Asian twist salad

I really surprised myself when I tucked into my salad for lunch the other day. I usually have the standard mix of lettuce, cucumber, celery and some lightly cooked veggies in coconut oil and garlic, sprinkled generously with some herbs (I’ve been really digging a garam masala blend lately), nutritional yeast and apple cider vinegar. Sometimes avocado makes its way in there, sometimes butternut squash or a nori roll sheet but usually its just a lot of veggies and salad. It’s just what my body feels like. I think it is important to mention that I don’t force myself to eat a salad. There is no “Naomi, you can only have a salad, you are watching your weight, you’re on a diet, that is all you are allowed to have!”. I don’t like to restrict what I eat. I don’t like to endorse a mentality of restriction and punishment. I know that I don’t deserve punishment. In fact, I’m choosing to make healthy choices everyday to help me be the best person I can be, so I should be cheering myself on, patting myself on the back, thinking “you go girl, you’ve got this!” and celebrating and congratulating me. I don’t think you can create a state of happiness and contentment from a mindset of punishment. I tell myself I am fit, healthy, lean and athletic and then I wait and listen for my body to tell me what it needs to become all of that. If you listen hard enough you will be guided to what you should eat. To what your body needs for fuel, for nourishment. You can’t become rich whilst telling yourself you are poor. I have gradually dropped the chicken, the egg, the avocado, and the bread to just eating a big nutrient dense container of veggie goodness. And I am not worried about protein and calcium, if that is what you are thinking. I figure elephants and hippos can grow eating greens, then so can I. “Health has nothing to do with pain and suffering. It has nothing to do with forcing yourself to do anything....It has nothing to do with over-disciplining yourself to the point of agony. It has everything to do with joy and happiness.” - David Wolfe Ingredients Make your salad out of things you like. Try and use organic if you can, or better still grow your own. For my salad I used: Celery Mixed lettuce Cucumber Radish leaves and flowers Watermelon radish thinly sliced like match sticks Snow peas Broccoli and zucchini lightly cooked in coconut oil and garlic Ginger thinly sliced like match sticks Dressing...sprinkle on some middle eastern spice blend (tumeric, garlic, cumin, paprika, black pepper, coriander seed, onion, cinnamon), add a splash of apple cider vinegar, and a splash of tamari. Sprinkle on some nutritional yeast. Yep, it really is that simple. If you like you can add some chicken, chickpeas, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pepitas, falafels, kelp noodles, rice noodles. What ever you like. Enjoy.