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Hearty Summer Rainbow Power Salad, now that’s a mouthful isn’t it?? Haha. Well the name definitely suits the salad! It is paaacked with the goods – ain’t nobody calling this rabbit food.
Intention has been on my mind a lot lately. With work, with relationships, with the way I live my life, and being something I talk about a lot with my clients – how it plays into eating. Do you stop to think about your intention when deciding on lunch? Or whether you are or aren’t going to enjoy that ice cream? With summer approaching and the bombardment of “summer body” messaging coming at you from all directions, I wanted to touch on this.
Are you eating that salad because you “should” or because you want to nourish and energize your body? Are you saying no to that ice cream because you don’t actually feel like it today or because you feel guilty?
It is so easy to get sucked into the food guilt vortex. You see what a co-worker or friend is eating and find yourself comparing – how do they make it look so easy!? Or I just wish I ate like that.
BUT what feels good to you? What makes you feel energized, vibrant, and fulfilled on all levels? When we take a minute to think about our intention, eating well comes a lot more easily and is met with less resistance. Sometimes what feels good is going to be picking your favorite item on the brunch menu, without any consideration of what’s “healthiest”, and sometimes it might be grilled salmon and roasted asparagus because that’s what your body is craving.
We know that veggies deserve a big seat at the table. And maybe you already love your greens, but if you find that yourself battling your thoughts, try approaching “healthy eating” with a different intention. Try approaching it from a place of more. Getting more of all of the amazing benefits, flavors, and energizing nutrients, not from a place of dread or restriction.
A few of the reasons I love to eat my greens (and oranges, and reds, and purples and yellows…)
They energize me from a cellular level so that I have the energy to move my body and do the work I love.
They help keep my blood sugars stable so that I’m more productive, happier, and can listen to my hunger and fullness cues more accurately.
They provide my body with protective antioxidants to help prevent chronic disease like cancer and heart disease.
They fight inflammation to help slow down the aging process (not just talking about skin but the very organs that keep us alive and well!).
They help me eat mindfully as I nerd out and constantly find myself amazed by all of the natural colors on my plate!
K I’m getting a little off track here, but all this to say – let’s make food feel good, k? When you shift your intention to eating the rainbow because you love your body and want to nourish it, magical things happen 😉
I’d love to hear if this resonates with you! Share with us in the comments below how you #makefoodfeelgood!
Hearty Summer Rainbow Power Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Description
A colorful and refreshing salad with everything you need to make it a complete and satisfying meal. Also packs up great as a mason jar salad for a work or school lunch! Vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 1 head Inspired Greens Multileaf Trio
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked * suggest cooking extra for meals for the week or to freeze for quick and easy meals
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup strawberries, sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 yellow pepper (approx 1 cup), diced
- 1 cup edamame beans, shelled
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 1 avocado, cubed
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
Dressing
The flavors in this salad speak for themselves! I love it drizzled with a good quality olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. If you want something with a bit more ooph, try this Classic Balsamic, Green Goddess, Creamy Greek or Asian Sensation or toss a bunch of fresh herbs in with the salad for more fresh flavors (mint, dill, basil, cilantro and parsley all go well!)
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Approx ¼ cup dry will yield 1 cup cooked. This is a bit of an odd amount to cook so I suggest cooking extra to have on hand for the week!
- For the salad, cut the root and soil of the living lettuce off, leaving you with just the leaves, pull apart any that are still attached and rinse under cold water. Pat dry and tear or cut into bite sized pieces. Place them in a large serving bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients, arrange on top of the greens for pretty presentation, to be mixed when ready to serve (this is a nice touch when having guests over), or just go for it and mix all of the ingredients in right away.
- When ready to serve, toss with your favorite dressing and enjoy!
Notes
This salad is a complete meal as is but is also delicious served as a side with fish, coconut or buffalo tofu, grilled chicken…really it goes with almost anything!
- Prep Time: 15
- Category: Salads
- Method: Fresh
- Cuisine: North American
Keywords: Summer Salad, School Lunch, Work Lunch
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