My Favorite Meal EVER! :)

After studying nutrition and reading 100s of articles in the last year about foods, I have uncovered my favorite meal. Those of you who know me well may have heard me talk about it before... I may have even made it with you! It is an EPIC salad.

I can't stand it when people either have really lame salads or don't eat salads at all.  Lettuce, shredded white cheese, and croutons with caesar dressing doesn't make a salad! There is a preconceived notion out there that salads don't taste good and that it is a chore to consume them. I think that is the major cause for the lameness of most people when it comes to salad. They simply haven't been enlightened of the possibilities of a salad! They are so amazing because you basically get a bowl and put whatever you want to eat in it! I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it. So I'll jump into my ingredients...

 First, I get a really big bowl because I eat massive serving sizes. Then I get the base of the salad, which for me has typically been romaine lettuce, red-lettuce, or spinach. Sometimes depending on what I have I'll choose more than one! Then I collect and add all the vegetables that I have... bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, avocados, etc. Frequently, the vegetables are organic and (if possible) pesticide free as well. My resource for deciding which produce to buy organic and which I don't have to I find here.

Here is where it starts getting good. I ALWAYS ALWAYS make my salads with a protein source. This could be bacon, ground beef, tri tip, steak, egg, chicken, etc. The meat that I buy is almost always free-range, grass-fed, organic, etc. I get that at the Farmers' Market, the Davis Coop, or Trader Joe's. Next, I add my all-important extras. Ideally, I'd add a handful of tiny dried fruit pieces and a handful of nuts. Dried fruit could be raisins, apples, apricots, blueberries, cranberries, etc. (Side note... be careful what dried fruit you add because it could have an awful lot of sugar in it and is typically processed). Nuts include almonds, cashews, macadamias, and pistachios. Occasionally, I have even added in fruits like apple slices, strawberries, or oranges. I love cheese (albiet not the healthiest choice) and virtually always add it in. I finish it off with a salad dressing like a vinaigrette, italian, or even just a simple combo of oil/vinegar to avoid the processing and negative ingredients in the typical bottled ones.

And there you have it! Your very own "Big Ass Salad!"

I cannot recommend a salad like this highly enough. It is so customizable... you just put all your favorite raw whole foods (well, meats are typically raw in there) in one bowl with a delectable dressing. If you are just starting out eating salads like this, I'd recommend asking a service person at your local healthy food store what are some good simple vegetables are to put in a salad. For me, the extras make or break the salad. My salads just aren't awesome if they don't include meat, nuts, and fresh/dried fruits in them! I feel like that is the key to the paradigm shift that needs to happen to start eating delicious salads. If you'd like more suggestions, check out Mark Sisson's blog. That post he lists virtually every possible awesome salad ingredient you could come up with. He is pretty legit. :)

I love my life! :)