Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Wakame Salad

I love posting new stuff I love, I guess this isn't technically "new" for me, but I only learned about it and started loving it within the last year. It is seaweed salad. I have always loved Seaweed when it is used in sushi, and apparently it is really healthy. So I found out I liked it at a friend's wedding where she had sushi, and seaweed or Wakame Salad. So I tried some and loved it and found a recipe and made it and LOVE IT! Also it is super easy to make:

Wakame Salad
3.75 dried Wakame (found in the "Asian" section of Whole Foods)
3 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Sesame Oil
1 tsp sugar
red pepper flakes
sesame seeds


Cover the wakame with about 2 inches (over the Wakame) of hot tap water and let it sit until most of the water absorbed (3 min or so.) Drain the wakame and squeeze excess water out with a paper towel.

In separate bowl mix next four ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Add dressing to Wakame and toss, when ready to serve add sesame seeds and red pepper flakes to taste.

YUM!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Breakfast Salad



So here it is and here I am, sitting on a ferry boat crossing the Long Island Sound, 31 years into my life never thinking this would ever happen, but it is. I am eating salad for breakfast, AND I LOVE IT! A few weeks ago I read a book called BORN TO RUN (which I referenced in the Barefoot running post) and as part of the book he was seeking the help of a nutritionist who suggested eating a salad for breakfast. So I was already a barefoot runner, and I have been eating pretty healthy for the past 6 months so I gave it a shot. We had some left over salad and were out of my new favorite Greek Yogurt. So I put it in a bowl, threw some leftover chicken on it and ate it. I was surprised to then feel so great all day that I ate another one the next day and the next. Today is my third salad and I look forward to the breakfast salad. To add protein I either add chopped Walnuts, chopped eggs or leftover chicken. I usually have been adding just a bit of dressing and this time we had run out of the Trader Joe's Greek Feta dressing which was yummy! So I made my own with a little Rice Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Crushed Garlic, and pepper.

Also to add to the being the healthiest I have EVER been I got an A+ from my doc who said I have gone from on the brink of Diabetes, cholesterol meds, heart problems, and all that junk to being in pretty good shape! I may even be able to FINALLY pass the Presidential Fitness Test, which I never was able to do. Currently I am at the weight I was at freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL! HIGH SCHOOL! I mean I was think back to when I hit puberty and I swear I went from 60 pounds to 160 over the course of a few months, or weeks, I mean suddenly I wasn't wear the kids clothes and I was wearing men's size 32. Now I wear a men's size 32 and fit into a 32 and LOVE IT and it is actually my size, not my if-I-lie-on-the-bed-and-breathe-in-deep-enough-and-suck-in-my-big-ole-gut-size. I am pleased with myself but could keep going. I still haven't ran my 20 miler and I still haven't done my Marathon. When THAT happens then I will have achieved my goal and a good goal it is!

Well enough of this back to my breakfast salad! Have one they are YUMMY!