Clean Salad

Detox/Elimination diet continues, here is a salad I threw together earlier in the week and it simply hit the spot so I thought I would share.

I take my lunch to the office everyday, personally I can't justify buying my lunch daily, plus the options are not always that healthy. I figure I shop at least once a week and have a full fridge/freezer and pantry most of the time,therefore there is no reason to waste money on buying lunch everyday, so I bag it from home. It takes a few minutes the night before but its usually well worth it and my pocketbook thanks me as well.

Clean salad (part of detox week)

v  Chopped raw broccoli (I probably used 2 cups)

v  Chopped celery (I probably used 1 rib)

v  Chopped cooked turkey (leftovers – probably used ¾ cup to 1 cup)

v  A few tablespoons of raw unsalted sunflower seeds

v  A drizzle of sesame oil ( a little goes a long way, great flavour!)

v  A sprinkle of sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, top with a lid; give a liberal shake prior to eating. Works well if made the day ahead and left to sit overnight in the fridge for all flavours to mingle!

Adjust your serving size accordingly. By lunch time I need a good deal of protein and fats, this salad seems to have it all for me. After a spin class last night, this serving size worked for me.

If you don’t like sesame oil why not sub in extra virgin olive oil or some flax seed oil.

As per usual, don’t be afraid to experiment, add some grated carrot or radishes for color, use leftover fish opposed to turkey, cashews as an alternate protein would work great here as well.

Let what’s in your fridge and your imagination guide you, happy eating!

A few nutritional tidbits:
Sesame seeds would be a good addition to the above salad as well. Sesame seeds aid in digestion. In traditional Chinese medicine, sesame is known to produce yin (body fluid).

Sunflower seeds are a favorite of mine, I add them to most salads, how can you not love these, they come from the most cheerful looking flower. They contain a high source of nutrients including vitamin E, protein, magnesium, selenium, vitamins B1, B5, B6, phosphorus, copper, iron, folic acid and fibre. Sunflower seeds contain a high amount of monounsaturated fat and arginine. Arginine is an amino acid which plays an important role in immune functions and detoxification reactions. Arginine is also known to promote the secretion of insulin and growth hormone. (Growth hormone is responsible for stimulating muscle and skeletal growth.)

Nuts and seeds contain many important nutrients, essential fats and protein. When buying nuts and seeds you should always ensure they are raw and unsalted. They are best purchased and stored in their shells and cracked open when needed, however this is not always overly convenient.