Guilty Pleasures| Rainbow Chard and Spinach Salad

The delicious taste of fresh produce. Like many, I'm a Pinterest addict. Every time I log on, I immediately want to get married, become a fashion blogger, and bake amazing cakes that resemble 7 wonders of the world. 

I'm a huge fan of making salads. Before starting my journey to becoming more aware of what I put into my body, I would make monstrous salads drained in killer condiments. 

Remember the recipe I shared with you for my signature Hulk Detox Green Juice? Well, I had tons of greens left over so I decided to take some of that and create a nice little garden salad. Well... something like that. 

If you're not a big fan of chard or spinach, why not? You should be. Spinach gives you awesome pecks and chard is quite delicious once you get over the "plant" taste (lol). Allow me to share with you how I created my new mini-specialty. It's quite delicious. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared much so I used what I could that was organic ingredient. Of course the rainbow chard and spinach were bought through my local farmer's market, as well as the onion. 

Items Used:

-- Cup of Spinach
-- Cup of Rainbow Chard
-- Fresh Onion (sliced rings or diced)
-- Turkey Bacon Bits (store-bought)
-- Italian Dressing (store-bought)

The bacon bits I'm sure were not real, organic bits. The Italian dressing for sure wasn't the best option but I needed a little drizzle. Next time, I'll make sure to have something a bit more healthy. I hear making your own organic dressing saves tons of cash! I will surly try my best to make couple of bottles. 

Before making your salad, BE SURE to prep the produce accordingly. WASH, WASH, SIT, RINSE, WASH, and REPEAT those greens. Simply running your lettuce through water will not make them "clean". This is especially important if you're using bagged lettuce. Scary things live on produce so it's best to be safe.  I personally washed and allowed the produce to sit for the usual 10-20 minutes before rinsing and serving. 

I threw my cups of lettuce together, topped it with my sliced onions, and added a few crumbs of turkey bacon bits. To avoid consuming too much horror, I only used a small amount of Italian dressing to give the salad a little more bang. 

Easy peasy, eh? Give it a try with your selected items. It's soooo good. Enjoy!

What are your favorite salad items? Leave your comment s explaining below. Don;t forget to share with others :)

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Homemade Turkey Sandwich | A Killer Snack, Literally.

So tonight I had an epiphany. 

Yes. One of those moments where you get a vision into the future. Well, mines didn't occur until I got hungry. I've become more aware of the foods in which I partake in indulging and it makes me sick each time its the only thing I have on hand to eat (that's quick). 

Quick being the reason why so many Americans prefer instant gratification in all parts of life. Instant coffee, fast-food drive throughs, flavor packs for water, etc. 

As I chose to make a turkey sandwich, the thought of, "What's really in this stuff?" came to mind. I needed answers. It's bad enough that I've gone years, like many, not knowing what half of the ingredients listed on foods REALLY were or where they came from. Time to investigate.... 

My sandwich consisted of three items I had in the kitchen. 

1. Oscar Myer's Oven Roasted White Turkey Slices
2. Great Value White Sandwich Bread
3. Duke's Real Mayonnaise

I'll be the first to say that reading the nutrition labels threw me for a loop. You would think that growing up and learning the nutritional calendar of foods would keep your eyes open but things like "Ammonium Sulfate" and "Bleached Flour" was surely nowhere on the nutritional guide in pre-school.  

Here are a few TOP ingredients you SHOULD WANT to avoid, found in the products above. 

If you don't know by now, Oscar Myer's products are manufactured by Kraft Foods North American, Inc. You also may have read that Kraft is under some fire for using artificial dyes in the mac and cheese. Protesters are surely making moves to have them remove the dyes. So... do you still feed you kids their mac and cheese? In their Turkey slices, you should avoid:

• Modified Corn Starch- A derivative of corn, chemically altered to dissolve quickly and serve as a thickener. People who have wheat and gluten allergies should avoid products with this ingredient.
• Sodium Lactate- One of the Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) constituents of skin, required in the maintenance of natural hydration. It is a superior moisturizer, increasing the moisture content of skin by up to 84%. Also has been used for decades in the meat-packing industry because it effectively forces cells to hold water. I guess eating ingredients found in lotion earns this product a brownie point, eh? 
• Sodium Phosphate- Salt derivative of phosphates. There's been great debate over whether this is good or bad. The medical sodium phosphate is used to clear out the colon. But the "food" additive of sodium phosphate is said to be safe to consume. It keeps the meat moist. You decide. 

The good old, cheap Great Value Walmart bread. You can buy it for under three bucks but at what cost will you be putting towards your health? Find out why I'll be de-consuming this product much more now. 

• High Fructose Corn Syrup- A common sweetener often found in sodas, condiments, and fruit-flavored drinks. Corn syrup (fructose) when eaten in excess causes negative metabolic effects including excess weight gain with accumulation of fat and insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes. As consumption of HFCS has increased, so has obesity and other health-related problems. 
  
• Azodicarbonamide- A flour bleaching agent and improving agent linked to causing asthma. It has been known to cause allergic reactions in those sensitive to other azo compounds, such as food dyes. The consumption of azodicarbonamide may also heighten an allergic reaction to other ingredients in a food. This stuff is also used to make foamed plastics as an additive, such as gym mats. 
  

We all have grown to love a few condiments here and there. Including but surely not limited to ketchup, jam, salad dressing, etc. Unfortunately, Duke's Mayo is in the dog pound. 

• Soybean Oil- Also known as hydrogenated soybean oil. It's too unstable to be consumed as a whole compound so its hydrogenated. Still considered to be a VERY unhealthy oil mostly because majority of soy grown in the US is genetically engineered, which may have additional health consequences. When taken together, partially hydrogenated GE soybean oil becomes one of the absolute worst types of oils you can consume. Nice to know this sucker is apart of Monsanto's list of Round-Up ready crops. *sarcasm*. Soybean oil has been linked to cause cancer, autism, and other devastating health problems. 

Needless to say, we as Americans consume killer ingredients on a regular basis. Educate yourselves on what you consume and what your family consumes. It'll be hard for me to say goodbye to the products above but I have to start somewhere, right? 

Healthier Alternatives for a Homemade Turkey Sandwich:

- Organic Roasted Turkey Breast 

- Healthy Homemade Bread Recipes

- Organic, Homemade Mayonnaise by Halle

What other ingredients did you find daunting and what healthier alternatives are as delicious to you? Share your comments below. Don't forget to share with others :)

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