A Salad for Lunch!?

Lunch is another one of those pivotal meals in the day.  It is important to eat right in order to keep yourself on track in your nutritional goals.  Personally, this is meal is one that gives me the most difficulties.  Typically I am at work, in a high-stress environment which is bad in-and-of itself.  Furthermore, because time is so pressed, a lot of my lunch is spent in meetings that have "catered" food service.  Not good... Restaurants have a great way of making things sound healthy, even though they are comprised of 80% of your daily caloric intake.  Yes, even salads!  Below is one of my favorite "salads" for that lunch hour or minute.

I try to make my salads as intricate as possible in order to enjoy them. Lots of flavor make it not so hard to eat... Don't lie to yourself though, it's still salad.

Ingredients:

Mixed Green Salad

Extra Baby Spinach

Shaved Carrots

Sliced Jalapeños

Sliced Mushrooms

Fresh Cilantro

Sliced Green/Red Bell Pepper

Sunflower Seeds

Cubed Tofu

1 Hard Boiled Egg

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegarette

I am far from a vegetable expert, so I can't really tell you all of the leafy greens that are in my mixed salad.  I think there is arugula and some other stuff but I always add a little extra baby spinach because I love the stuff.  Add as many vegetables and herbs to the salad as possible, this is what gives it life and makes it enjoyable.  The more flavor, the more likely you will eat it again.  Personally, I am not a fan of tofu, but some days it is much better than cold grilled chicken... Switch it up!  Finally, the fats from the olive oil are actually very important for the digestion and absorption of nutrients from the salad, so don't skip out on it even though it is high in "fat".  It's the good fat.  Don't go over doing it but a tbsp or 3 won't hurt.  I also add a light balsamic for some added flavor and some seeds for a nice crunch.  The key is to tinker with it until you find something you like.  Don't suffer through something because that will likely be the last time you eat it!

Let us know your favorite salad mixture in the comments below.  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram!