not going to lie, my healthy eating the last couple of weeks has taken a nosedive. fruit snacks, oreos dipped in peanut butter, and my kids ice cream sandwiches have all been on the menu as of late. i literally took halo top ice cream, added peanut butter and gummy bears, and had it for lunch when i was working from home one day last week. noooot my finest moment [but boy was it good – #noregrets]. that being said, it’s important that this tiny human i’m growing get some substantial nutrients, so i’m here to share some of my fave salads/meals of late that are actually “good” for you. i say “good” in quotes because food is good for you. some food is just better than others.
chicken oliver salad:
i had never actually heard of chicken oliver before, and after googling what it REALLY is, i’m not sure i’d order it on a menu [mayo grosses me out], but the salad i got from sprout salad co. was amazing. so amazing that i’ve tried to re-create it a couple of times since i had it last week. here’s the ingredient list:
- chicken
- romaine lettuce [i’ve been subbing at home for arugula since arugula has MAJ gut bug health benefits]
- shaved carrots [i’ve been omitting these at home since i don’t keep them around, but always worth the add for color. oh and nutrients]
- cornichons [seriously!!! the best. i get mine from trader joe’s and they have a little bit of spice, but not a ton. such a great add to crunch up a salad]
- fingerling potato [i haven’t had these on hand at home, but added a few other extras to make up for it]
- avocado [always looking for a way to add avocado to anything. i am a millennial, after all]
- hard boiled egg [again, an add for when i’m making at home, but a good way to add iron, protein, and other nutritional benefits]
seriously, so good. i threw a fried egg on top instead of chicken last week, since i absolutely LOVE a good egg with a runny-ish yolk. *hold the pregnancy shaming, please* [i could be doing a lot worse things, right?! let me have my runny yolk!] my biggest swap, though, would have been for arugula. now, i’m not a dietitian of any sort, but i do relatively decent research on some of my meals, and i keep finding more and more info about the benefits of eating arugula. here are just a few of the top takeaways from dr. josh axe:
- fights cancer, improves heart health. that right there should be enough to convince you, but if not, let me go on …
- improves digestion. i’ll be the first to admit, while i want to stay overall healthy [no cancer/heart disease], if you’re telling me i can eat a green leafy veggie that will improve my digestion, i’m all for it.
- reduces skin inflammation. i ate like crap for this past week, and you can see it on my skin. it’s totally part of #adulting, but clearly what you eat impacts you inside AND out. and like having good skin. pass the arugula, plz
but i digress. i’ll be honest, i didn’t think i felt that passionately about a salad with tiny pickles in it or that peppery green, but turns out i do! more importantly, this past week or so has shown me [again, for like the millionth time] how much better i feel when i’m not constantly putting garbage into my body. it’s magnified to a ten since i’m very pregnant right now, but i know that if i continue with the oreo – peanut butter – gummy bear – reeses eggs [polished off two bags last week, no joke] train, this whole fourth trimester is going to have me in for a world of hurt. my goal for the next few weeks prior to having this baby and the time after is to take as good of care of my own body as i want to for my family. and for me, that starts with arugula.