It is feeling a lot like the holidays around here!
Last night, Eric and I put up our tree, outdoor lights, and decorations and we also received our first snowfall overnight. :)
You may have assumed that I had the holiday decor up weeks ago, but the truth is, we didn’t have a chance until last night!
I’m glad the decorations are up now though…except for a couple that really creep us out…
They are a Liddon family heirloom, that is all I’m going to say about that. ;) Sketchie’s tail poufs up when he sees them by the staircase. It isn’t pretty.
Thank you for your support for my Challenge #9 Project Food Blog post yesterday! It is crazy to think that this challenge has been going on since September and we are down to the final round this coming Sunday!!
I feel like I have aged 30 years and sprouted about 100 new grey hairs. bahaha. Good times, good times. ;)
They are cutting 12 contestants down to just 3 this Friday, so your votes will make all the difference in helping me advance to the final 10th round. All you do is click the heart to vote and if you don’t have an account, simply enter your email and username to register. It is quick to sign up! It will also help out if you re-tweet your vote on Twitter and ‘like’ the post on Facebook.
Click here to be taken to the page and thank you in advance for sticking with my crazy self throughout this contest!
Staying Healthy During the holidays
It is that time of the year when my healthy eating can take a nosedive and I find myself losing motivation as the days get shorter and shorter.
The urge to hibernate is strong my friends.
Sketchie knows what I’m talking about. He has been sleeping beside the heat vent for days on end, only to move when he hears a clinking sound in his food dish.
Luckily, with each new day we can commit to making healthy choices, even if the odds do seem to be stacked against us!
On December 1st, I made a commitment to myself:
Every day for the month of December, my goal is to get a hefty serving of vegetables into my diet in some form. This could be in the form of Green Monsters, salads, soups, or other foods loaded with veggies.
So far, it has been going well and I am feeling more energized than I was in November!
Yesterday, I talked very briefly about the salad and dressing that I adapted from The Coup Cookbook and I wanted to go into more depth about it today because I am head over heels in love with this salad.
It is my new favourite salad and I will be eating it frequently over the holidays to keep me energized and satisfied.
[print_this]
Club Med Salad with Tahini Lemon Garlic dressing
This salad is incredibly delicious, filling, and a great way to pack in a ton of vegetable servings in one meal.
Adapted from The Coup Cookbook.
Makes 1 large salad.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 cups of Your favourite greens (I used organic mixed greens)
- 3-4 pickles (I used sweet pickle slices), chopped into small pieces
- 6 black olives, pitted and chopped, optional
- 1/2 Red banana pepper cut into rings OR 1/2 regular red pepper, chopped
- 1/4 orange pepper, chopped
- 5-8 sundried tomatoes
- Handful of sprouts
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 1/4-1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup beets, shredded
- 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2-3 tbspTahini Lemon Garlic Dressing (follows below)
- 1/2 cup chickpeas or my Crispy chickpea bites (https://ohsheglows.com/2010/10/28/crispy-chickpea-bites-in-the-oven/)
Directions: Place all ingredients into a bowl except the dressing and sesame seeds. Drizzle on dressing and lightly toss. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and serve. See below for dressing recipe.
[/print_this]
[print_this]
Tahini Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing
This salad dressing is creamy and thick with a sharp, peppery quality. It is my new favourite! Use it on salad or even as a delicious dip for vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions: In a food processor, process all ingredients until smooth. Makes about 1.5 cups.
[/print_this]
This salad really knocks my socks off and Eric even said it was delicious! This is good news coming from a former vegetable hater. :)
The dressing also just takes 5 minutes to throw together.
For the past few days I have been having a nightly snack of chopped veggies and dressing. It is a wonderful snack that leaves me feeling satisfied thanks to the healthy fats.
Creamy and thick.
Have you made any goals to stay healthy over the holidays? What are your tips and tricks for staying on track?
As part of my next post I will be showing you the workout music that has been keeping me motivated during my workouts!
My best holiday-cold-flu-stress busters:
1. Put sleep first as much as possible
2. Similar to you, find fresh foods to eat in one meal a day. And then have a treat a day to keep restriction/denial/guilt cravings away.
3. Let go of the pressure to be anything but YOU. No striving for perfection. Just be you and share this time with those you love!
All = health!
great tips!
That salad looks soooooooo delicious Angela!
Haha…poor Sketchie. I can totally see my cat having the same reaction! I am sure he will adjust eventually. :)
That spoon is so cute. I usually do a lot more yoga because it keeps me energized and happy when I can’t run outside as much due to the freezing weather and snowstorms!
My goal for the holidays is to try to keep up a fairly regular workout schedule. Christmas shopping may count as a workout on some days though. ;)
I voted for you! You deserve this!
I love this post! All that food looks absolutely amazing!!!
That’s a beautiful salad! I always have trouble making my food pretty.
I do want to keep up my healthy lifestyle over the holidays, and I hope to eat more salads because I’ll be visiting my mom so I’ll have someone to chop veggies with!
Those guys are super creepy!
They would definitely not be allowed to make an appearance in my house! :)
This looks amazing!! Question: if you make the dressing, how long do you think it would keep for? I wowed my husband with your better than baslamic (just had some tonight, actually!) and I know that’s got a goos shelf. Would love to have another reason for him to love salads! :)
I was wondering this too…
I would say a week for sure…possibly longer?
You can split the recipe in half too (or in fourths??) :)
Hey Angela! I have never commented before but I just wanted to let you know that you are one of ten or so blogs that I LOVE and have read for nearly 3 years. So I definitely cast my vote for you. You are so inspirational in your journey to health and I can relate to you in so many ways. I hope you win.
thank you!
Wow– I can’t believe that the contest is in the last round!!! You’ve done so awesomely (is that a word?)!
I think the simple goal of shooting for a solid serving of veggies each day during the holidays is a great one. I’ll have to remember that for next year. I would say now but I can’t make any promises at 8.5 months pregnant. ;)
And I really hope you win the challenge! You deserve it!
haha you are cute…best wishes to you during the last little while!
love throwing 2-3 cups of spinach into a protein shake… yum! fingers crossed (although I have no doubt) that you get through to the last round! your salad looks perfect- currently on a roasted veggie kick, topping my salad with just warm vegetables and a sprinkle of himalayan salt. hits the spot!
I just found your blog, and I am blown away! I am newly vegan, and cannot wait to make your pastries! I am downloading your recipes like crazy.
For Thanksgiving I actually packed a bunch of food for myself. I made large servings of vegan foods I love, and my family dug in. My dad LOVED the lunches I made. I even had them all drinking my green smoothies in the AM.
For Christmas I’m going to do the same. I’m traveling, but will stop and pick up supplies to make vegan meals, and many of your delicious cookies and energy bars/snacks. My family will love them, I’ll stay on track with my eating, and I won’t tell anyone how healthy/vegan it all is until the plate is empty :)
I love how our animals have a better sense of what is creepy than we do ;)
I try to stay healthy by keeping up the workouts — even if they aren’t earth shattering challenging, just to get moving puts me in the right mindset.
Mm I love tahini dressing! Your salad looks delicious. Good luck with PFB!
I just made this dressing. I read it, saw that I had all the ingredients (except for the yeast), and headed to the kitchen. Without the yeast, it makes it more runny, but oh so tasty! Thanks for the great recipe :)
oh wow good to know!! I was wondering about the nooch
I just gotta say you inspire me so much! I am currently a student and December is the month from hell when it comes to eating healthy(Exams and Christmas treats!)
I just ordered my first batch of glow bars! They will be great for snacks between my ill-timed exams! And I will be able to choose them over various Christmas cookies and snacks!
This looks like my kind of salad. Everything I could ever imagine going in a salad just went on this plate. Looks fantastic Angela!
This looks like my kind of salad. Everything I could ever imagine going in a salad just went on this plate. Looks fantastic Angela!
Mmmm…that giant salad looks so good! I had one like it tonight for dinner, actually.