since today is day "L" of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge we're testing your leafy knowledge. Peak at this series of photos and see if you can identify these six tasty leafy vegetables. All are edible!

QUIZ ANSWERS:
From top to bottom as you view them on the screen:
Brussel sprouts, red leaf lettuce, cabbage, kale, radicchio and spinach.

How many did you get correct? Please comment below!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Photo Credits for the Leafy Green Quiz:

Kale: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kale-Bundle.jpg
Brussel Sprouts: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/755648
Red Leaf Lettuce: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/633729
Spinach: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/805751
Radicchio: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radicchio_Treviso.jpg
Cabbage: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cabbage_Estonia.jpg

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