Asian Tofu Chopped Salad

I would like to start this post off by saying, "who the heck knew that a head of cabbage has so much cabbage in it?" I usually just buy a pre-made type of Asian salad with similar flavors, which requires no chopping of cabbage, but decided recently that I wanted to try to make it myself. After making a huge salad AND a cabbage based soup (not part of this post), I still have so much left over! If you have any cool cabbage recipes, send them my way, please.

Aside from my cabbage surplus problem, this salad is now one of my favorites. I'm always looking for easy and healthy recipes that can be made ahead of time for lunches during the week, and this one is perfect. Most salads get all limp and yucky while waiting for their turn, but this one has some really hearty ingredients that make it perfect for meal prep. Simply add your favorite Asian style dressing the morning of, let marinade for a couple of hours, and you're good to go for lunchtime!

Mixed Greens Topped with Roasted Yams, Feta, and Kalamata Olives

Since having a baby 4 months ago, I have been trying very hard to eat healthy and lose the extra baby weight, Superbowl indulgences aside. I've made a lot of progress so far (28 lbs down!), but, if I'm going to be honest, it's much, much harder than I anticipated. I've fluctuated with my weight over the years, so I'm no stranger to having to lose it, but the added stress and lack of time with having a new baby really makes it more challenging than it's ever been. When I do have a minute to eat something, if it's not already prepared and ready to go, or something that can be made without much effort or commitment - forget it. Suddenly the bread on the counter looks good enough, and the number on the scale stays the same.

One thing that has helped is having healthy food in the house and lots of options for salads. They are easy to throw together, or make ahead of time, and lots of options mean I don't get bored. One of my faves right now is this yummy concoction of mixed greens, roasted yams, feta, and kalamata olives. I top it with my favorite vinaigrette, and that's all there is to it! I'll tell you how I roast the yams to perfection, so you can make one of these yummy salads too. Whether you're trying to lose baby weight, eat healthier, or just like yams and salad, I know this will be a hit.

Mediterranean Salad with Artichoke Hearts, Green Olives, Walnuts & Herbed Feta

I've never been much of a salad person, believe it or not. I know they're good for you and all, but I've just never been a huge fan. When we're at our local pizza place and they ask if we want salad, Dustin almost always says yes, but all I can think about is how I won't have as much room for pizza. When I'm out with friends and we end up at a restaurant with salad as the only vegetarian option, I immediately think about where I will be stopping on the way home to get food. But this salad is different; it's really good, and it's making me rethink my salad-hating ways.

Chicken-Less Orange Chicken Wraps

I'm just going to be honest here; I came thiiiiis close to pouring a bowl of cereal tonight and calling it a day, but I convinced myself, despite feeling totally exhausted, that I could make something relatively healthy and tasty in a short amount of time. My internal conversation went something like this:

"You know, I think I'll feel much better if I make a healthy meal tonight. I'm sure I could throw something together really quickly if I wanted to."

"No."

"But I already have all the stuff I need. It really won't take that long."

 "Noooooooo!"

"I even have that orange 'chicken' I can use."

 "Orange 'chicken', you say? Well, maybe just this once."

I'm actually not sure how I prevailed in that conversation, but moving on!

Impromptu Greek Salad

Hello friends! I’m leaving for Europe tomorrow (yay!!), so I thought I would leave you with a quick post before disappearing for 2 weeks! This one is super simple, and I’m sure many of you have had some variation before. It’s one of my summer favorites.

Tomatoes and cucumbers are at their peak during this time of the year, and this salad is the perfect way to take advantage. It’s a cool and refreshing snack or side dish on those extra hot days (106 yesterday?!), and I often just eat it for lunch when I’m feeling lazy and need to get rid of my fruit stand bounty.  I always buy more fruits and veggies than I need and then scramble to find uses for them before they start to wilt, dimple, shrivel, and other unsavory things that make me feel guilty. It all just looks so good; I can’t help myself!