21-Day Keto Diet: Day 14

Pretty busy day today:  work, then the (semi) monthly lunch I have with some of my gal friends, then class...after which I headed to the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.  I'm a regular blood donor (Universal blood type) and we're getting ready to head on a trip out of country here in a few weeks.  Due to risk of malaria, Zika, or other illnesses, visiting some areas can result in you being quarantined from donating for a year after your trip.  I called the Center to see if the area we're traveling to is on The List...and yyyup, malaria risk.  So I'd like to get in one more donation before I'm benched for a year.  I just gave whole blood a few weeks ago, so I'm not eligible for that until after we return, but I can donate platelets and plasma.

At least, I thought I could. But it's been 4-5 years since I last gave platelets/plasma, and I've had a kiddo since then. Which means they need to test my blood for a particular antibody before I'm allowed to give in that form again.  But they said the test should be done in about a week so I should still be able to donate before our trip.  

I really would like to donate while we're doing the Keto Diet, or immediately after, so that I can see how the diet has affected my cholesterol. I did something similar when we were doing the Daniel Fast, and what can I say? I'm a nerd who likes quantitative data.

Breakfast: Taco Breakfast Muffin with picante sauce and a dollop of sour cream

Lunch:  We met at a local pasta place, but I was able to have an amazing Greek salad, and I brought a small container of dressing from home, because I knew it only had 1 net carb.  

In retrospect, I could have just dressed it with oil and vinegar (both were sitting on the table), or asked the server if she knew if any of their dressings were low carb...BUUUUT I'm also terrified of being "one of THOSE customers", and so I generally don't ask for anything special. EVER.  And if they bring me the wrong food, I still eat it. Them's the rules.

Dinner:  The weather has finally turned around and it's absolutely gorgeous, so we decided to grill brats and asparagus. Topped with sauerkraut and mustard, and served in a lettuce leaf, it was perfect!

Totals: 1242 kcal, 89g fat, 24g net carbs, 76g protein

Our Thoughts:  I know a lot of people say they feel amazing after starting keto...maybe the first week is rough, but then it's all happiness and marshmallows.  Well..we're 2 weeks in and that has NOT been the case for us.  When we go to the gym, we can't lift as much weight, or do as many reps, or work out as long/hard as we usually do. And that's IF we even have the motivation to GO to the gym.  Most of the time we just feel like big lazy blobs.  I don't want to clean the house, work on projects, play with my kid...nothing but sit on the couch with my laptop.  And the brain fog has NOT gone away. 

Unless there's some miraculous change within the next week, or we both see some amazing weight drop, I don't think I'd recommend this experience to anyone. 

Thai Cashew Quinoa Salad

A friend recommended this dish on Pinterest. I’m a big fan of her Chinese noodle salad, so I figured if she liked this, then it had to be good!  It’s so fresh and crunchy—and I LOOOOOOVE all those colors! I tweaked the recipe a bit to add a little more heat to balance out the sweetness of the dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1 heaping cup shredded purple cabbage
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup edamame, shelled
½ cup cashew halves
½-1 cup chopped cilantro (we like a lot of cilantro)
¼ cup diced green onions

For the dressing:
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp sriracha
Water to thin, if necessary

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions—it should make about 2 cups when cooked. Set aside in the pot.

Add the peanut butter and honey to a small microwave safe bowl and nuke for about 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and sriracha and whisk until smooth and creamy. If necessary, thin the dressing by adding a little more olive oil or some water.

Drizzle half of the dressing over the cooked quinoa & mix to coat.  Then in a large bowl, combine the red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, edamame, cashews, and cilantro. Fold in the quinoa.  Add as much of the remaining dressing as you’d like (to taste). Garnish with green onions. Chill until ready to eat.

We served it with some grilled chicken, and topped the chicken with a little bit of the leftover dressing.

NUTRIFACTS: (salad only)

Calories 234.3

  Total Fat 9.5 g

  Saturated Fat 1.4 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 2.7 g

  Cholesterol 0.0 mg

  Sodium 485.6 mg

  Potassium 160.5 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 29.1 g

  Dietary Fiber 3.4 g

  Sugars 6.4 g

  Protein 10.0 g

Watermelon, Mint & Feta salad

I am a newb gardener.  Let’s just get that out there in the open.  My mother was blessed with a green thumb.  My Grammy growing up always had a huge garden that we would help water, and she’d let us grow a few seeds in our own little section of plot, but even back then, the only thing I could ever get to grow were root vegetables—radishes & turnips.

Over the years, periodically I would make an attempt at getting something to grow, like a watermelon plant or a small herb garden, but they never took off. Probably because I wouldn’t take the time to water them, and would forget they existed for weeks at a time.

But after I got married, I started pondering on the movie “28 Days”, and the end when Steve Buscemi is telling the group when they might be ready for emotional relationships again. “First, you get a plant.  If it’s still alive at the end of a year, you get a pet.  If, by the end of the second year, both are still alive…then you can start thinking about a relationship.”  Of course, if my case, it was more “baby” than relationship.  I figured I should probably know how to keep something green alive that only requires sunlight & water before I had to try to keep a whole other human being alive, too.

So, in the first year of our marriage, I had a bamboo & re-grew some green onion tops in a windowsill. 

In the second year, I took potatoes for a whirl, along with some rosemary & a tomato plant.  The potatoes didn’t thrive, but I got enough for a shrimp boil.  The rosemary did great, and the tomato plant struggled at first, but once we put it into a larger pot, things turned around for the better & we got a couple months’ worth of grape tomatoes out of it.

This year…I have squash, mint, basil, three types of tomatoes, rosemary, garlic, and I recently started some romaine & celery from store-bought ends. 

I had a cucumber in a Topsy-Turvy, but I don’t think it was getting enough sunlight so it’s no longer with us. (RIP, Japanese cucumber.)

Our patio garden.

Oh, and I still have the bamboo & green onions.

So far, most things are growing well…some things a little TOO well.  I guess I should have read a little more about which plants are compatible for growing together in a pot… I bought rosemary, mint, and basil at the same time, and put the rosemary in a pot by itself, and the mint & basil together in a large pot.  But apparently, mint doesn’t play well with others.  It’s a bully, and it chokes out everything near it.  So I’ve been spending the summer trying to keep my mint under control so it doesn’t kill my basil. Because Basil > Mint, in my culinary world.

Of course, upon this realization, I also then realized…what in the world am I going to use all this mint IN??? I rarely cook with mint.  However, my friend Ruben made this awesome watermelon-mint salad last Fourth of July, so that was the first thing I decided to make.

This is perfect for your upcoming Fourth of July BBQ!  Super easy to throw together.  It’s also great for tailgating—we went to a ball game earlier this month, made this ahead of time, and brought it in a gallon Ziploc bag in our little cooler.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 seedless watermelon, chunked

1/4-1/2 cup chopped mint

1/2 cup feta crumbles

juice of 1/2 lime

salt & pepper to taste

 

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss well.  While it’s great even just a few minutes after making, if you let it sit over night the flavors will combine even more.  The lime, salt & pepper are optional, but the acidity adds another layer of flavor, and the salt & pepper can really make the flavor of the watermelon pop.

 

Daniel Fast Day 7: Sweet Potato Pancakes, Red Beans & Rice, & Avoiding Cupcakes

Today’s Devotional: “Complete & Perfect Peace -- Isa.26:3 ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’  We have arrived at the 7th day & are completing our first week of our fast. You are 1/3 of the way there & in case you haven’t realized it yet, the earth is moving & shaking because of your faithfulness to fast & pray. Strongholds are falling to the side & real Kingdom Living is being released in you & the ones you are praying for. 2014 is having a course dug out as a trench that will allow the water of the word of God to freely flow into the purpose of the Lord for your life, & the most powerful thing about this is that He is able to keep you in Perfect Peace throughout the whole process. Seven is the number of Completion & Perfection & this is the day you are living in.”

Hooray—we’ve made it through the first week!  Not without some trials & tribulations, but so far it has been a wonderful experience.  I’ve spent more time doing devotions with my husband, and learning to pray in a less superficial and more eternal way. 

Breakfast: Sweet Potato Pancakes!  I took my pumpkin pancake recipe and tweaked it a bit, leaving out the leaveners, replacing the egg with applesauce, and adding a bit more cinnamon & pie spice to help compensate for not putting in the brown sugar. I also toasted the pecans to help boost their flavor.  Since we can’t have syrup, I spread about a teaspoon of Polaner AllFruit seedless blackberry jam between the two cakes to help give a little boost of sweetness.

Calories: 204, Protein: 5g, Carbs: 34g (for two pancakes) 
NOTE: if you wanted to start your day with a little more protein, you could mix some some protein powder into the batter as well.
Lunch: Spinach salad with…well, a little bit of everything, plus some homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

And in the afternoon, I went to a bridal shower for my friend Amy!  Luckily, the snacks were very Fast-friendly:  fresh fruit, veggie tray, Triscuits (with cream cheese & pepper jelly; unfortunately I didn’t get to have any of that but it looked delicious as always!)… Alas, I couldn’t have any of the delicious looking punch (vanilla ice cream + iced mocha coffee, it looked SOOOOO good), or any of Amy’s cupcakes!  Because yes, it’s THAT friend Amy!  *sigh*  Sooooooo hard to not nom!!!

So… I brought a couple home & froze them for the Hubs & I to enjoy after the Fast! XD

DINNER: Isn’t this a Cajun blog?  Well of COURSE it is!  And what better dish to make while on a Daniel Fast than some Red Beans & Rice! I started this in the Crockpot in the morning so that it would be ready for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

• 15 oz kidney beans
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable stock (sugar free)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup portobella mushrooms, chopped (this helps make up for the lack of meat)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (if you like a kick)
• 1 cup instant brown rice, dry

DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients except the rice to the Crockpot & set to High for 4 hours or Low for 8. 

With 1/2 hour left, add the rice.  It will help to absorb the remaining liquid.  Season to taste & garnish with green onions.

NutriFacts (Makes 6 servings):
Calories: 200
Fat: 1.1 g
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 1123mg
Potassium: 421 mg
Carbs: 41 g
Fiber: 9 g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 6.8 g

Shrimp Boil Salad (Guest Post)

Hey there FeauxReaders!  Today, I am thrilled to present you with a guest post from none other than my cousin Primo from New Orleans.  He dreamed up a delicious-looking warm (or cold) salad that I can’t wait to test out!

---

I enjoy cooking. I enjoy challenges and experimenting with new recipes. I’m the kind of guy that watches shows like Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, and other game-type shows on Food Network and honestly thinks he could do well.

For my company Christmas party, we decided to do a pot luck lunch. As we were divvying up the assigned dishes, I deferred to making whatever dish wasn’t claimed since I don’t have a “signature dish”. In my office, that translates to “I can only make *insert item here*” Low and behold, the category I ended up with was… SALAD. What a slap in the face. Not only do I feel like that’s a cop-out dish for any pot luck, but I’m a meat and potatoes guy that doesn’t normally like traditional salads.

I had to make a salad that not only wowed my coworkers but would also be something new and exciting for me. After a couple hours of pondering and a quick brainstorming phone call with Prima, (aka Ms. FeauxCajun, herself) the shrimp boil salad was born.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp/Crab boil to taste (If you are unfamiliar with seafood boil seasoning, premeasured boil in bag versions are available at most grocers)
• 3 pounds of baby red potatoes cut in halves or quarters
• 1 pound smoked link sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 pack of frozen corn on the cob (fresh Missouri/Iowa sweet corn on the cob would be best but it wasn’t available to me in Louisiana in December)
• 2 pounds peeled beautiful Louisiana shrimp  (if you’re unable to buy fresh gulf shrimp, any fresh or even frozen [then thawed] UNCOOKED shrimp will probably work with this recipe)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons Creole mustard
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 2 local beers (for the chef while cooking)

Essential cooking tool.

Directions:

1. 1. Bring 10 cups water and boil seasoning to a boil in a large stock pot over high heat.

2. Add potatoes and sausage; return to a boil, and cook 13 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

3. While your potatoes are cooking, combine lemon juice, EVOO, parsley, Creole mustard, horseradish, garlic, and paprika and whisk together well.

4. Remove potatoes and sausage and set aside in your large salad bowl

5. Add corn to stock pot and return to a boil. Cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Now THAT is a beautiful sight.

6. Drain and peel shrimp. Cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs. Stir together corn kernels, shrimp, potatoes, sausage, and lemon juice mixture in a large bowl.

7. Serve hot or cover and chill to serve cold the next day.

NOTE: While this dish is fantastic fresh out of the pot, it is equally as fantastic served chilled. The flavors remain strong. I think the new twist on a COLD shrimp boil combined with the lemon juice dressing made for an unexpected surprise.

Beef Souvlaki Salad & Greek Vinaigrette

In case you’ve never read this blog before, I <3 Greek & Lebanese food.  It’s up there in my Top 5 Cuisines.  Alas, there aren’t many Mediterranean restaurants here in Springfield.  For some reason, they don’t seem to last, which is really, really sad.  I have to wait until I’m down in Louisiana (where you can find one on every street in Lafayette) or until the local Greek Orthodox church has their annual festival.

Dolmathes make me melt.

Lebanese food was another one of my “NOLA Firsts”.  Our meeting place?  Lebanon’s Cafe on Carrollton.  I drooled over my chicken souvlaki & Lebanese iced tea.  And I was hooked.  Greece also had the best food of our entire honeymoon (and cheapest, for the record).  There’s just something magical about that marriage of lemon & oregano and yogurt sauce.  But sometimes, you can’t get what you want…so you have to make it yourself.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb lean beef, cubed or cut into 1 inch strips

1 onion, chunked

2 tbsp lemon juice

1.5 tbsp oregano (Greek oregano if you can find it)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp Greek Rub (I get mine from Pampered Chef)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup olive oil

lettuce, tomatoes, feta , & kalamata olives (assuming your husband doesn’t hate them…lucky) for salad

VINAIGRETTE:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Make the vinaigrette first, & refrigerate.

Then mix your marinade in a large container (or Ziploc) with the beef & onions & let marinate for about 12-24 hours. The acid in the lemon will help to tenderize the meat.

Heat a grill pan over med-high heat and then grill the beef & onions until no longer pink.

Serve over a bed of fresh veggies and top with your vinaigrette.

Not exactly like Athens, but definitely delicious!

NutriFacts:  (makes 4 servings)

  Calories 402.6

  Total Fat 29.4 g

  Saturated Fat 10.1 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 7.7 g

  Cholesterol 83.9 mg

  Sodium 549.7 mg

  Potassium 559.8 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 12.3 g

  Dietary Fiber 2.4 g

  Sugars 1.4 g

  Protein 21.6 g

What your lunch says about your personality.

Or, at least: What MY lunch says about my personality.

Being in the professional world, I’ve become very familiar, through a series of HR-imposed team-building exercises, with the array of personality profile quizzes that are currently out there.  One of the more popular ones is the DISC assessment, which determines if you are Dominant, an Influencer, Steady, or Calculating.  It would probably shock no one who knows me personally that I fall under the category of Steady.  “Steadies” are fiercely loyal, friendly, sympathetic to others, and dependable.  Their primary weakness, however, is that they don’t deal well with change.

Introduce my lunch.  I forgot to bring anything for lunch today.  Happens at least 1-2x a week.  I keep a stash of food at my desk (i.e. canned ravioli and Ramen, which only technically passes as food in that it slowly kills you with sodium, rather than dying from starvation), but I try to reserve those for days that I absolutely cannot leave the office due to some emergency.  Other days, my go-to is Pizza Hut.

Seriously.

What is a food blogger doing at Pizza Hut, you ask?  Getting a salad to go, I answer.

Pizza Hut has “to-go” salads?  Yes, yes they do.  Something I’ve been familiar with since I was a kid, but is apparently news to 90% of Americans.  For $4.83 (give or take some tax) you can get a giant pile o’ salad from their salad bar and take it with you.  Weight doesn’t matter.  That’s the awesome thing.  See, Pizza Hut is 1.5 miles from my office; there’s a grocery store less than half a mile from my office that has a salad bar as well, but they charge $4.99 a pound.  At Pizza Hut, it’s like Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes—if it fits, it ships.  108 cubic inches of salad.  I’ve never weighed one, but I guarantee my average salad is at least a couple pounds, once you factor cottage cheese, dressing, and some sort of non-salad “salad” in there.

Growing up, my parents both usually worked weekends.  My mom got home on Saturdays around noon, and we would go to Pizza Hut to get salads & breadsticks to go, pick up a rental video, then come home, chow down while watching a movie, and then clean the house together.  P. much every Saturday, that was the routine.  So Pizza Hut has a very special place in my heart.  Plus…they all have T. Marzetti’s Honey French dressing, which makes my heart even happier.

Heaven in a bottle.

Anyway.  I drove to Pizza Hut.  Only to find out that their salad bar was BROKEN.  No salad.  O_o <-- If I could figure out a way to make that face cry, I would.

There’s a Quizno’s, like, RIGHT across the street.  Also, a Hong Kong Inn, a Sonic, and a variety of other fast food establishments.

But no…the heart wants what the heart wants.  And today, the heart wants produce.

I accidentally left my smartphone at the office, so I head out on a journey…to try to REMEMBER where the next-closest P.Hut is. (Ugh---how did we find anything before smart phones?)  I vaguely remembered another one on the northwest side of town, so I head that way.  And yes…there USED to be one, but it’s now Kenny’s Non-Pizza Hut Pub & Grill. *sigh* Here, we’re surrounded by Burger King, Pizza Inn, Papa Murphy’s, Papa Johns (I see now that P.Hut got squeezed out of the market, despite their superior salad offerings)… do I give up & settle for a Whopper?  Hecks no.  It’s freakin’ SALAD DAY!

Then I remember one on the west-central part of town.  So I head south.  Thankfully, that one is still there, and the salad bar is intact.  Thank HEAVEN!

My epic salad journey.  13.93 miles roundtrip.

And yet…it’s different.  Where is the cottage cheese?  Where are the little crunchy lo mein noodles that have no nutritional value whatsoever? Where did this cauliflower come from?   WHY ARE THERE NO CROUTONS?????  *takes a breath*  It’s okay, it’s okay.  We’ll deal.

And that, my friends, is how I logged 14 miles on my car to get THIS:

You’ll notice that conspicuously large piece of cauliflower in the  bottom right corner?  Yeah…that’s where I usually put the cottage cheese.  The cauliflower is really just a place holder.

But….in reality…completely worth it.

So, while I haven’t reached that Sheldon Cooper level of control where Monday is Thai Night and Tuesdays are always spent at the Cheesecake Factory… I fear it’s coming.

Grilled Romaine & Bacon Salad

Thanks to everyone for trudging through a week with no recipes while I conducted my little experiment last week!  It’s odd—after the week was over, I still found myself wanting to write down my meals and keep track of everything, so I suppose that’s a good thing! 

It is important to want to be accountable, but when it comes down to it, the only person you have to be accountable to is yourself.  If you decide you want to get healthy, the only person you should do it for is yourself.  I won’t delve into it with this post, but I can say that in the past, I was in a long term relationship with someone who was obsessed with body image…but more MINE than his.  Living like that was awful, and really comes down to a form of abuse, because I was constantly self-conscious and had a terrible perception of myself. 

Now, with that unhappy memory well in the past, I eat healthy & stay healthy because it’s what I want to do.  It’s about feeling good and having more energy for life.  Not about trying to live up to someone else’s standards.

ANYway… *steps down from soapbox*

 

Today, we’re talking salad!  This originated from a recipe in Bon Appetit, but I diverged and put my own spin on it, because this is my blog, and my stomach, doggonnit!!!

With the Independence holiday looming, perhaps you’ll be rushing off to BBQ’s and gatherings & ooh-ing and ahh-ing over fireworks.  Maybe you’ll be hosting the grill-n-gather yourself!  If you are, I highly recommend this as a quick & easy and unique side dish to accompany all those brats & burgers.

This could seriously not be easier, unless you just eliminated the grill altogether…but then it’s just a plain ol’ salad, and you won’t get any characteristic Fourth of July “oohs” and “aahs”.

 

Ingredients (makes 4 salads)

2 heads romaine lettuce, washed, dried & wilted/damaged outer leaves removed

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon

salt & cracked black pepper

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

2 slices bacon, cooked/drained/blotted

4-8 tbsp Walden Farms Bacon Ranch dressing (1-2 tbsp of dressing per wedge, depending on your preference.  The Walden Farms dressing is fat free/calorie free, so it’s really about your preference of lettuce-to-dressing ratio.)

 

Directions:

Fire up your grill & set to medium-low heat.

Slice your romaine in half, length-wise, and turn flat side down on a cookie sheet.  Lightly drizzle the halves with half of the olive oil, and then use a kitchen brush to spread across the outer side of the lettuce. (The original recipe called for more oil, but you can just use the brush to coat more lettuce with less oil.)  Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan.  Flip the halves over, and do the same to the flat sides, and then follow up by squeezing the juice of the 1/2 lemon across the leaves as well.

Carry your tray out to the grill, and place the wedges on the grill flat-side down for a few minutes.  Don’t walk away.  You’re just trying to get a wee bit of char.  Check the flat side, and then flip.  Because of the tendency to roll, you’ll have to grill in three “sections”—flat side first, and then the outer side once leaning to the left, and then to the right. 

Once you get a nice char (but before things get too wilted), remove from grill & bring back into the house.  Crumble up the bacon slices, and then sprinkle 1/2 piece of bacon over each wedge.  Then, drizzle with the salad dressing. Serve warm.

 

I was really happy with this salad, though I was skeptical—I’d never had a “warm” salad before.  But it has TONS of flavor.  There’s the smoke of the grill, the acidity of the lemon, the richness of the parmesan…and of course, the bacony baconness of the bacon.  The Bacon Ranch dressing has a bit of sweetness to it, so it rounds out the flavor palate really well. 

And the awesome thing?  One wedge is less than 75 calories.  Hear that?  A huge serving of creamy, cheesy, bacony goodness that covers half a plate…for 75 calories.  Compare that to macaroni salad (280 calories per 1/2 cup), or potato salad (160 calories per 2/3 cup) or baked beans (140 calories per 1/2 cup), and you’ve got an awesome & flavorful BBQ side dish alternative. 

NOTE: I probably wouldn’t recommend this for taking over to a friend’s house, since I’m not sure how the texture would hold up if it sits for too long.  But you COULD take all the ingredients with you & just grill the lettuce there & assemble when it’s time to eat.

 

NutriFacts (per wedge)

Calories 74.4

  Total Fat 6.2 g

  Saturated Fat 1.2 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 4.1 g

  Cholesterol 2.7 mg

  Sodium 227.6 mg

  Potassium 274.4 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 3.0 g

  Dietary Fiber 1.6 g

  Sugars 0.3 g

  Protein 2.6 g

Fresh Avocado Salad

On a gray, murky day like today, when I’m trapped inside an office for 9 hours, there’s a good chance that any of the following could happen:

- I succumb to the Winter Blues & conk out at my desk

- I attempt to fight the Winter Blues with coffee, overcaffeinate myself, and subsequently chuck a stapler at a coworker due to Print Errors at the copier

- I pass out while working on invoicing & wake up to discover I accidentally emailed an itemized Excel spreadsheet detailing costs for operating a food blog to my boss

…or, I can stop after one cup of coffee, avoid printing anything all day, and make myself a bright, happy, delicious lunch that is so bursting with color that I think I’m in Playa del Carmen rather than Missouri.

 

And that’s what I opted for today.

This is one of my favorite lunch options—although I don’t make it too often because there’s so much avocado in it…not that I don’t LOVE avocado (because I SOOOOOOO do), but you can have too much of a good thing, especially when that good thing is the 13 grams of fat that accompanies half of an avocado.  Granted—it’s mostly unsaturated fats which works wonders for your cholesterol, and our creamy green friend is chockablock full of vitamins like A, B, C, D, E, K, and even a healthy dose of fiber.  And they have a NuVal score of 89 (which is definitely better than the “Angry Birds” gummy snacks that I’m currently snacking on while typing this blog).  This is almost a bit like a deconstructed guacamole—since I love the creamy & acidic flavors associated with guac, but I don’t love the texture.

Ingredients: (makes one salad)

1/2 avocado, cubed

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

About 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

juice of 1/2 lime

dash of cracked black pepper (or Cajun seasoning, whatever’s handy)

NOTE: Sometimes I add diced purple onion or a wee bit of garlic powder when I make this—entirely up to you.

 

Directions:

Toss all of the ingredients together.  Nom to your heart’s content.

(JUST LOOK AT THOSE COLORS!!!)

I’m sure this goes without saying, but I’m a fan of fresh produce, and I’m a fan of jamming as much (natural) color into your food as possible (again, unlike these gummies sitting next to me…I know, I’m such a hypocrite).  And while this particular mix is a bit high on the fat content, it’s full of texture and the richness of the avocado is really filling & satisfying. And at under 180 calories, it’s a really reasonable, decadent side dish for a quick lunch.  (Another note:  Once I’ve juiced the lime, I throw the lime half in with a big glass of water—there’s usually just enough juice left in the wedge to give a nice hint of flavor to an otherwise boring cup o’ eau.)

I try to keep my meals at about 400 calories each (with 2-3 100-calorie snacks scattered between meals).  With the above salad, I had 3 oz of venison summer sausage (150 calories, 15g protein, 1.5g fat) and a 2% milk mozzarella string cheese (50 calories, 6g protein, 15% daily calcium).  If I had wanted a more substantial protein portion of my meal, or a starch, it would be very easy to only use 1/4 of an avocado, add 1/2 – 1 cup of mixed greens & the juice of a whole lime, and this salad would drop to about 100 calories. There’s so much flavor in the cilantro & lime juice that no real “salad dressing” is needed.

 

NutriFacts:

Calories 179.2

  Total Fat 13.4 g

  Saturated Fat 1.8 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 8.5 g

  Cholesterol 0.0 mg

  Sodium 7.3 mg

  Potassium 880.8 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 15.9 g

  Dietary Fiber 8.0 g

  Sugars 5.1 g

  Protein 3.4 g

  Vitamin A 34.2 %

  Vitamin B-12 0.0 %

  Vitamin B-6 13.0 %

  Vitamin C 63.6 %

  Vitamin D 0.0 %

  Vitamin E 6.6 %

  Calcium 1.7 %

  Copper 8.4 %

  Folate 20.7 %

  Iron 3.7 %

  Magnesium 16.7 %

  Manganese 7.4 %

  Niacin 18.7 %

  Pantothenic Acid  13.4 %

  Phosphorus  4.9 %

  Riboflavin 8.1 %

  Selenium 0.5 %

  Thiamin 4.9 %

  Zinc 4.4 %