I’m happy to report that I’m feeling much less tired today. Hisa and I even went swimming this morning, although it was sooo cold out. We’ve been having a pretty mild winter this year so far, so it was a bit of a shock to have freezing cold temperatures when we went to the pool, and even when we came back (I thought my wet hair was going to freeze).
I’ve discovered, however, that it’s quite refreshing to go swimming early in the morning! I always thought I couldn’t never handle any form of exercise early in the morning before breakfast, but I’m getting quite used to it now. Hisa and I have been going to swim in the mornings about twice a week the past couple weeks, and I have to say, I’m quite proud of myself for it! I’ve exercise regularly in the late morning, afternoon, and evening before (all times of day have their pros and cons), but this is the first time I’ve been able to regularly exercise at the crack of dawn. As someone who thinks waking up before dawn is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, I have to say that if I can do it, I really think anyone can. :)
The other night for dinner, I decided to do something different, and laid out our own little salad bar. I thought of all the toppings I thought my family would like, prepared two different salad dressings, and laid everything out. It was a simple dinner, but healthy and quite fun really.
You could also serve bread sticks or focaccia bread with this. Or maybe some cookies for dessert. Mmmm, cookies…
I made a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing and my honey mustard dressing made with greek yogurt, but use whatever dressings you like.
Here’s the toppings I used for our salad bar to give you some ideas:
- organic spring lettuce mix
- baby spinach
- stir-fried chicken pieces (sliced grilled, fried, and baked chicken are great too)
- broccoli florets
- avocado
- garbanzo beans
- tomatoes
- cubed tofu
- matchstick carrots
- olives
- feta cheese
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- boiled eggs
- walnuts
- dried cranberries
- mushrooms
- blanched snow peas
Here are some more toppings ideas:
- sliced apple/pear
- Mandarin orange pieces
- strawberries
- crumbled goat/Gorgonzola cheese
- slivered almonds
- cooked quinoa
- cooked salmon/tuna
- sliced onion
- bell peppers
- cucumber
Even though it’s super simple to simply set things out, when you have a wide variety of toppings, it somehow seems a little fancy. Especially if you have all the toppings in matching bowls. I think this would be a fun lunch or light dinner for when you have guests over.
Mmmm, I love me some salad!
