Salads, salads, and MORE SALADS!

Well, at least there's......

Aren't all of God's natural creations simply beautiful!?

THE (totally awesome) SIDE SALAD!!!! 

So, what can I say? Is this salad a beauty or what! I made this salad with a bit of crispy romaine, baby greens, green pepper, red pepper, yellow peppers, cucumbers, and grape tomatoes. All organic, of course! I topped this basic side salad off with a nice raw red wine vinaigrette. It. Was. Awesome!

Clearly, Andrew and I love certain veggies--all of the ones in this salad, more or less. They are our staple veggies (except the grape tomatoes) and we buy them every week.. Yup, every week we stock up on our leafy greens (mostly lettuces right now, rather than kale, spinach, etc. However, there is a lady who was at our farmers market who sold all natural spinach that was extremely tastey). We always make sure to get two of each of our favorite bell peppers, though soon we will be growing some (God willing) in our organic garden plot! We get two cucumbers, and red onion. These I eat ALL THE TIME. AND, they make the great side salad you see above (if you add the grape tomatoes). 

What's awesome, in my opinion, about the side salad is how AWESOME it tastes (5 raws by the way. An excellent side salad, for a side salad)!!! And, it fills us up, so we can make less of our main course and save money (red pepper/coconut soup anyone?! Coconuts are expensive!). Yeah, I'll say that again: we save money eating these things! And not only that, here is some nutritional information for the side salad pictured here:

This salad is FULL of the following:

Vitamin A

Folic Acid

Vitamin C

Vitamin B1 and B2

beta-carotene

Vitamin K

Thiamine

Silica (Cucumber)

Potassium

Magnesium

Molybdenum

Lycopene

Biotin

Fiber

WOW! I know, right!? Just make sure you are making your side salads with ORGANIC produce, so as not to cancel out the benefits of these vitamins! And what ARE the benefits of a side salad full of so many vitamins?? Well, these vitamins help with these things:

Vitamin A: Proper growth/development, eyesight

Folic Acid: Critical to cell division

Vitamin C: Makes collagen, the main protein of the body. Metabolizes fats. Vital for wound repair, healthy gums, and prevention of bruises. Critical to immune function. Antioxidant. 

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Energy production, carbohydrate metabolism, nerve cell function.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Energy production.

Beta-carotene + Lycopene: Antioxidant, converts to Vit A. 

Vitamin K: Blood clotting, bone health, 

Potassium: Electrolyte. Water balance, kidney and adrenal function, muscle and cell function, heart function.

Magnesium: Activates enzymes. Maintains cell charge in muscles and nerves. Energy production, protein formation, cell reproduction.

Biotin: Utilizes fats and amino acids.

Whoa! Lots of goodness! What would we do without all these vitamins! Next meal, add a beautiful side salad--and feel GREAT about the choice (because the rest of your body will)!

Please tell me, what is your favorite thing to use in your side salads?! Mine is by far red onion. I am a red onion fiend! 

Btw: For the nutritional information, I use The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray and Joseph and Lara Pizzorno. It is a super guide for me! I use it ALL. THE. TIME.