First off, I would like to thank all of our friends and family that have taken the time to read about our journey! Second, I am so excited for those of you that have decided to make some changes to better your health! The holidays were wonderful, we were blessed to spend time with my family in Illinois. It is always a challenge when traveling to make healthy choices, especially over Christmas. We agreed that we would likely be mostly off our diet but would do our best to make good choices when available.
One thing we love that my mom had for us(and she loves too)are Tasty Bite Entrees. They are great little pouches that contain a small amount of natural ingredients(usually no more than 6-8)and are vegan or vegetarian.  We prefer the Indian-inspired flavors.  My only complaint is that they have a moderate amount of sodium, but as long as you eat the suggested amount(1/2 the pouch)it's manageable.  I pour them over brown rice packets I get from Aldi and I can have a main dish ready in two minutes! Both are great for traveling and do not need to be refrigerated.  I find mine at Sprouts but my mom purchases them from Amazon since they don't have natural food stores in close proximity.
We definitely had our share of cookies and junk food over our vacation and we were ready to reboot! Many of you know that I am pregnant, so I am ultra-conscious these days about my nutrition.  Micah wanted to do a 4-5 day juice cleanse for breakfast and lunch and then salads for dinner. I am eating regularly but still partaking in the salads for dinner.  He had already noticed an increase in back pain just from the few days of eating unhealthy foods.  If that isn't a testimony, I don't know what is!

So this week as we have found ourselves returning to the idea that "the salad is the main dish" I am recalling our favorite flavor combinations and dressings. I have added new recipe links, so be sure and check them out. If I have shared it, it means I have actually cooked it and we liked it.  In the Eat to Live book, it encourages you to eat a large salad with dinner and lunch, topped with fresh veggies, nuts, and an oil-free dressing. When I read oil-free I was very confused. How in the world can you make dressing without oil? Well, I will share some ideas and you see what you think.  Many of them contain nuts or cashews, which can help your body absorb nutrients more efficiently, especially those found in leafy greens.

Alright, so enough talking, here's some salads we like:

Massaged Kale and Mango Salad

Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette

Kale and Farro Salad

White Bean Salad

My own combos:
Spinach(or your preferred lettuce) and Fruit Salad
-sliced strawberries or grapes, nut of choice(almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds), avocado, craisins, mushrooms, red onion, balsamic dressing(see recipe below under dressings)

Asian-Inspired
Your choice of greens, edamame, green onion, carrots, cilantro, mushrooms, bell peppers(I prefer the colorful ones rather than green), oranges, chopped cashews or peanuts, peanut dressing(see recipe below)

Greek Salad
Your choice of greens, cucumber, tomatoes, small amount of chopped kalamata olives, red onion, feta cheese if I'm feeling adventurous, cannelini beans(optional),balsamic dressing

Mexican-Inspired
Your choice of greens, black beans(drained and rinsed), corn, diced mango, green or red onion, bell peppers, cilantro, sprinkle of cumin, lime juice

Sauteed Vegetable Salad(I know it sounds weird, but it's a knock-off of a delicious Pei Wei Salad)
Your choice of greens, topped with any/all of the following:
broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas/snow peas, onion(your choice), mushrooms, 1 clove minced fresh garlic, carrots, squash/zucchini, tofu if you like it, 1 tsp fresh minced or powdered ginger
   In a small amount of oil(or 2 TBSP water if you're avoiding oils)saute over medium high your harder vegetables first like onions and carrots until they are soft, usually 5 minutes or so.  Add in remaining vegetables and spices along with 2-4 TBSP of low-sodium soy sauce or tamari. Continue to cook until vegetables are softened to your liking.  You can also add Sriracha chili sauce or crushed red pepper if you like it spicy.  Top Salad with warm vegetables.  This is not an exact recipe! I usually just eye-ball it, depending on how much I am making. Generally for 2 servings I will use about 1/4-1/3 cup of each vegetable.

Balsamic Dressing(based on Eat to Live)
1/4 cup plus 2 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 TBSP olive oil or 2 TBSP raw cashews(make sure they're NOT roasted)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 raisins or 100% fruit grape spread
1 clove of fresh garlic(if you have roasted garlic, it's even better!!)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp onion powder

Put all ingredients into a blender and combine until smooth. If you have a Magic Bullet-type blender, that is the best.

Peanut Dressing
2 TBSP natural peanut butter
1 tsp soy sauce
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 date or 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper or Sriracha
Water to thin(usually 2 TBSP- 1/4 cup)

Put all ingredients into a blender and combine until smooth. If you have a Magic Bullet-type blender, that is the best. Adjust to your taste as needed, you may find it needs more spice or more salt(add soy sauce).

Dijon Date Dressing

2-ingredient Balsamic Dressing

I haven't tried all of these, but here's some others to consider
Big List of No-oil Salad Dressings, by Healthy Girl

A few pre-made dressings that we've liked:
Walden Farms Calorie-Free Dressings-good but they do contain Splenda, so they have a slightly sweet taste
Maple Grove Farms Dressings-they have a sugar-free version that contains a small amount of Splenda but tastes much less sweet than the Walden Farms brand and also a fat-free version that contains 2 g of sugar per 2 TBSP serving.

I hope this give you a place to start! Try adding at least one, if not two salads a day to your diet.  I will be trying this salad out next, so I will let you know if it's a keeper.  Please comment below or on Facebook if you have any questions!