My husband always asks me, "Is salad a meal?" To that I say, "Hell YES!" And I'll show you just how to make salad something you CRAVE! My standard for a healthy meal is PFF - Protein, Fat and Fiber. Build a salad with these 5 tips and salad IS a meal!

The past 21 days I have eaten a pound of vegetables a day as I guide an Awesome group of women through a Hormone Balance Detox program I put together. Salads have really become a welcome part of my day so I'm excited to share with you what goes into the perfect salad and how to find variety and nutrient density in salads.

Start with a Leafy Base - Find seasonal greens at your local farmers market or cooperative grocery. Kale, spinach, arugula, romaine, red leaf, firsee, sorrel and swiss chard are all great choices. If some of those sound foreign to your palate, go out on a limb and try something new.

Pick Healthy Fats - Avocados, coconut or olives add richness and nuts and seeds like sprouted sunflower, sprouted pumpkin, almonds, walnuts, cashews, hemp heart seeds and pecans, add a healthy crunch packed with key minerals and nutrients.

Add Herbs & Sprouts - Pea shoots, sunflower sprouts and alfalfa sprouts take nutrient density to a new level. I call it "Nutrition Addition". Adding herbs like cilantro, dill, mint or lemon thyme kick the flavor up a notch too.

Eye Popping Extras - I always tell my clients to eat from the rainbow. Include vibrant colored fruits and veggies in your salads. Red Cabbage, beets, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, apples, pears and strawberries.

Dress it all UP - the sky is the limit when it comes to salad dressings but keep it simple with good quality ingredients.Use good fats like extra virgin olive oil, tahini, miso paste, dijon mustard, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and sea salts. I have several "go to" salad dressings that I will share.

ALWAYS select the best quality ingredients. Choose non GMO, organic foods. the fresher the better.

I love my local coop grocery store!

Make your own salad dressings. Store bought dressings are loaded with sugar, bad fats and chemicals which defeats the purpose of eating a really nutrient dense healthy salad, right?! It's quick and easy to make your own and if you make a few at once and store them in the fridge, you always have a nice variety.

If you are a meat eater slice some grilled chicken, shrimp, smoked salmon or hard boiled egg on top.

The Recipes

Avocado Dressing

I love this dressing tossed with roasted root veggies 📷

1 avocado

1 clove garlic chopped

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Blend all ingredients in a blender

Store in refrigerator

Lemon Dijon Dressing

I love this dressing on poached salmon or halibut            📷

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil

2 T dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

blend or whisk vigorously

(sometimes I add a bit of tumeric to this as well for anti-inflammatory)

Yogurt dressing

I love this dressing on spinach greens with walnuts and strawberries

📷1 cup plain unsweetened sheep, goat or greek yogurt

juice of 1 lemon

2T chopped nuts (I like walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 T maple syrup

Blend and refrigerate

For more recipes and tips of healthy living click HERE and sign up for the newsletter.