Delicious Winter Salad

My body loves rhythm and predictability. I love the same 26-posture yoga every day. I love the same dishes every week, sometimes the same lunch and breakfast for most days. My mind loves organisation - it has so many things to think about that not having to think about certain things - makes me happy, efficient and able to flow.

My eating style certainly changes by season, depending on routine and what my body needs at the time - but I almost always can eat a similar dish multiple times a day - knowing what is coming and knowing that it is easy to put together - makes me feel good and focused. That said, I don't eat a 3-5 ingredient meal. I love variety in my meals. It keeps it exciting and tasty and ensures that I get the majority of nutrients I need from my meals rather than from supplementation - which is expensive and often ineffective - especially without a proper diagnosis and tes

I have been swamped this last month, but I did not want to compromise on my nutrition. For me, it's always a challenge to eat enough - amongst other things, not eating enough means weight gain for my body - which I am conscious of now - who hasn't gained a bit of weight during the pandemic?

My routine is unpredictable, not something my body and mind like. Regular meals, however, help anchor me in a routine. So I have been ensuring I have lunch with me wherever I go.

Here is a mix-and-match recipe to give you some ideas that you can use for your daily lunch or as a side dish.

WINTER SALAD

INGREDIENTS

You can use various ingredients to make your salad as colourful and tasty as possible. My weekly goal is to consume 60 unique ingredients - to ensure the widest variety of minerals, vitamins and nutritional elements.

One or a combination of:

• Bulgur Wheat

• Quinoa

• Black rice

• Lentils

• Chickpeas

• Beans

One or a combination of:

• Pesto

• Hummus

• Vinaigrette (I love apple vinegar, with freshly chopped mint (or a toothpick touch of dōTERRA Peppermint Essential Oil - a drizzle of Olive Oil - sweetened with a bit of apple juice, if needed)

• Coco Aminos

• Tahini paste

One or a combination of:

• Finely cut baby spinach

• Finely cut swiss chard

• Freshly chopped fresh herbs of your choice - chives, coriander, basil, parsley, sage, bay leaf, tarragon, spring onion

A combination of:

• Diced cucumber

• Grated carrots

• Peas or edamame Finely chopped or grated celery

• Finely chopped or grated onion

• Diced roasted beetroot

• Roasted or Steamed Pumpkin

Toppings:

• Feta cheese

• Pomegranate seeds

• Goji Berries

• Dried cranberries

• Chopped sundried tomatoes

• Toasted seeds (flaxseed, sesame, sunflower etc.) - also see our Seed Granola Recipe Red chilli flakes

PREP

• I like to prepare the ingredients beforehand (Sundays are my meal prep days).

• I chop and cook most of the ingredients upfront and pop them into the fridge.

• The night before (if I am working off-site), I pop it into a container ready to grab the following day - or - if working from my home office - it takes 2mins to mix and match my salad - according to what I feel like for the day.

• In winter, especially on cold days, I pop this salad into the microwave for a minute before I add the dressing - and voila - you have a delicious, nourishing warm water salad.

TIPS

• You can turn these ingredients into a poke bowl - delicious in summer

• You can add animal protein, e.g. chicken, fish, beef etc.

• Having these ingredients in the fridge also prevents unhealthy snacking- making it super simple to choose to snack on a mini-salad when the urge to snack hits.

ON THE RUN

If you missed your prep day - or if the whole family munched your salad - and you find yourself in front of an empty fridge - you can run past Woolworths and grab one or two of these.

Baby Spinach & Bulgur Wheat Salad Roast Pumpkin, Bulgur Wheat & Quinoa Salad Bulgur Wheat & Lentil Salad Green Pesto & Bulgur Wheat Salad

I prefer combining two varieties to get a broader range of flavours and nutrients into a meal.

Enjoy, and let me know how you go with your winter salad.

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