Author Archives: Cherylanne Skolnicki

The Secret to Eating More Salads

Most of us know we should be eating more salads but it can be SO BORING  to look at the same old lettuce and carrot blend out of a bag with a bottle of dressing poured on it. Besides, those bottled salad dressings often contain a lot of ingredients I can’t pronounce in addition to being loaded with fat and calories.

That said, I always encourage people who are trying to eat healthier to have a salad for lunch and dinner either AS their meal or WITH their meal. It’s a simple way to get all the health benefits out of the nutrients in that rainbow of vegetables. But there are two keys to making this a way of life. I shared these on Fox19 this morning so if you want to see the clip, here it is! (Note: These clips don’t always like to play on mobile devices.)

1 – Get some VARIETY in those salads! Turn your fridge into a salad bar by buying and prechopping a variety of vegetables each week, draining and rinsing cans of beans, and making sure some high flavor additions (like olives or small amounts of feta) are on hand. Consider changing the variety of greens (spinach, arugula, romaine, butter lettuce, kale) and the vegetable toppings, as well as the beans and high flavor additions from day to day.

2 – Top it all off with a HOMEMADE dressing. I promise you that this is the single most effective way to transform a salad into something memorable. Homemade dressings last a week or more in the fridge and can be stored in mason jars, recycled lidded glass jars (from mustard, or jelly, or whatever), or those glass cruets that come with some salad dressing mixes. Make one or two when you have a few minutes to do so and then replenish them as they get used up. With any luck you’ll be eating so many salads that they won’t last very long!

Here are recipes for two of my favorites. When you try them out, why not post a photo of your results on our Facebook page?

Simple Vinaigrette

1/4 c. red wine vinegar
¼ c.  fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp. chopped shallots
1 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme
½ tsp each salt and pepper
1 Tbsp honey
1. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake until thoroughly combined. Store in refrigerator.

Healthier Barbecue Ranch

1/2 c. lowfat mayonnaise
1/4 c. lowfat buttermilk
2 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. dried ranch dressing mix (recipe below or use store bought if you prefer)

Dried Ranch Dressing Mix:
1/4 c. dried parsley
3 Tbsp. onion flakes
2 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk until combined. Transfer to glass jar or lidded container and store in refrigerator.

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Chopped Salad with Lemon-Yogurt Dressing

Sometimes when you throw a bunch of healthy ingredients in a bowl and add a homemade dressing, magic happens. That’s definitely the case with this salad that combines a number of things you may already have on hand into one hearty, delicious chopped salad.

Now listen, salads are forgiving. They lend themselves to improvisation.  So don’t hold back if you’re missing one or two ingredients for this – you can make substitutions that sound good to you and I’ll bet they’ll work just fine. Be creative!

 

Chopped Salad with Lemon-Yogurt Dressing

makes 4 main course or 8 side dishes

Ingredients:

1 – 6 oz. container plain nonfat yogurt (Greek is fine)

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons canola oil (you want a neutral flavored oil for this – not olive)

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed

salt and pepper to taste

8 large romaine leaves, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups cubed jicama (try apples or pears if you don’t like jicama or don’t have it)

2 carrots, sliced in half and thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

3/4 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds (or seed or nut of your choice – I like it with toasted pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together yogurt through salt and pepper.

2. Toss remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Divide among plates and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

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Begin Making Tiny Movements

(as originally posted 3/4/11)

At the end of each yoga class, our instructor settles us into “savasana” (alternately spelled shavasana), a pose in which we lie flat on our backs, perfectly still, for a few minutes of meditative silence. With nothing but a fan whirring overhead or (if we’re lucky) birds chirping outside, it’s the quietest moment of my day. It’s a period of complete rest, no matter how short-lived. When it’s time to end savasana, the instructor asks us to “begin making tiny movements with our fingers and toes” before we raise ourselves to a seated position and end the class with a single “om”.

That phrase “begin making tiny movements” has stuck with me for several weeks now. It seems to be a choicefully selected phrase, notable for its specificity. Not big movements. Not “okay, sit up now.” But “Begin making tiny movements…” For a room full of women who’ve just been completely at rest, tiny movements are about all we want to muster.

Then, this week, I read this little nugget on the Peace & Projects blog written by  Melissa Gorzelanczyk, and I thought “Aha!”

I’ll include it here so you can read it for yourself.

“Focus on tiny movements. That’s all it takes to change your life. If you want to quit smoking, you can stop putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting the end. Once you master the way you move, you can do anything. You can decide to write instead of go out to lunch. You can put away the beer and go to bed early. You can feel your feet on the ground for a run. Movements, no matter how small, shape your entire life. How you go through the motions is up to you.”

So true. Change is simply a series of tiny movements strung together. It’s making “the next right choice” and every moment is a new chance to get it right.  I’ve blogged before about momentum and how it can be a helpful force if you are on the right track. But if you find yourself on the wrong track, one that doesn’t serve your goals, then perhaps the best thing you can do is to still yourself.  Completely.  Stop everything.  Find your own Savasana. And when you’re ready, begin making tiny movements… strung together, they’ll change your life.

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