On Going Green

Last spring I took 3 drastic steps to improve my health and quality of life.  The first step was to stop drinking diet soda, the second was to start working out at the gym and lastly I vowed to make eating healthy a habit. Stopping the diet soda was really not a big deal and I really don't miss it.  However, the gym workouts have not been such an easy transition.  I still have to literally pull myself off of the couch to go, but I know that once I am there it will feel good.  And gaining shapely arms like Michelle Obama has been a wonderful benefit.  The hardest change of all has been the conscious decision to eat healthy every day.  That is just super hard for a girl who has never in  her life been able to pass a Dairy Queen without driving through for a Dip Cone or Blizzard.

Right off the bat I know I would have to learn to eat salad on a regular basis.  And I don't mean a Wendy's BLT salad with Ranch dressing to the tune of 2,000 calories.  No, it needed to be something more wholesome with veggies, maybe some chicken and a low fat dressing.  But mostly it needed to taste good so that I would actually want to eat it and easy to assemble so I would actually want to make it.  I credit my daughter, Jana, for getting me started in the right direction.  Last spring Jana went to the grocery store for me and came home with what Kroger calls its Artisnal Lettuce Pack.  Inside this big plastic container were four different varieties of fancy leaf lettuce's ranging from light green to red in color.  They looked so pretty and somehow I knew they would taste good.  So, we washed them off and put them in the fridge to chill and the next day at lunchtime we went to town customizing our own salads.  After a little bit of trial and error I have come up with what is my ideal "super salad."

SUSIE'S SUPER SALAD

Salad bowl full of fancy artisnal lettuce, try 2 or 3 types at a time while mixing red and green for nice color

Chopped carrots

Red, yellow or orange chopped bell peppers

Sliced cucumbers

Sliced mushrooms

Chopped or sliced chicken breast meat

Handful of Craisins (these add such a great sweet flavor)

Chopped walnuts or pecans (if you have them)

Crumbled Feta Cheese

Ken's Asian Sesame Light Salad Dressing 

The salad dressing is key to the tastiness of this salad.  The slightly sweet Asian dressing combined with the crisp lettuce, crunchy carrots and the rest of the fresh ingredients fools you into thinking you are eating a serious, restaurant style Asian meal.    

I am really proud of myself for maintaning these positive changes in my lifestyle.  Am I perfect?  Heck no!  I don't think I will ever "love" going to the gym, and I know I will never be the person that gets up early to get their workout in before the day starts, like my husband Chuck and my sister, Sharon.  I have driven on by the DQ a sevreral times now without driving through for a dip cone and it didn't kill me.  I order the grilled chicken sandwich on wheat at Chik-fil-a without missing a beat.  But take me into a Texas Style Cafe, like Massey's in Fort Worth or the Koffee Kup in Hico and I will always order the Chicken Fried Steak.  Always.  After all, there has to be some reason to go on living.............