Beet, Feta & Honey Sesame Stick Salad
Who's to say that vegetables can't be delicious? One of my favorite additions to any salad are beats. Quite possibly an acquired taste, but sitting in their own juice they are sweet so they accompany a rich cheese very well. This just so happens to be one of my favorite flavors among salad combinations. In any salad, a light cheese can make a delicious addition, but it is also more fattening so choose wisely. If I add cheese to salad, it is usually a crumbled feta or blue cheese for flavor, but that doesn't mean you can't add a shredded variety or dried Parmesan.While making a salad, you can add any assortment of sweet dried fruits, crunchy croutons, raw vegetables or even hard boiled eggs. The key to a good salad is to chop your vegetables in a similar formula. What I mean by that is- dice them to the same size so you are getting an even amount of each ingredient throughout the entire salad. Nothing worse that taking a bite of all onion or not enough cheese. To execute this easily, I use a hand-held vegetable cuber. I peel and slice each of my ingredients, slice to an appropriate size and press until cubes are formed. You can use any method to achieve this, even cutting by hand, but the more uniform your ingredients are the more they will marry together pleasantly.
So, this brings me to my FOURTH and final meal before dinner. If you are following my meal plan you may have seen that I previously posted a recipe for the first three important meals of the day. Breakfast, brunch and post-workout/afternoon. All under 300 calories, and packed with protein and nutrition for a healthy day and an energized workout. First on the list I have Blueberry & Almond Breakfast Smoothie with Honey Granola , followed by a brunch option, Raspberry Banana & Almond Parfait with Honey Granola. Next up- an after workout, vegetable and carbohydrate option under 300 calories, Grilled Sweet Baby Peppers, Zucchini & Jasmine Rice .
I normally fix a salad and serve it with dinner, but because I workout in the afternoon, I am hungry immediately following and after having my post workout snack I am burning calories fast. I am usually hungry just before dinner is ready or while cooking. So instead of snacking the entire time I'm cooking and pilling dinner in as well, I have decided to make a salad (surprisingly 300 calories) and eat it 30 minutes to an hour before dinner. By the time I have eaten this I am no longer fighting the "snacking urge", pleasantly full and I have ingested more healthy calories to burn before and during dinner. Especially if you workout during the day, your metabolism will rise and you will be able to eat more and burn the calories a lot faster.
Beet, Feta & Honey Sesame Stick Salad1 Heart Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
1/2 Cup Cubed Radishes
1/2 Cup Cubed Carrots
1/2 Cup Cubed Red Onion
1/2 Cup Cubed Cucumber
12 Cup Sliced Beets in Juice
1/2 Cup Honey Sesame Seed Sticks
1/2 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
Low Fat Salad Dressing
In a large mixing bowl add Romaine lettuce, cubed radishes, carrots, red onion, cucumber and mix together with hands or salad tongs. Store in a cold refrigerator, covered until ready to eat. To serve, add sliced beets, a handful of sesame sticks, a crumble of feta cheese and desired salad dressing. Mix together with a fork and serve immediately.
(About 6 Servings)
I normally make a large salad about two times a week. My husband and I each have one (I before dinner, and him during) plus a salad packed in his lunch and again for dinner the next day. Making a large salad can put you to ease in the kitchen when dinner is being made and keep you motivated to eat healthy for future meals.
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