Level Up Your Salad

Salads are one of my favorite meals and ways to pack in nutrients with leafy greens, healthy fats, and plant-based protein.

Here are some ways to level up your #basic salad:

Leafy Greens -

I am not talking about your iceberg wedge salad here. Hard pass - where is the flavor? Bring me spicy arugula, some chard, earthy kale, or even mild spinach. Take your pick but I love to mix/match my greens.

Mix up textures-

Salads don’t have to be raw, that isn’t nourishing in the colder months and gets boring, not to mention can get a bit taxing on your digestion. I love to lightly blanch my greens, or roast and stir fry veggies to add to my raw ingredients, the combo of crunchy raw + softer cooked is more interesting for sure.

Think outside the salad box -

My favorite signature salad often includes things you don’t expect to see in a salad. Roasted Brussel sprouts? Sure! Stir fry cabbage? Yes! Sweet potato chips? Ahuh honey. The only limit to your salad experience is your creativity. Cooking your veggies in spices also ensures your salad has alot of flavor. I love garlic, Trader Joe's Umami & Everything But the Bagel Seasonings.

Follow the rainbow -

How many colors can you get into your salad? Challenge yourself to see how bright you can make it, green, purple, orange, red all belong in your salad. It should be pretty to look at and eat!

Get friendly with fat -

Fat = flavor. Throw some avocado, hemp seeds, nuts and a homemade dressing on it. Do it.

Grains for gains -

If a salad doesn’t usually fill you up, add some whole grains. My favorites are farro & quinoa which both pack some extra proteins so you can keep your #gains.

Perfect Protein -

Your plant-based fat and grain choices will provide a lot of protein to your salad, and news flash = PLANTS HAVE PROTEIN. But if you want to take it one step further, throw some tofu, lentils, or beans on there to really #levelup

Adding flavor, fat, and protein ensure your salad is not just a snack or something that leaves you rummaging around in the cabinet looking for a snack a little later. What are your favorite salad add-ins?

Check out some of my salad recipes here!

#nourishedwaynutrition #levelup #plantbased #tips

Hearty Harvest Salad

I really look forward to fall for the leaves changing, pumpkin everything, and all of the delicious and nutritious foods that are in season during this transition. Or at least that's what I tell myself to cope with the colder, shorter days :)

I love eating salads year round but I don't love just noshing on cold, raw veggies in the winter. There's a reason you crave cooling foods that are high in water in the summer like watermelon and cucumber and warming foods in the winter like soups and certain spices like cinnamon we commonly see in dishes and baked goods. There is also some evidence to show that by eating warming foods, less energy is required to create heat in the digestive tract and thus, leaves more energy for digestion and allows the body to better absorb it's nutrients.

From a nutrition standpoint, this salad achieves balance with a plant based protein (farro), a leafy green (kale), an acid for digestion (vinegar), healthy fats (oil and nuts), warming spices (cinnamon), and seasonal produce (kale, squash and apple). Yay!

This salad comes together easily and can be your main dish or an easy side. Serve this beauty right away or keep in the fridge for a few days. I recommend warming for a tiny bit in the microwave if taking directly out of the fridge (if you're ok with using this, a quick nuke shouldn't affect the nutrients too much) or just letting sit at room temperature for a bit before eating.

Let me know if you make it, and how you like it! Do you enjoy this time of year? What's your favorite squash?

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Hearty Harvest Salad

Prep Time : 10 minutes | Total time : 20 minutes | 4 servings

Ingredients :

1 large bag of pre-washed kale or 2 heads of kale washed and de-stemmed

1/2 large butternut squash

1 honeycrisp or other seasonal apple

3/4 cup farro

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1.5 tablespoons dijon mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions :

1. Preheat oven to 425. Peel and cube butternut squash into 1/2 inch pieces, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a dash of salt & pepper, and cinnamon. Place in oven for about 20 minutes until cooked and browned, stir once.

2. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil, add farro. Boil for 10 minutes and drain excess water, allow to cool.

3. While squash is cooking, place kale in a large bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and vinegar and begin to massage. Work the oil and vinegar into the leaves for a few minutes until they soften and darken in color.

4. Chop apple into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with kale. Add cooked farro to bowl and toss to combine. Add chopped walnuts.

5. Remove squash from oven, allow to cool slightly and combine with other salad ingredients.

6. Combine remaining olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt & pepper to taste and pour over salad, stir to coat.

7. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Fall is here ya'll and I am diving into the comforting, warm foods. Roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook veggies at this time of year because you can infuse a lot of flavor and use them in practically everything.

I love using butternut squash because not only is it delicious, but packed with vitamin A, with 1 cup boasting almost 300% of your daily dose! It also has vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, and manganese. This dish combines also uses a whole grain, nuts and some fruit for a vitamin packed, fiber full dish with just a hint of sweetness and some plant based protein. Enjoy!

Photo by Sara Dubler on Unsplash

Ingredients

1 butternut squash – peeled and cubed

2 cups brussels sprouts

1 cup quinoa

2 cups kale

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 cup whole pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Halve brussels sprouts and cut off ends, combine with butternut squash and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and spread across baking sheet roast for about 20-25 minutes, stirring once.

2. Bring water to a boil and add quinoa, cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente.

3. Combine quinoa, kale, roasted veggies, pecans and cranberries, toss with maple syrup serve immediately.