The Bright, Colorful, and Happy Salad

Bright, bold colors always catch my eye. If these colors are related to foods, I am drawn to them. If I am eating these beautiful foods, it makes me very happy. I made a salad for my family last week that was not only colorful, flavorful, and fresh, but also full of super foods and ridiculously healthy. It was so perfect that I smiled through the whole meal. My meat and Chinese food loving husband said how good it was over and over again until the meal was gone. For my 2.5 year old, who does not eat salad, I took parts of the salad I know that he likes and gave them to him separately. He enjoyed his meal as well. Win/Win!

The best part about this salad is that I didn't have it planned out ahead of time. After having a very sick baby for a week, my routine was all off. I had not made my meal plan, my shopping list was random, and I had no idea what I was making for dinner with the clock ticking away. I had bought lots of beautiful fruits and vegetables at the store that week as they were calling my name while I was shopping, and with the summer heat already making my air conditioner do double time I did not want to contribute to making the house any warmer. At that moment, SALAD popped into my mind. PERFECT!! I did heat up the black beans and made some whole grain noodles for my hubby, who has a super fast metabolism and lives off of carbs, and my toddler who is super duper picky but LOVES noodles. It was a great addition to my husband's salad and a good base for my son's meal.

This meal is great for a week day night, a summer meal, and a healthy diet. It's Vegetarian, all natural, and full of fresh whole foods. Why not add this to your meal plan..now. You can thank me later ;)







The Bright, Colorful, and Happy Salad
(Can be gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, Vegan, Vegetarian)
Serves 1
(Very easily made for multiple people. Amounts of food are also optional depending on the eater and size of bowl. Just make sure to use the same ingredients to enjoy this fantastic salad.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups spinach
• 4 mushrooms, sliced
• 3 strawberries, sliced
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup black beans (I used canned beans drained and warmed on the stove)
• 1/4 of an avocado, sliced
• 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs Pomegranate infused Red Wine Vinegar (Any vinegar without added sugar will work here, but this one rocks!)
• Brown rice and quinoa curly noodles (optional)*

Directions

1. If using noodles, boil water in a pot on the stove and cook noodles as stated on their container. 
2. Place all ingredients into a bowl in the order shown. Add noodles for extra carbs and calories for those that need it. Can be placed in the bowl with the salad or in a separate bowl on the side drizzled with olive oil.
3. Give yourself extra time to cut and cook all of the ingredients. Will take about 20 minutes total prep time.

With noodles on the left. Without noodles on the right.

Notes:

*I bought these noodles at Trader Joes. Any gluten free or wheat noodles will work for this recipe. I suggest using whole grain noodles as they are lower on the glycemic index and are better for your health and blood sugar.

Nutrition Facts: (without noodles)
Cals-322, Fat-15g, Carbs-39.5g, Fiber-13.5g, Sugar-7.5g, Pro-13.5g