When in doubt...toss a salad

Many of you may be wondering, I thought she said we could eat all the foods we love and still be healthy. Well, salad is a food you SHOULD love. If you're still a little in doubt, I'm about to change your mind.

Salads are one of my favorite meals because although every one I've eaten is still just a salad, every one is so unique from the other. More importantly, they are something you can make yourself! They are a perfect snack, lunch, dinner, and even sometimes dessert. There are endless things you can put on a salad. As long as you have lettuce, you're already halfway there.

Apple Pecan Arugula Salad

Some of my friends will jokingly (or not so jokingly) tell me that I'm eating rabbit food, but let me tell you something...salad doesn't have to be rabbit food if you make it right. One of favorite salads of all time is something that I tried when I was studying abroad in Italy. It's an apple, pecan and arugula salad and it's literally the easiest thing to make. Three of the ingredients are in its title and there's only two more ingredients in the salad itself: onion and dried cranberries. Now, I like to make my own dressing, which can take a little bit more time to do, but there is a benefit to that. You know exactly what you're putting into it.

It is so important to know what you're eating. Do you ever look at the back of food labels, see an ingredient and wonder...what the heck is that? Yeah, me too. You should treat your body like a kingdom. After all, it is the kingdom you live in. Cherish it! Treat your body right by feeding it with healthy and rich nutrients (that have names that you can read).

SO, back to my apple and pecan arugula salad...in order to make my dressing, I use lemon juice, salt and pepper, olive oil, and a little, tiny bit of maple syrup for some added sweetness. DONE. See, that wasn't so bad. Every single one of you could easily make this salad. Even if you think you're the worst chef, I promise you can't mess this up.

The great part about this salad and salads in general is that it's easy to make. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've seen a dish that looks phenomenal and then I look at the ingredients and realize I'm going to have to buy 60 things to make it and then wait five days until it's ready. Obviously, I'm being sarcastic, but seriously...you know what I mean. Cooking can be tough sometimes and it's time consuming for certain meals. For me, I don't like to wait. That's why I like salads. Unless you want to be fancy and add protein like salmon or grilled chicken, there is no cooking involved. All you need o do is throw all the ingredients in a bowl, toss it up and boom...you've got your salad.

Salads are also super healthy for you depending on how you make it. If you're a huge Ranch fan or love your croutons...I hate to break it to you, but those are not the healthiest ingredients. Try to use a dressing that you can see through. What I mean by that is, any think, white or syrup-y dressing is probably not going to benefit you. Olive oil based dressings are my go-to because they go a long way and don't hold as many calories.

I really hope I changed your mind about salads if you were thinking otherwise before reading this. I promise they can be so good, for your body and for your taste buds, if you add the right ingredients.

To make my Apple Pecan Arugula Salad, click here.

Portion Control is key

In any healthy meal, there is one thing you want to keep in mind: portion control. A lot of people think that it's all about what you eat, and that is true; however, sometimes it's about how much of that food you are eating. I talked about a few of my favorite foods in my last two posts. Those meals are definitely healthier than their alternative ways of preparation, but if you eat too much of them in one sitting, they aren't so healthy anymore.

Source: niddk.nih.gov

The first step is knowing the serving size. It usually says it on the back of labels, but you can learn about serving size on United States Department of Agriculture website. Now, I'n not telling you to constantly be counting you calories; that would get frustrating. It's easier to learn portion control when you understand sizes of specific foods. Again, you can find most of this information on the USDA website.

Next, you can buy single-serving sized tupperware and manually put single-servings of the food into baggies. This can go for mid-day snacks to how much chicken you want to cook for dinner. When you cook in single servings, instead of serving everything family style at dinner, you'll be less inclined to take more when you see your plate is full.

According to Health.com, it is also important to drink water before and after meals. This helps with digestion, but when water is consumed before the meal, it helps to fill you up so you won't eat as much.

Lastly, don't supersize your meal. Also, probably not a good idea to go to McDonalds, but that's just my opinion. Even though they are offering you a medium for 50 cents more, just stick with the small. One, you wanted the small and two, it is more calories and food than your body needs to be healthy.

You can eat foods that you want in moderation and not have to worry about it after the fact. It fills you up if you're eating small portions of more food and then you're getting the right amount of each food group. You don't have to feel bad about eating that awesome steak and potatoes if you eat the right amount. That's why they invented the to-go box!

You can take the girl out of Philly...

...but you can't take Philly out of the girl.

Being that I am from one of the greatest cities on Earth...Philadelphia...I take my food very seriously, especially my cheesesteaks. If you've never been to Philly, the first thing you should do is get a cheesesteak and then you should get another one. Not kidding. I love being in the South, but you just can't get a cheesesteak here that's seared perfectly, cheese melted perfectly and sub roll perfectly grilled, like they do it in Philly. (How many times have I said the word Philly so far?) I remember the first time I went to Pat's, one of the iconic places to get a cheesesteak. It was definitely an interesting experience to say the least, but it's one I'll never forget. As I was waiting in line, a man behind me tapped me on the shoulder. I turn around and he has this huge grin on his face. I look at him like, 'Sir, why are you smiling at me. Please stop.' He says to me, " Ma'am have you been here before? I see you don't have your money out and that you're on your phone..do you know what you're ordering?" This man is a savior, and I'll tell you why. At Pat's, which is far better than Gino's in my opinion, if you are not ready to order, cash in hand, they will send you to the back of the line. And I forgot to mention I had been in line for about 30 minutes and was not ready to order, nor did I have any cash out. I watched about 15 people get sent to the back of line. This place is known as a tourist attraction, so you can only imagine how long this line was. Not to mention that there was no arguing with the people at the counter when they send you to the back of the line because half the people behind you are "boo-ing" you out anyway. Well, I can tell you one thing. When I got to the front of the line, I was ready. (Thanks, old man).

But, moral of the story is that I love cheesesteaks and regardless of where I am, I will always find a way to eat them. However, there is a catch. You can't eat those delicious cheesesteaks all the time. There are better and less greasier ways to cook them, but they are still not good for you. Beef, melted cheese (or in Philly, Cheez Whiz) and a thick sub bun amounts to about 1,200 calories. Yes, that is correct. More than half of your daily caloric intake would go to a sandwich that you'll probably finish within 20 minutes or less...disgusting. Well, I found a way to still have my cheesesteak, but not have all those calories.

Growing up, my grandma (Grammy) would always make stuffed peppers. She would put rice and beans in them, similar to a Mexican stuffed pepper. I took her recipe and created a Philly cheesesteak stuffed pepper that has all the same favorite flavors, but less of the those fatty calories. Peppers have a lot going for them! They are a great source of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid and fiber according to WebMD. I cook my stuffed pepper in a red bell pepper because they have the most nutrition due to the fact that they stay on the vine the longest. The red peppers have 11 times more beta-carotene, which is a rich antioxidant, as well as vitamin C. Added bonus, it's a vegetable! Yay for vegetables!

I love this dish because it gives me a sense of home, but in more ways than one. I talk about feel-good foods in my last post and they are truly one of a kind. It's the kind of food that makes you feel comfortable and warm inside. It makes you think of family and home-cooked meals. When I think of this meal, I think of my Grammy. Although it's not her original recipe, it's still something that makes me cherish our time together. She was one of my favorite people, one of my biggest supporters. I know if she were still here, she would be so proud of me. I feel like she's with me when I cook my Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers and it takes me back home again.

Pasta is a girl's best friend

Pasta...we have a love/hate relationship with it. It's such a 'feel good' food, yet it doesn't make you feel so good after a few weeks of eating it. What is a girl to do without her delicious carb-filled pasta?! Well, I'm here to tell you that it's okay to eat pasta!

Now, I'm going to just say that pasta is not on the top of the healthy foods list. It is normally full of refined flours and isn't very nutritious; however, a lot of whole grain wheat-based pastas are becoming pretty trendy and do prove to be better for you. The part that makes pasta so unhealthy is actually not the pasta itself, it's what you put on it. All of those alfredo, cheesy, saucy toppings have a lot of calories, carbohydrates and processed fat, which is why pasta falls to the bottom of the healthy food list. But, it doesn't have to be this way! It's super easy to find good recipes for pasta that can actually be healthy for you and also still give you your daily dosage of greens and veggies. and, most importantly, you don't have to feel bad about it. Win, win.

One of my absolute favorite healthy foods is squash and you can do a lot with it. During the cold, winter months, pasta is the go-to because it feels like home. My mom used to cook up pasta with smoky butternut squash sauce and greens. It is amazing and I'll tell you why. Squash offers serious nutritional value. Not only is it so yummy, but it is good for your body. HELLO?? Isn't that the point? According to Best Health Mag, squash is super rich in vitamin A, which helps your visions, your bones grow and for all you women out there, reproduction. It can also stop cancer cells from growing and lower your blood pressure. Lastly and most importantly, it is a great source of protein. You should have some kind of protein in every meal that you have. It is good for the digestive system and helps to speed up your metabolism.

I love eating this pasta dish because I still get those much needed carbs that I am craving, and I feel really good about the ingredients going into it. If you want to try out this delicious recipe, click the link below.


Smoky Butternut Squash Sauce with Pasta and Greens <------click me!