When funfitflavor first started, I was posting A LOT of salads. So much so that I've been kind of against posting them for a while now. I'm breaking my rule tonight because this simple little garden salad is packed with antioxidants and a homemade dressing that would be good on ANYTHING. Also, this little salad was inspired by one that we got last week in Portland. (OMG it was so good - we were raving about it! I'll save that one for a later date once I perfect it. Sorry for the tease!)

Anyway, here's how this one goes!

First, turn a small saute pan on low and toast some pecans.

Next, Start with some organic mixed greens. Top with crumbled goat cheese and chopped avocado. Then, once the pecans are toasty - chop them and top the greens.

For the dressing - mix 2.5 parts extra virgin o/o with 1 part rice vinegar, add a hearty squeeze of a quality honey mustard. Add in a clove of chopped garlic and a little bit of thyme, salt, and pepper. Blend.
(Oh, I made it with chicken tonight because I needed some protein, but, I actually like this salad better without it. The flavors are excellent.)

Drizzle the dressing and serve. I call this an "antioxidant salad" because pecans are LOADED with antioxidants. They have more than any other nut! Plus, the mixed greens, avo, and garlic in the dressing are all winners when it comes to antioxidants. Enjoy!

Have a great week! xo

I like to make a big salad a few nights a week for dinner. Especially Mondays and Tuesdays to 'detox' after the weekend. There are a handful of vegetables and other items that I keep in my refrigerator on a weekly basis. As much as I'd love to keep a variety of colorful vegetables in my crisper at all times... it's not easy to keep them all fresh when I will likely be out a few nights a week. This doesn't mean that I can't get all the nutrients I need with a few reliable staples!

Here's what I made tonight (so simple).

I always buy these boxes... usually spinach or arugula. This week,

I found organic baby kale at foodies. You hear a lot about Kale, a superfood. It's high in potassium, vitamins A & C, and fiber. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Kale on its own would bore me so tonight I mixed it with butter leaf lettuce :)

The four salad components I purchase every week are: Lettuce (spinach, arugula, kale, romaine, etc), shredded carrots, tomatoes (local & organic if I can find them), and avocado. These four beauties last for at least one week (store your tomatoes on your counter, not in the fridge).

I also always have a variety of nuts and seeds in my fridge. Slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin, etc. And, of course, feta, part-skim mozzarella, and goat cheese (got to have cheese, all things in moderation). I usually make my own dressing but this, avocado dressing, that I found at foodies is fantastic and the ingredient list is amazing.

Tonight, I mixed together all of the above (tsp-tbs each of the nuts/cranberries/cheese) and added chicken marinated in extra virgin o/o, salt, lemon, rice vinegar, oregano, crushed red pepper and grilled. Easy & nutrious.

Tip: Yesterday I made a salad with my four staples, cooked the chicken in the original Frank's hot sauce, and used a yogurt blue cheese dressing. You can make any salad you want with the four staples!