Healthy Habits - Don't Drown Your Salad

Salmon Salad with pumpkin seeds and Dijon vinegar oil dressing. Yum!

I will admit I was a Honey Mustard, Ranch, Caesar dressing kind of girl. But I read the articles and knew that is bad stuff to be dealing with. It took time but now my salads are free to be what they should be: Crisp, Fresh & GOOD!

Here are a few tips to get flavor in your salads without drowning them:

Shake it up

Try putting your vinegar or oil on and then shake up the salad in a closed container.

Try New Tastes

It will take awhile to adjust but you don't know until you try. Apple cider, balsamic and rice vinegar are good along with olive oil and lemon juice. My favorite recipe is a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of olive oil and a squirt of Dijon mustard. Whip it up with a fork, pour, then shake. 

Dress It Up

Use different healthy toppings to add the flavor. Try feta, pumpkin seeds, fruit chunks or roasted vegetables with herbs.

Put the Flavor In

Ditch the boring iceberg and try new greens. Spinach, Kale and Arugula all have flavor. Or try fresh basil or cilantro mixed in. 

Theme it

Try a taco salad using salsa or healthy chili for dressing. Or try a Chinese veggie salad with a peanut butter, soy sauce and sesame oil dressing.

Got more ideas? Please share below!

Yummy Smoothie Recipes

Here are my "deep thoughts" on at-home protein smoothies. These are a main part of my diet now and were a part of the 21 day fix for me.

1. They help me get the veggies I need. I struggle with eating enough veggies into the day because I just don't crave them like other foods. But I can sneak them into my smoothies. Greens are always my go to veggie to put in but I also love beets and pumpkin.

2. They are quick. I can throw one together and drink it in under 5 minutes (including blender time). Faster prep is to put everything together in the blender cup except the liquid the night before.

3. I am not a meat girl. Again I like chicken, fish and eggs but I don't usually crave them. Having protein powder or Greek yogurt in the morning helps get me going and is cheap.

4. They help with cravings. Need something chocolate - Have a Chocolate protein powder smoothie with PB. Craving ice cream - vanilla with frozen bananas and cinnamon does the trick for me. Fancy Coffee Drink - Cold Coffee, Almond milk and Protein powder. All Flavor, no guilt.

5. Healthy food my son will eat. Kids are picky eaters so anytime I find something that they will eat that has the good stuff in it I stick with it. My smoothies are so popular with my 2 year old son (even the veggie filled ones) I have to fight him for the straw.

I do stress that these are at-home smoothies. So much better because you know what you put in them and you can make the right size for you. So keep on smoothing or try one today!

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Beets & Greens (1 Green), Frozen berries (1/2 purple), vanilla protein powder (1 red), cold green tea.
Kale (1 Green), Pineapple (1 purple), Vanilla protein powder (1 red), water
Frozen Bananas (1 purple), chocolate protein powder (1 red), 1 teaspoon PB, water
All of the above you can add flax or chia seeds (orange)

Why I LOVE 21 day fix

I have always struggled with my weight. I have been up and down on so many different "diets". I recently adopted clean eating and strength training and have made HUGE progress in being healthy. But I still couldn't shake those final pounds all sitting in my midsection. I finally took the step to try 21 day fix and had AMAZING results, 7 pounds and 4 inches lost in just 3 weeks! My hope is that others will give it a try and enjoy the amazing benefits that go along with it (better sleep, more energy and just feeling GREAT).

I could probably list 100 reasons but here are my TOP 5:

1. Portion Control

I eat pretty healthy but not always the right amounts. The program made it easy to figure out how much I should be eating, what I should be eating and when I should be eating it.

2. Exercise Change-Up
I LOVE to go to the gym or out for a run but sometimes I get stuck in a rut and start doing the same things over and over getting bored and not seeing change. The at home DVDs were great to give me new ideas for workouts, easy to fit in since they are only 30 minutes and helped me focus on some things like Yoga and Pilates that I have forgotten to include in my daily exercise routine.

3. Real Food
I got to make up my own daily/weekly menus. I got to eat food I like. I didn't have to eat a completely different dinner then my family. I got to have treats (in moderation) so I didn't feel like I was being deprived.

4. Support
I have tried the 21 day program before on my own but it didn't stick because I lacked the support I needed for motivation. The support I got from my online challenge group and coach was PRICELESS and made the difference in my success.

5. RESULTS!
I was skeptical at first. You can make that much change in 21 days??? But I followed the plan almost 100% and got great results. And I am confidant that others can too!

Want to learn more? Check out Beachbodycoach.com/lifestyleforward or Leave a comment below!