My daily homemade lunch usually consists of a salad of some sort. One of my favorites is the salad recipe below. It’s a very filling, full-nutritional salad high in fiber, protein, healthy fats and nutrients. I always use dark leafy greens, usually a mix of organic baby spinach and an organic romaine lettuce mix. I sometimes throw in some strawberries and blueberries for a sweet touch.
Dark Green Salad with kidney beans and brown rice
1. 1 cups Organic Baby Spinach (10 cals)
2. 1 cup Organic Romaine lettuce mix (10 cals)
3. 1 medium tomato (35 cals)
4. ¼ of a Red or Yellow bell pepper (15 cals)
5. ½ cup of kidney beans* (120 cals)
6. ½ cup of Brown Rice* (150 cals)
7. 1tbs slivered almonds (50 cals cals)
8. 1 tbs sunflower seeds (50 cals)
9. 2 tbs Fat Free Lime/Basil dressing (25 cals)
Total Calories- 465 calories
*Salad tips- I pre-soak about 2 cups of the kidney beans overnight (to make them easier to digest) and boil them in the morning for 1 ½ hrs or so, then put them in the fridge to last a few meals. Same with the brown rice, I cook one cup which gives me about five ½-cup servings of cooked rice.
Dark Green Salad with kidney beans and brown rice Recipe
Chop up all the ingredients, mix together and you are done!
You now have a low calorie, filling meal high in protein, whole grains, fiber and nutrients. If you like your salad to be sweeter, add some sliced fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, mandarins, apples or pineapple.
Green Salad Health benefits and more info:
1. Organic baby Spinach- the overall healthiest, most nutritious vegetable for our salads because it contains the most types of nutrients and the highest amounts of them! It’s a lean mean green antioxidant-packing machine, rich in flavor and in Vitamins A and C, and iron. Spinach is loaded with important vitamins and minerals to promote healthy brain function as well as strong bones and muscles. Spinach is also extremely high in Vitamin K (cauliflower provides the highest amount). Not only is Vitamin K crucial for healthy bone formation and maintaining bone mass, but without it, our blood wouldn't clot. In addition, spinach contains high amounts of folate which aids in improving our memory and brain performance, and lutein, which fights diseases and aids eyesight. Due to other phytonutrients, spinach has been shown to reduce our risk of liver, gallbladder, colon, breast, cervical, and prostate cancers, besides non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The high amount of Vitamin B6 in spinach, which gives us energy, is vital in manufacturing our brain chemicals and nerve impulse transmitters, and our formation of blood. Also due to its Vitamin B6, spinach fights against allergies and works as an antidepressant. Note: Because Vitamin K is fat-soluble (it dissolves in fat), if we add a little olive oil to spinach, we'll increase our bodies' ability to absorb the vitamin.
2. Organic Romaine Lettuce- while still made up mostly of water, is packed with antioxidants and fiber. The darker green the leaf, the more folic acid is present, which prevents heart disease. It’s very low in calories. Magnesium, found in romaine lettuce, does wonders in revitalizing muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves. The chlorophyll-packed juice in lettuce is very helpful in maintaining normal hair color. Lettuce is high in iron, which helps the formation of red blood cells. Lettuce may help in treating insomnia, acid indigestion, colitis, constipation, gout, stress and many other diseases as well. Besides being exceptionally high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, it is rated as excellent in Vitamin K, folate, fiber and chromium, very good in iron and phosphorus and potassium (a Vitamin B that helps lower our blood pressure), Vitamin B1 (thiamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and has plenty of Vitamin B3 (niacin), calcium, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. Romaine is superior in protecting our skin, eyes and immune system, and by helping to prevent our cholesterol from oxidizing, is good for our hearts. Yet it is extremely low in calories and salt, and has no fat or cholesterol. It also contains lutein and zeaxanthin.
3. Tomatoes- (they're actually a fruit) are best known for their lycopene, the most anti-cancer carotenoid (more than beta carotene), which is twice as powerful as the antioxidant Vitamin E. Not only does lycopene lower the risk of all cancers, but research has shown that it is most effective in lowering the risk of prostate cancer. Note: Lycopene is also found in pink and red grapefruit and watermelon. By cooking tomatoes, we concentrate their lycopene, which helps our bodies absorb higher amounts of it, so canned tomatoes are more nutritious than raw ones (apart from the fact that they were in a can...I'll save the BPA topic for later). In pastes, they're very concentrated, so they have even higher amounts of nutrients such as beta carotene and iron. Lycopene is even better absorbed in salsa. But raw tomatoes are still quite nutritious in salads.
4. Bell Peppers/Sweet Peppers are also among the most nutritious veggies, they contain power-packed antioxidant phytochemicals, beta carotene, folic acid, fiber, flavanoids, thiamin, and Vitamins A and B6. And due to their high amounts of Vitamin C, bell peppers protect us against cataracts. They also fight against high cholesterol and help prevent blood clots, which in turn reduces our risk of strokes and heart attacks. Red bell peppers have quite higher levels of nutrients than the green bell peppers. And unlike the green, they contain the phytonutrients lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Besides its cancer-fighting abilities and heart protection, lutein fights against macular degeneration.
5. Kidney Beans- are low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Copper and Manganese. Being a vegetarian it’s a great source of protein to replace meats, a cup of kidney beans provides 15.3 grams of protein--that's 30.7% of the daily value for protein. Kidney beans, like other beans, are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. A cup of cooked kidney beans provides 45.3% of the recommended daily intake for fiber. In addition to providing slow burning complex carbohydrates, kidney beans can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein...which is why i added brown rice to my salad...and it tastes good.
6. Organic Brown Rice- The brown rice nutrition benefits far outnumber that of white rice. Aside from the obvious difference that is color, brown rice has more nutritional value than white rice. Fiber in brown rice aids in the reduction of cancer-causing substances. Additionally, the trace mineral selenium found in brown rice also reduces the threat of colon cancer, asthma, heart disease and alleviates arthritis pain. Selenium also strengthens the body’s immune system by stimulating the apoptosis, which mainly eradicates abnormal and depleted cells. Manganese found in brown rice facilitates the production of energy from protein and carbohydrates (hence eating it with beans. It also helps maintain a healthy nervous system and aids in the production of sex hormones by synthesizing fatty acids and producing cholesterol. This mineral is active in promoting the proper use of the body’s glucose and insulin, thus bringing down the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Magnesium is also beneficial for asthma sufferers. It prevents calcium from quickly going to the nerve cells and, as a result, relaxes the cells. An overstimulated nerve cell causes muscle spasms such as in those who suffer asthma.The phytonutrient lignan, also common in brown rice, assists in defending against breast cancer and heart ailments. A study done involving elderly women proved that eating whole grain foods such as brown rice boosts the enterolactone levels in the blood, which lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease.
7. Almonds- Almonds are a very good source of vitamin E and manganese. Almonds are a good source of magnesium, copper, rich in folic acid, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and phosphorus. Fortunately, although one-quarter cup of almonds contains about 18 grams of fat, most of it (11 grams) is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. They lower LDL-Cholesterol and Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease. Almonds Provide Double-Barreled Protection against Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. They also improve skin and hair texture. Vitamin B contents in almonds promote healthy growth of hair as well as nails.
8. Sunflower seeds- Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, the body's primary fat-soluble antioxidant. Sunflower seeds also an incredible sources of folic acid. Like other nuts, they are also very good source of proteins with fine quality amino acids such as tryptophan. In addition, the sunflower seeds contain many health benefiting poly-phenol compounds such as chlorgenic acid, quinic acid, and caffeic acids. They are one of the finest sources of B-complex group of vitamins. They are very good sources of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), pantothenic acid, and riboflavin. The seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium and copper are especially concentrated in sunflower.
9. Lime/Basil dressing- a low cal dressing to complete the salad. I plan on making my own oilve oil dressing soon.
Salad Ingredients- Chop and mix together
Note: The beans and brown rice are cooked
Makes a huge bown full for under 500 calories
All the nuts and goodness fall to the bottom for very yummy last bites
