Coming off of a long Fourth of July party weekend I am feeling like I shouldn’t be eating anything BUT salads. This past weekend I way overindulged in s’mores, wine, Twizzlers and chips, guac and blueberry buckle. It’s how we celebrate the fourth, like total gluttons, and I love every second of it. #balance
But when you get whiplash from snapping back into reality Monday morning, I am almost ALWAYS reluctant to putting greens back into my system, especially salad.
When I graduated from college and started working full time, I was still figuring out how to make healthy food that I actually loved eating that wasn’t totally basic and awful. At the time I cared more about calories and less about if I would actually enjoy what I was eating. My salads consisted of romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes with a balsamic dressing and a protein. BORINGGG.
It’s no wonder that after a year of eating that for lunch Every. Single. Day. that I had sworn off salads for lunch forever. I brought myself to the point where I hated salads. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can load up a salad with veggies and fruit making it delicious AND healthy. I just simply didn’t know how, but Auntie Carol did and does.
As I mentioned in my blog, “Summer Picnic Essentials”, my Auntie Carol makes THE BEST salads of all time. I kid you not, every time her salad comes out, people flock, everyone gets second helpings and it is one of the few dishes that is completely gone at the end. They are just so freaking good.
A couple of weeks ago when I was writing the other blog I emailed my Auntie Carol asking for her Secret recipe. I told her, THE PEOPLE MUST KNOW!! And then asked her permission to share this equation with you. There is a science behind this all, a method to her madness! She was kind enough to let me share it with you. This may very well change your world entirely, so in advance, ‘you’re welcome’, and THANK YOU to the GOAT of salad making, Auntie Carol.
These guidelines are a direct copy and paste from my Gmail conversation with her.. here we gooooo!!
“Here are the main guidelines for salad dressing.
1). Everything needs to be chopped into small cubes (even lettuce, spinach etc.). No one should have to have to use a knife when eating it.
2). Salad should consist of Half lettuce & Half fruit or vegetables. I usually use green & yellow zucchini (cut into cubes).
3).Cut grape tomatoes evenly into ¼
4). Add something interesting with the vegetables. (figs, green apple, orange, blueberries, avocado, red cabbage, thawed frozen green peas)
5). Add something with texture (chopped nuts, bacon, etc.)
6). Mix it all together.
These are my guidelines to make your own salad dressing:
2/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Dijon Muster, 1 tablespoon of Honey …. basic mix and then can change it up….
Ways to change it up
Add 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, hummus, or an Avocado to make a creamy dressing
Add 2 tablespoons of citrus, ex. lemon, lime, orange”
I really think this deserves a round of applause. Exact, simple and clear guidelines on how to make a salad that everyone will love.
One really important part that you don’t want to forget is to make your own salad dressing. This truly is a game changer with all salads. It tastes amazing and is WAY healthier for you than almost all store-bought salad dressings. Bottled dressings are full of extra chemicals and sugar. Yes, they add sugar to their salad dressing.
Auntie Carol’s salad dressing recipe can be made in a mason jar where you just shake it up on your own. Or if you want to go next level throw the ingredients into a magic bullet and whip it up. The magic bullet turns it into this creamy goodness that makes your mouth water. It thickens as you mix.
I personally also add salt, pepper, and chopped garlic to my salad dressing because I am Italian and more garlic makes everything better.
So there you have it!! The world’s best salad equation at your fingertips! I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think once you try it out!
Until next time, Bon appetite!
I really appreciate a good salad. Mostly because salads could really suck if you don’t put love and care into it. My best friend Rachel and My Auntie Carol make the BEST salads, and if they make it, everyone’s eating it, even the guys. They were my inspiration for this picnic essential because I have watched as people swarm around the salads that they bring to parties. These are always healthy and delicious leaving you completely satisfied. 
I have always loved kabobs with chicken or shrimp. Partially because it’s a fun thing to say, the pronunciation of ka-BOBs automatically puts a smile on my face, but it’s also fun and easy to eat. When prepping for picnics I try to think about what would be the easiest dish to bring. A dish that’s either totally prepared or would be easy to cook once I get there with the least amount of prep and clean up needed. Kabobs are a great option. All you have to do is defrost the shrimp, and cut up the chicken. Throw it in a bag of olive oil and an Italian seasonings packet or a teriyaki sauce, and mix it all up so it’s entirely covered and coated in the sauce. Stick the shrimp or chicken on the skewer then pack it all up. Grill it once you get there. Easy peasy, and a great way to get the protein in. 
Guacamole and cut up veggies is the best appetizer to have at any party all year long, but especially during the summer. For starter’s, almost everyone I know loves guacamole. At any party, once the guacamole comes out people swarm around it, and you better run over too or it’ll be gone before you get there. It’s a serious concern at every party we have. 
Nothing screams summer more than biting into a juicy ripe watermelon and having the sweet red goodness streaming down the sides of your mouth. Having watermelon at a picnic is the ultimate summer essential. It’s the perfect dessert that leaves you hydrated, full and satisfied. I prefer to have watermelon up cut into chunks, but some prefer the quarter moon cuts. Whatever tickles your fancy, or is easier for you, people will love it either way. It’s the great healthy dessert option for you to have over the plethora of sugar-filled store-bought baked goods that everyone else will be bringing. 
sad and my Italian grandma is probably rolling in her grave right now, but it’s true. I try to eat very little to no gluten products, and normal pasta and even wheat pasta just didn’t give me the return I wanted after eating it. Yes, I am thinking of the ROI I get from what I eat, I take my health very seriously. So when I found this pasta and saw that its only ingredients were red lentils and water, I had tears of joy in my eyes which was immediately followed by a happy dance in the middle of the aisle. Because….. PASTA!!!! I COULD EAT IT AGAIN and NOT feel guilty!!! Best.Find.Ever.
good one, so I just didn’t eat it. Or I should say I drastically cut down how often and how much I ate it. I can still remember the day I found their Cauliflower pizza crust. I read the ingredients and it wasn’t perfect but still pretty freaking good. Then, I looked around me to see who was looking, like a total sketchy criminal, and then I quickly put three crusts into my carriage and then abruptly walked away. I truly felt like I was stealing because I couldn’t believe that it existed and I couldn’t get my hands on enough of them. 
Two years ago I like suddenly realized I had as much acene as a high schooler and wanted to clear up my face for my wedding. My sister read an article about the correlation between dairy and breakouts, so I tried to cut it out to see if it would help and it did, drastically. Since then I really haven’t eaten much dairy, which is the most depressing thing ever, especially when making pizza. I have tried vegan cheeses and other weird stuff I have found and it tasted like garbage. Then, I found the almond cheese and felt like my prayers were answered! Now I must preface that’s still not normal cheese, it doesn’t get gooey and oily deliciousness but it does melt, taste goods and is perfect for pizza. 
found this one because I just didn’t understand how they could make gnocchi out of cauliflower, granted there is flour in this find, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around it so I totally thought it would taste terrible. I bought it regardless but held off trying it. When I finally did I was kicking myself for waiting so long. It tastes GREAT! You just need to make sure that you follow the instructions on how to cook the gnocchi because you saute it frozen which is much different than normal gnocchi. Besides that, it tastes amazing with sauteed onions and mushrooms. 
foods and drinking wine. It’s my most favorite memory growing up. Because of that tradition, anytime I see friends we ALWAYS do some kind of happy hour spread. Sometimes it’s a pathetic attempt, and other times we get fancy. Trader Joe’s Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip is perfect for both types of Happy Hour! To start it is FREAKING DELICIOUS and you can eat it with crackers and cheese or, cut up bell peppers or cucumbers to dip into it. One time I even put it on a sandwich as like a condiment spread, and my goodness that was 
am always on the lookout for fun foods at Traders and was near the hummus section hoping that I would find some kind of non-hummus hummus dip. I knew there were edamame dips and other bean dips in the world so I wanted to see if they had anything similar there. I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for but I was NOT disappointed. This dip is like the combination of hummus flavored jalapeno dip with the consistency of the alloete brand cheese. I can’t get enough of it right now. I haven’t played around with the different ways to eat it yet, but for now, I am FULLY satisfied just eating it on a cracker. I have done that every day since I have bought it. 
bars. They are individually wrapped in little small squares and are a perfect snack before a workout class or if you need a little something to hold you over until your next meal. I used to make these protein ball things that I would eat before a workout, but when I found these they were essentially the same thing and lasted longer and I’ve been completely addicted since! They come in three different flavors and I have tried and like them all. My favorite is the citrus flavored one. 
eating all of it. Growing up my mom would always buy my dad muffins from Stop n Shop as a Saturday morning treat. She would always buy bran muffins because that was his favorite and because they were always around we also ended up loving bran muffins. So one day when I was on my treasure hunt in Trader Joes I found these Vegan Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins. My first thought was, “no way these actually taste good, that would be too good to be true”. I bought them anyway because I had friends staying over that night and my GOODNESS they were amazing. These muffins are nice and dense and have the perfect berry ratio.
have been to Trader Joe’s you will know that they have an incredibly tempting sweet’s and treats section. I have also purchased a number of those “just to try” and then accidentally ate the whole thing in a weekend, so I try to steer clear. But when I do splurge, I get the Chocolate Coconut covered almonds. They taste like a mini Girl Scout Samoa Cookie, and they are completely addicting. 
taste better. I have friends that actually have this in their purse at all times, just in case there is an opportunity to use it, and I totally get it! It literally makes anything you eat taste like an Everything Bagel, and I don’t know anyone who DOESN’T love an everything bagel. Throw it on roasted veggies, chicken or steak, avocado toast, eggs, the options are endless. 
This is so important for many different reasons. For starters, being fully hydrated makes you more awake and alert than coffee actually does. 
easily lose track of how many calories you are actually consuming in a day and are likely eating things your body really doesn’t NEED. Even though we all know we don’t NEED M&M’s, if you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated and have your healthy snacks already packed you are less likely to go for that mid-afternoon treat.
I can’t stress the importance of moving more enough. Think about the daily pattern of a typical 9-5 job. You are sitting on the drive to work, siting once you get to work for 8 hours or so, sit on the drive home, sit for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sit on the couch at night. Maybe you have an hour or 30 minutes of movement for some kind of exercise.
