Lettuce-wich

This is what I've eaten for lunch for the last few days. I love it! It is so tasty, and crisp. And so fast!

It is just organic leaf lettuce (while I don't eat all organic foods, I try to eat organic greens--get your spinach and spring mix at Costco and the others at the health food store, here in Utah it isn't much more than conventional), tomato, onion, turkey, avocado, and Annie's Naturals Honey Mustard. I had a side of steamed broccoli with mine. One of these is about175 calories (estimating high). I usually have a couple of them.

I was standing in line at the deli at Wild Oats and learned a great little trick. The man in front of me ordered some turkey that normally is just sliced off in a chunk I guess. It is real turkey, not the pressed stuff. So it is shaped like the real deal (I should take a picture) and he had it sliced up for sandwiches. It is really good! Just like your thanksgiving turkey --no slimy stuff like most packaged turkey. I put a few apple juice sweetened dried cranberries on it yesterday, and it was really good. Ooh, those are a new favorite too. Good Earth sells the tastiest little TART cranberries. I love tart things!

I haven't converted to buying free range chicken yet, but if I get sandwich meat, it has to be good quality. I love the pastrami spiced turkey at Wild Oats. Even Wal-mart has one that is pretty good. It doesn't have nitrites added. It is the Prima Della peppered turkey breast. Jared is the one who actually read the ingredients, and it has been a couple of years--so you may want to recheck.

Nitrites are really scary! They are known to cause cancer, but are found in most processed meat as a preservative. Here is a link to more info on it: http://www.naturalnews.com/022288.html. Good idea to stay away from hot dogs. But we all knew that anyway, right? :)

Don't leave out the onions if you like them! Onions are so good for you. I had no idea, and even though I like them, I haven't been eating them as much because Jared hates them raw. But onions are great for lowering cholesterol, helping digestion, and are also great for diabetics. They truly are a healing food! Read more about them at www.whfoods.org.

Green Smoothie with Kale and Blueberries

I thought I'd share a few of my breakfasts too, since there are really only 3 or four that I eat regularly. I made a green smoothie this morning, and it was so good! If you've never thought to put spinach or kale in your fruit smoothie, don't worry, it doesn't taste as bad as it sounds! I don't mind the mild flavor of spinach and it is really camoflauged by the fruit and vanilla flavors, but kale is a little more bitter. So for just starting out, I'd recommend spinach. I usually just pack in as much as I can, but if you aren't too sure about it, start with less and see how you like it.


This is what went in my smoothie this morning:

This is kale (I put about eight leaves, but that makes it pretty potent, try 4 first), 1 Cup frozen blueberries, 1 T flax seeds, 1 Scoop Jay Robb's Vanilla Whey Protein, 1 t Carlsen's Lemon flavored Cod Liver Oil, and 1 t Barlean's Lemonade Flax Oil. I put all this in my Blendtec blender, and it makes about 2 large glasses.

The lemon in the oils gives it a bit of tang that I like with my smoothies.

I like to change up my greens in my smoothies to get the different nutrients. Kale contains sulfur-containing phytonutrients and is in the same family as brussel sprouts and cabbage. I get organic Kale from the health food store. The flaxseeds are great and bring a nutty flavor, there are too many health benefits to list! I really notice a difference in my skin when I am eating flaxseeds and fish oil. Blueberries are known for their antioxidants. These are just frozen ones from Costco. Jay Robb's Whey Protein is the best we've tasted for the calories. I love adding it with the fruit. It is pricey, but good quality. Only five ingredients, sweetened with stevia.

Anyway, this makes 2 servings, at about 200 calories per serving.

Healthy Dinner Ideas

So my new blog is all about yummy, healthy dinner ideas! This is the place if you are looking for variety and healthy recipes. My goal is to do two per week, so we'll have a hundred by the end of the year. I'll be taking lots of pictures of the cooking process too--I am very visual with food. I need to see what it is supposed to look like.

There are so many different thoughts about what is healthy, but what I am focusing on here is just lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, chicken, fish, and other whole foods. We'll tag recipes for being quick, inexpensive, etc so you'll be able to find what you are looking for quickly. We'll have some great ideas to try at home. Jared and I have eaten some incredibly delicious healthy foods, and want to share those recipes with others who are looking for variety.

I think this will be fun, and it will help me feed my family a little more mindfully.