Tickers N Things

Emma mentioned that she wanted a ticker. I've seen cute ones from the Ticker Factory, and thought about doing up a ticker for myself today, but didn't because I haven't weighed myself yet: I don't want to have any more scale shock than I have to so I'm waiting a few days before I get on there! It looked like the Ticker Factory only has wide ones, so maybe what we can do is I'll set the blog to have only a few posts on the main page at any given time, and folks who want tickers can put them down in the bottom section? I'll fix things up so you guys can add your own stuff to the bottom and side.

I went shopping this afternoon, and I got sooo many veggies and fruits. I'm excited to get to eating healthy again! If nothing else good (weight-wise) came from that vacation, at least I'm at home again and really in the mood for good food right now! I'm going to round out my veggies selection at the farmer's market tomorrow morning, and I may head out to the local strawberry U-Pick place in the morning and get a bunch of strawberries. Several of my girlfriends have been out and it's a very kid-friendly place: they have signs encouraging you to bring your kids back looking like they've been eating all the berries they can handle. It's the same place that we went in the fall to get our pumpkins & they were really nice.

Insta-Salad: A Guide for Delicious Salads

Alright, here we are, by popular demand, instructions (with artistic pictures) for making a MOST delicious salad that should last roughly two weeks. Yum!


Step One: Select the perfect container
Oooooooooh... look a big bowl.....

Step Two: Assemble the materials -
Romaine Lettuce
Baby Spinach (yeah for added iron)
Fresh Dill
Crunchy Veggie Toppers

(Romaine lettuce has a longer life than Green or Red lettuce, and also has more nutritional value than Iceberg Lettuce)
My crunchy veggie toppers of choice are cauliflower and baby carrots, but of course there are lots of other tasty things to add in as well: Peppers, Almonds, Snow Peas, Broccoli, Ginger, Chicken, Black Beans.. you get the idea.
(I use dill to add some more zest to the mix. My old roommate liked to add Cilantro and even occasionally Mint.)

Step Three: Rinse the Lettuce
(Notice the droplet of water artistically suspended in mid-air... naaaaaaiiice)

Step Four: Chop the Crunchy Veggie Toppers
This way, while the lettuce is drying, you can cut up the veggies for easy assembly (or snacking) later.

Step Five: Chopping and Layering
I use a knife to chop the lettuce and spinach, rather than rip it, simply because it goes faster this way. I chop the lettuce, spinach and the dill as I go, so that it is a more consistent and thorough mix.

Ok, for the layers, I start with a layer of paper towel on the bottom. Keeping the greens dry is the key element.
(See the mixed spinach, lettuce and dill.. Yum)
The second layer is just more of the same - don't scrimp on the paper towel.. thinner lettuce layers stay dryer and last longer.
Finally, once the layering is complete, cover the whole thing with one last layer of paper towels to keep the top layer fresh and stash it in your fridge!

I keep my Crunchy Veggie Toppers in separate containers; open, but in water. This way, when I want a salad, I just grab a handful of lettuce and stuff and add whatever toppings look good. Keeping the toppings in water keeps them hydrated and fresh but allows for quick munches whenever you open the fridge door :) (Just watch out for freezing.)

And there you have it! Insta-salad.