Crank your salad up a notch!

Spinach with Flank Steak, Feta, Cranberries, and Walnuts

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

I guess that's what you get when you marry a soon-to-be dietitian.....A LOT of salad! We do eat a lot of salad in our household, BUT they are not just your ordinary salads. I love coming up with different salad creations instead of just the plain ol' lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and onions. Salads are not only easy to make, but they are also very filling due to all of the fiber (vegetables) and protein (meat, beans, nuts)! Here are the recipes to the salads above....

Spinach salad with flank steak

• Flank or skirt steak (enough for 2)
• 1 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup of reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/3 cup of toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 medium roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
• Vinagerette of choice (we used a low-fat raspberry vinagerette)

Directions:

1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Grill steak on medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes per side. Let steak rest for about 5-8 minutes once its finished cooking.

2. Toss together baby spinach, feta, walnuts, cranberries, tomato, and onion. Lightly dress the salad with vinagerette.

3. Plate the salad and top with grilled flank steak. Enjoy!!




Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2-3/4 cup wonton strips
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup of green onions (white and green part), diced
• 1/2 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 bag of romaine, chopped

Peanut Dressing

• 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 1/3 cup of rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of Splenda
• 1 Tablespoon of reduced-fat peanut butter or PB2
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, parika, and garlic powder. Grill on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side, or until the meat is no longer pink in the middle. Once the meat is finished cooking, set aside.

2. Combine spinach, romaine, green onions, wonton strips, dried cranberries, and oranges in a large bowl. Lightly dress the salad with peanut dressing (Note: you will not need all of the dressing in the recipe above).

3. Top salad with grilled chicken breasts. Enjoy!!

Should I do a detox diet?

I have received several questions from people about whether or not detox diets really do work. A dietitian in Candada posted an article today about detox diets and it answers this question pretty clearly (click the link below to read the full article). Another research article I read looked at the effect of detox agents in rats given methamphetamine. It stated that detox agents may not affect the metabolism or elimination of methamphetamine, a major metabolite given to rats. Your best bet to eliminating toxins in the body is to continue eating a well-balanced diet, rich in fiber and drink plenty of water throughout the day!



Article: Do Detox Diets Really Work?