Recipe

Eating Healthy On-the-Go: How to Make Meals for the Week in Under An Hour

If the thought of sitting down to write out complicated meals that require following intricate recipes and spending hours at a time in the kitchen, all to “prep” your meals for the week makes you want to strangle a head of broccoli, then you’ve come to the right place. Because that is not what this post is about.

This post is about spending just one hour or less of your free time in the kitchen, prepping a few healthy meals for the week ahead. Of course, cutting down on time means cooking in bulk and therefore eating some of the same meals twice in one week, something I’m totally OK with. So if you’re ok with that too, then awesome! Let me teach you my ways.

Curried Red Lentil Mash-up with Sweet Potato and Cauliflower

OK, I have a confession to make. So, I named this blog Hungry Runner because I like food and I like running. Only, the thing is it turns out I like running and fitness and exercise, a tiny little bit more than I like food. (I just gasped. I can’t believe I said that.)

[4 Fast and Healthy Recipes]

When I first started this site on Tumblr, and before I discovered Instagram, I was constantly posting my daily meals as healthy inspiration and occasionally posting the recipes for my favorite dishes. (As seen above.)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadilla with Greek Yogurt Dressing and Gruyere Cheese

So the sweet potato black bean quesadilla is nothing new. I’ve made it before in the past and shared the recipe here with you all. I remember thinking it was such a genius combination of foods when I first stumbled across it. And that’s because it is.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Mash-up

Like many of my “recipes,” this dish happened totally on accident. In fact, it was a potentially dangerous cooking accident that will give you some candid insight into my true “skill” in the kitchen.

By looking at my food photos (or if you’re lucky enough, tasting one of my meals) you may come to the conclusion that I’m at least a somewhat skilled chef. And I guess that’s true, since like, I can make pancakes and cookies and French toast pretty well. But the real truth is that even though I can make it look effortless by presenting you with a pretty picture of the end product, I’m actually sort of a Kitchen Klutz.

Sure most of my meals taste great, but that doesn’t mean I don’t encounter a few mishaps here an there before ending up with the final product. I’m the instance of this dish, I left a sweet potato baking in the oven for about 20 minutes too long. This resulted in some of the skin starting to ooze and stick to the pan and extra, extra mushy potato.

The sad part is that I had actually set the microwave timer. But when it went off I was preoccupied with something else (probably Instagram) and I thought, “I usually undercook sweet potatoes, so I’ll just give it another 5-10 minutes to make sure it cooks all the way through.”

Well, it’s my own fault for not setting a new timer because 5-10 minutes came and went (time flies when you’re instagramming photos of your food!) and 20 minutes later I was hit by that sudden “oh crap I left something in the oven for longer than I should have” feeling. (Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about.)

But the good news is that most of the time, (except for a few REALLY un-fixable mistakes) most kitchen mishaps turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Like in this case, I was forced to mash up my most mushy sweet potato and what I ended up with was this sweet and savory rice dish that, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t mind eating for dinner every night if I had to.

This dish unintentionally ended up being a perfect balance between sweet and salty and I’m glad that I also decided to add spinach at the last minute, making it even more colorful and adding just enough texture to balance out all of the potato and rice mushiness.

A few recipe notes before you get started. Above is a (Intagram) photo of the original version of this dish, which I made on the fly as and on-the-go meal. You’ll notice that the “official photos” included red kidney beans in the dish, while the original version pictures what the recipe below calls for, which is chick peas. I recommend using chick peas (they just worked better with the flavors), however, feel free to experiment with whatever type of beans you like!

Ingredients (for 1 serving):
1/2 extra soft baked sweet potato, mashed

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked and spiced with turmeric and cumin

1/4 red onion, diced

2 T olive oil

1/2 cup chick peas

1/2 cup tomato, chopped into chunks

1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

Optional: dash of cinnamon and feta cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized pan, heat olive oil and onion over medium heat until fragrant.

2. Add the rice then toss in the chick peas.

3. Add the mashed sweet potato and stir until everything is well mixed.

4. Add the spinach and tomato and continue to heat over low-medium heat until the leaves are slightly wilted.

5. Optional: sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and top with feta cheese to serve

*Multiplying ingredients to create additional servings will not effect the end product

White Chocolate Chip, Cake Batter Protein Bars + a Pure Protein Prize Pack Giveaway! {Closed}

It’s actually sort of bizarre that before this week, I’ve never owned or used protein powder.

I mean, I’m really into the whole health and fitness thing (it’s my job!) AND I come across dozens of protein-powder-based recipes from some of my favorite fellow foodies and fit-bloggers everyday.

For example, Savannah’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Sludge. Or Sally’s Chocolate Covered Cherry Protein Smoothie. Or Katie’s Cake Batter Energy Bars. All of these protein-packed homemade snacks I’ve been dying to try, yet I kept tossing them to the side because of a lack of protein powder. Ridiculous!

Today I have good news, though! My protein-powder-less days are finally over.

Pure Protein recently launched a new line of products, and in addition to a few protein bars and shakes, were kind enough to supply me with my very first tub of protein powder. That means I’ve finally baked up a batch of my own homemade protein bars! (And that their will be plenty more protein-packed snacks coming out of the Hungry Runner kitchen in the very near future.)

The importance and benefits of including protein in your daily diet is not a topic new to Hungry Runner. I’ve certainly written about it here in the past. But just to reiterate, some of the best benefits of a protein-rich diet include enhanced transportation of nutrients throughout the body, hormone, fluid, and acid-base balance, and muscle growth and maintenance. (Source: ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer.) The best way to include protein in your diet is through whole foods like lean animal meat and plants such as beans, quinoa, lentils, and nuts. (Read more about how a protein-rich diet can help you lose weight.)

Buuuuut, even I’ll admit that when you’re on the go, sometimes a bar or shake is simply more convenient. Like with almost any packaged snack, Pure Protein Bars and Shakes are something that I choose to include in my diet as an every now and then snack because they aren’t completely “clean.” However, as long as the majority of your nutrients come from natural, whole foods, there’s no reason to completely avoid anything and everything that is not considered a “whole food”. In fact, completely restricting yourself can sometimes lead to an unhealthy mindset about food. No one will ever have a “perfect” diet, which is why indulgence and convenience are OK on occasion.

What I love most about these bars is that they are only 180 calories and they are low in sugar (only 2g). I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of both the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chocolate flavors for still tasting sweet despite having not much added sugar. (Read more about why it’s important to keep your daily added sugar intake to a minimum.)

I’ve found that the bars are a new favorite post-strength-training snack of mine because I can stash them in my bag and chow down on one while I’m on my way out of the gym. (Read more about the importance of post-workout protein consumption for gaining muscle and losing fat.)

Dessert Dilemma

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but, I sort of have an ugly sweet tooth that likes to rear it’s head when the sun goes down. It’s really hard for me to turn down dessert after dinner. And not only is it hard for me to pass up dessert, but when there are sweets around, whether I baked my own healthy version or it’s the real deal, it’s hard for me to eat only one serving.

However, last night I supplemented “dessert” with a Pure Protein Vanilla Cream Protein Shake. To my surprise, it turned out to be a perfect after dinner “sweet-tooth-satisfier.” I’m usually looking for some kind of chocolate cake or banana bread to nosh on after dinner, but when I’ve got stuff (usually homemade) like that lying around, it’s really easy for me to overindulge because breads and cakes are not all that filling. I’ll easily go for seconds and thirds without thinking twice about it. The Pure Protein shakes have just 170 calories and 15g of protein. By the time I finished it, my sweet tooth was fulfilled and I felt full and completely satisfied all the way up until it was time for bed.

And the same thing can be said for these cake batter bars. Adding the protein powder to them makes a whole world of a difference. Without it, I would probably eat 2 or 3 and still feel like I could dig in for more. But one of protein’s greatest powers is that it keeps you feeling fuller for longer, which helps prevent overindulging. Not to mention, the vanilla cream flavor of the protein powder is to die for and totally enhances the “cake batter” flavor of the bars.

I adapted this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Cake Batter Energy Bars. But before you head off to bake up your own batch, you can first enter to win your own Pure Protein Prize Pack. Just follow the instructions below to enter!

Pure Protein Prize Pack Giveaway

The Prize Pack includes:

5 protein bars
1 tub of Vanilla Cream Protein Powder
12 Vanilla Cream Protein Shakes

3 Ways To enter:

Mandatory: Leave a comment with a link to your favorite protein powder recipe. (Or one that you’d really like to try!)
Follow Hungry Runner on Facebook
Follow Hungry Runner on Instagram

Each task is equal to one entry. Leave a separate comment for each completed form of entry. (Total of 3 entries per person.)

The giveaway will be open until Midnight on Tuesday, February 26. I will use a randomizer to choose a winner on Wednesday, February 27th. The winner will be announced here on that day. If the winner fails to reply within 48 hours of being contacted, a new winner will be chosen. This contest is open to U.S. residents only.

White Chocolate Chip, Cake Batter Protein Bars

(Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Ingredients:

1 cup rice crispies (I used Erewhon’s Crispy Brown Rice Gluten Free Cereal)

1/4 cup oat flour

1/4 cup Pure Protein Vanilla Creme protein powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons all-natural, creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

handful of white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the rice crispies, oat flour, protein powder, and salt.

2. In a separate larger bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together well until evenly coated.

4. Line a medium-sized baking dish or Tupperware with waxed parchment paper and pour the batter into the dish. Fold the sides of the paper over the batter and use a flat-surfaced heavy object to press the batter down until it is flat and fills the entire bottom of the dish.

5. Freeze for about 20 minutes.

6. Unfold the parchment paper, cut the batter into bars (I got about 9 small squares) and serve immediately or store in a sealed Tupperware in the fridge of freezer.

This post is sponsored by Pure Protein. Check out great ways to Eat Good and Look Great.

Slow Cooker, Sweet Potato Chili

Hungry Runner Fun Fact: Chili is one of my all time favorite foods.

The best bowl of chili I’ve ever had was at a pub in Stirling Scotland on St. Patrick’s day in 2010.

This was before I had an iPhone and an obsession with posting pictures of my food on Instagram. So, unfortunately there’s no photographic proof of The Best Bowl of Chili Ever. But trust me, it existed and I ate it.

Here’s me, sitting at a Royal Table, during the trip. You know, eating like a queen. Like I always do.

Anyway, since then, I’ve made plenty of batches of my own chili. But never in a slow cooker. In fact, previous to whipping up this recipe, I’d never used a slow cooker before. Ever. At all.

So this is totally new territory for me. Territory I feel I’ve successfully conquered given the outcome of this vegetarian chili dish. Oh the cook is getting cocky now. Well c’mon, I wouldn’t share the recipe with you all if it didn’t taste good.

And taste good it certainly does. It’s spicy and sweet and full of varying textures. The addition of the split red lentils helps thicken up the dish without adding any meat. Although you certainly could throw some in if you prefer a classic, non-vegetarian chili.

Speaking of non-vegetarian chili, the bowl I had in Scotland was not meatless, which, I do have to admit was most likely a large factor in contributing to its Best Chili Ever status.

But vegetarian chili comes in a close second. A very close second.

Plus, this recipe is particularly convenient for some simple weekend food prepping. What could be easier than cooking some lentils, chopping up a bunch of veggies, opening a few cans of beans, and throwing it all into the slow cooker with a few spices and some veggie broth? I don’t know, maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? I guess that’s easier. But (and don’t get me wrong, I love a good PB&J sandwich) not nearly as hearty and satisfying.

Less than an hour of kitchen time for 3-4 pre-prepped meals during the week. That’s my kind of cooking!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 can red kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 large sweet potato, chopped

1/2 cup split red lentils, rinsed, picked, and cooked

1 cup low sodium veggie broth

a few more dashes of cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, and turmeric to taste

Directions:

1. Follow package directions for cooking 1/2 cup split red lentils. (Note: you can skip this step and add them to the slow cooker uncooked, however I found that cooking them first allows for a thicker end product because they will have absorbed more liquid.)

2. Turn on the slow cooker (high heat setting). Once the pot is heated and the bottom is warm, add the olive oil and onion. Heat for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, and turmeric. Stir lightly to mix with oil and onion. Let the mixture heat for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the pepper, beans, sweet potato, and cooked lentils. Stir lightly to blend with spice and onion mixture.

5. Add the veggie broth and stir. Sprinkle in a few more dashes of each spice.

6. Heat for 1-3 hours.

7. Serve immediately or pack in Tupperware and store in the refrigerator (up to 5 days) for a pre-prepped meal at a later time.

Famous, Fluffy Banana-raisin Oatmeal

Here it is. The moment you’ve all been waiting for.

Ok I’m exaggerating a little. Not all of you have been waiting. Or at least you just didn’t know that you were waiting for this.

But if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that this has been a highly requested recipe, and it’s been a long time coming.

Almost every morning I post a photo of my breakfast on Instagram. Almost every morning it consists of a big, gratuitously-topped bowl or jar of oatmeal. Almost every morning, at least one of you leaves a comment asking me for the recipe.

So now, once and for all, I’m finally going to tell you step by step, ingredient by ingredient exactly how to make a bowl of Hungry Runner’s Famous, Fluffy Banana-Raisin Oatmeal.

But first, I have a confession to make. I used to be a cereal fiend. My day just didn’t feel right unless I started my morning with a bowl of cereal like Kashi Autumn Wheat or Honey Bunches of Oats. The only problem with that habit was that I usually needed to eat 2 or 3 bowls before I felt satisfied. Which meant I would typically eat much more than the designated serving size and also had no idea that it’s kind of a bad idea to start off your day with a bowl filled of mostly refined sugar. Nor did I really have any idea that that was basically what I was eating. I mean like, Kashi…Honey Bunches of Oats… They make it seem so healthy!

No wonder it never kept me full for much more than an hour or two. A meal made of refined grains, sugar and hardly any protein is just no way start the day.

But a big bowl of fiber-filled oatmeal, maybe mixed with some fruit, ground flaxseed, and peanut butter; there’s practically no better thing to wake your body up with. Nutritionally and like, just in general… Because it just tastes so darn good, ya know?

I don’t remember exactly when I made the switch from cereal to oatmeal, but it was a better understanding of basic nutrition that led me to do so. And every day I thank the Breakfast Gods that I made the switch. Even though I am just a little bit mad that it took me about 20 years of living on this earth to discover such a wondrous breakfast food.

This recipe has been about a year in the making. One whole year of making oatmeal for breakfast almost every single day. One whole year of tweaking and fine-tuning each ingredient until I finally developed The Perfect Bowl of Oatmeal.

Now, my favorite flavor of oatmeal (the flavor that I make most mornings) is Banana-Raisin. This is the flavor I’m sharing with you in the recipe today. However this is just one of thousands (maybe millions?!) of ways you can flavor your oatmeal. I plan on experimenting with more fruits and flavors in the future, and when I do I promise to share those here with you too. But for today, lets make some banana-raisin oatmeal, Hungry Runner style!

So without further ado, I FINALLY present to you, Hungry Runner’s Famous, Fluffy Banana-raisin Oatmeal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats (I normally use quick oats, but old-fashioned oats work great too.)

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

3-4 dashes of cinnamon (I’ve never measured out a specific amount of cinnamon. I just give the bottle 3-4 good, hard shakes over the oats. AKA I like a lot of a cinnamon. Dash at your own discretion.)

1/4 cup raisins

2 scoops plain, non-fat Greek or regular yogurt (Greek yogurt is just a tiny bit more tart, however I don’t find that it effects the overall taste of the final product. Also, I’ve never used a measuring spoon to measure the yogurt when I add it. I use a household “table spoon” to add two generous “scoops.” This makes it creamy and fluffy. The more yogurt you add, the creamier it will be. If you use regular yogurt, it is typically more watery and less thick than Greek, which means you can slightly decrease the amount of liquid in steps 4-5.)

1 large banana

1/2 -2/3 cup unsweetened, vanilla almond milk

2 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions:

1. In a microwaveable bow, mix together the oats, flax seed and cinnamon.

2. Next add the raisins and yogurt.

3. Slice up 1/3 of the banana. Cut the slices in half to form smaller pieces and then add them to the oatmeal mixture.

4. Pour in 1/2 cup almond milk and stir everything together well until the yogurt is completely blended.

5. Depending on what kind of yogurt you used, if the mixture seems dry add more almond milk or water. (If you use more almond milk the oatmeal will turn out a bit creamier, however I typically add water at this step and it doesn’t seem to make a huge difference.) You want to add enough liquid so that the mixture is almost soupy, but not so much that it is completely drowning.

6. Microwave for 1:30- 2 minutes (I usually stop the microwave halfway through and stir), until most of the moisture is absorbed. If you heat it for too long and it becomes dry and bread-like, just add a small amount of almond milk or water and stir.

7. Slice up the rest of the banana.

8. When the oatmeal is ready add the banana slices and peanut butter. (For a drizzled peanut butter effect, dip a fork into creamy peanut butter that is very soft and hold it over the bowl, flicking it back and forth very gently. Otherwise you can just add it to the top using a spoon, wait for it to soften a bit, and then mix it right in.

9. Add additional toppings if desired. My favorite clean toppings are any of Bob’s Red Mill Granola flavors, Wheat Germ, and almonds. My favorite non-clean toppings are graham crackers and chocolate chips

Brown Rice, Black Bean Mash-up

Throw everything in a bowl and eat.

I’ve talked about this idea on Hungry Runner several times in the past. It’s basically become my signature style of “cooking.” When I started this blog it was under the premise that I love to eat but hate spending a ton of time in the kitchen fussing over complicated recipes.

So, while I’m sharing the “recipe” for this dish right now, just know that before I made it… There was no recipe. I made it up as I went along. And also know that you are completely capable of doing the same. Don’t be afraid to experiment with food!

Making it up as I go along is how I prepare 98% of my meals during the work week. Friends, family, and clients are always asking for quick and easy healthy recipes, and don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of those to be found here on Hungry Runner. But most of the time, when it comes to eating healthily, I don’t follow any recipes at all.

The simple truth is, if you keep your kitchen stocked with nutritious, whole foods, you will end up eating healthy meals composed of nutritious, whole foods. You won’t have a choice!

For everyday meals during the week, don’t worry so much about recipes. You don’t have to spend 10 hours in the kitchen cooking up some extravagant dish you found on Pinterest. Sure that’s always fun for a weekend project when there’s more time. But during the week, it’s more about being efficient and prioritizing your time so that you can stick to a healthy clean-eating habits even when you’re busy.

Okay so, all this talk about how you don’t need recipes and now I’m going to give you a recipe. (Real smart marketing tactics, Katie.) But all jokes aside, if you feel like you just have no idea where to start when it comes to cooking healthy meals, this type of dish is a great place to begin. It’s fast, it’s easy, and chances are you already have most of the ingredients on hand.

You can follow along step by step, or simply use it as more of a guide. I even encourage you to test out your own additions and alterations. Maybe you don’t have every single one of the ingredients on hand. No biggie. Try subbing it for something similar that you do have. Another type of veggie, a different type of bean… Anything is game.

Pro tip: The reason why dishes like this one are super quick for me to make during the week is because I prep some of the foods, like rice and veggies that can be roasted, beforehand. (Usually on a Sunday so they’re readily available to me through the work week.)

Ingredients (For 1 serving):

Red onion, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked and spiced with turmeric and cumin

1/4 cup veggie broth

1/3 cup black beans

1/3 cup chick peas

1/2 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 of an avocado, chopped or sliced

Feta cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a medium frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and a few dashes of turmeric and cumin.

2. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with oil. Heat for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the rice and the 3rd tablespoon of olive oil. Stir again then add the veggie broth. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

4. Add the black beans, chic peas, and tomatoes. Stir and heat for 4-5 more minutes while adding a few more dashes of turmeric and cumin.

5. Remove from heat. Serve with avocado and feta cheese.

(Note: For multiple servings, ingredients can simply be doubled, tripled, etc. Doing so will not effect that outcome of the overall dish )

Mini Strawberry Heart Pop Tarts

Whether you really enjoy Valentines Day, or you see it as just another consumerist, hallmark-card holiday, there’s no denying one thing; it’s the perfect excuse to bake super cute pastries decorated with hearts.

So that’s what I did. Plus, everyone secretly wishes they could eat Pop Tarts everyday without having to consume all of the icky refined sugars and unnatural additives that they’re made of.

I mean, at least I do. I think I might have eaten Poptarts for breakfast AND as an after school snack every day during high school. Oh to be a junk-food-eating teen athlete who never has to seriously deal with the repercussions of eating packaged, processed foods.

Young ones, enjoy the Pop Tarts while you can. For the rest of us, well, thank goodness for this recipe. Get ready to reintroduce Pop Tarts into your diet, the clean eating way.

To make the pastry dough, I followed Chocolate Covered Katie’s Healthy Pop Tart recipe. Not only is it vegan and made with coconut oil, but you can make them using no added sugar. Doesn’t get much cleaner than that!

For the filling, you can use anything your heart desires. I used Trader Joe’s Organic Super Fruit Cherry, Red Grape, and Pomegranate Fruit Spread simply because it’s what I had on hand, but any type of jam or fruit spread will work. If you want to keep the recipe clean, make sure you use a jam or spread whose only ingredients are fruit. No artificial flavors or processed sweeteners. And if you want to be really good, you can one-up me and make your own fruit preserve.

I copied the idea for the strawberry heart cutout toppings from The Novice Chef. Last year she posted this super scrumptious Strawberry Nutella Pop Tart recipe, and from the moment I saw them on Pinterest I could think of nothing but strawberry filled Pop Tarts. (Maybe one day mine will look as neat, clean, and pretty as hers!)

Basically I took two different recipes from two extremely epic food bloggers and molded them into one clean-eating holiday treat. Enjoy!

Directions:

For the dough ~ Follow Chocolate Covered Katie’s Healthy Pop Tart recipe.

Before adding the filling to each Pop Tart and sealing the dough, follow the “Strawberry Heart” cut-out directions from The Novice Chef’s Strawberry Nutella Pop Tart Recipe.

Flu-fighting Super-food Salad

So, you wanna prevent the flu.

Sure, you could get a flu shot, but if you’re like me and would rather opt for more natural and holistic preventative measures, then why not simply give your immune system a boost the old fashion way?

Don’t worry, I’m not talking about some crazy, weird concoction that your grandma used to swear by.

I’m talking about you’re diet. I’m talking about eating foods that are high in antioxidants, which help your body fight off free radicals and unwelcome bugs and viruses… Like the flu!

I’m talking about adding a dish like this Flu-fighting Super-food Salad to your daily diet. I whipped this up a few weeks ago when I felt myself starting to come down with a pretty nasty cold. Whenever I feel myself starting to get sick, my first reaction is to up my antioxidants. I brew lots of green tea, I add lemon (which is high in vitamin C) to my water, and make sure that all of my meals are filled with nutrient-dense “super-foods” like avocados, tomatoes, spinach, and berries.

Actually, who am I kidding? All of that is typically part of my daily routine. But whenever I feel like a cold is coming on, I become much more adamant about it. I’m more like:

[original image via KYM and Hyperbole and a Half]

And so, super-food-filled salads like this one frequently end up on my plate and like magic, I start to feel better! Only it’s not magic, it’s food. In my mind though, the two are comparable. In fact, it might be safe to say that food is actually better than magic. Anyone else agree?

If you want to be just like me, top this salad with my Homemade Greek Yogurt, Honey Mustard Dressing. But since most of the ingredients here are pretty neutral, I imagine it will taste good with any dressing that your little heart pleases. Also, I’m not the boss of you. So feel free to throw in anything else you think might make this dish even more super!

Now share with me: What’s the first preventative measure you take when you start to feel like you might be getting sick?

Ingredients:

1 cup baby spinach leaves

1/2 tomato, cubed,

1 hard boiled egg, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup chick peas, drained and rinsed

1/4 of an avocado, chopped

1 thick slice of a red onion, chopped into long slivers (I only like a small amount of onion in my salads. Feel free to add more to your liking.)

Crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

1.Toss all ingredients except goat cheese until well mixed.

2. Sprinkle with goat cheese then top with dressing of your choice.