What brings me joy?
 I really love simple foods. I used to eat more conventional meals, but now I find I really prefer lighter foods. Because the greens, fruits and veggies are so nutritionally dense, I fill up quickly and am easily satisfied
.And because I'm satisfying my nutritional needs with these foods, I no longer have cravings for sugar, starch or processed foods.
A friend recently asked me if I missed sitting down to a full dinner. I still enjoy a traditional dinner, if I'm out to eat or on a special occasion, but usually I"m really quite happy with just a little something I've put together. Today I've posted some photos of these foods that I enjoy regularly :)


Last week my son gave me a half watermelon and I've been enjoying it every day. He passed along this simple little way he likes to serve it and I must say it makes eating it more enjoyable. He scoops the watermelon out with an ice cream scoop! Doesn't it look like watermelon sorbet?   

What's for dinner?
I used to think that salads were boring! I can not tell you how much fun I now have with dressing up my greens. I've been using a nice mix of spring greens and baby lettuce lately and my newest additions to salads have been dandelion greens. Apple or pear slices are a great addition, along with some amazing California raisins a friend shared with me. These raisins are like none I've ever had.
Usually I throw in raw sunflower seeds and a few raw nuts of one sort or another. Sliced almonds are nice and so are walnuts now and then. I love chives or scallions, both of which I'm trying my hand at growing, and of course a salad is not a salad without a beautiful, ripe tomato. I do my own sprouting now too ~ what fun! No salad is complete without a generous handful of sprouts!
Here are just a few of the truly delicious and nutritious salads I've been enjoying!!  :)

Salad Dressing

For me ~ the dressing completes the salad !

Here is a recipe that has quickly become my favorite 

  It's simple to make and add such zest to salad 

Orange balsamic Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of one orange ( approx 1/4 cup)

salt & pepper to taste

Mix it up and Enjoy!

You can find this recipe and many other healthy salad dressing recipes at this site

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/saucesdipsspreads/r/Orangedressing.htm

  *~*   I love keeping it simple & simply enjoying my food   *~*

Hello everyone :)

I'm planning on taking the weekends off from blogging, but since I missed a few days this week due to technical issues ~ here are some rainy Saturday afternoon thoughts...

 I have to say that I have aspirations to eat a 100% raw diet, and maybe I will at some point. The foods are so vibrant and colorful ~ fresh and alive! But for now I enjoy the few cooked foods I eat and it's certainly done me well ~ so I'll see what the summer and warmer weather has to bring.

 I feel fabulous ~ healthy and happy and that's most important to me and should be for all of us! Whatever path feels right. I've learned that listening to my body and honoring how it feels after I eat certain foods is key. For me, introducing fresh greens into my body through green smoothies has dramatically improved my health and well being and set me on the path to choosing only foods that are highly nutritious and beneficial for me.

I don't think there's a need for labels on how we eat as long as the foods provide optimum health and well being. I'm sure I'll be touching on this more as I continue my journey of health & happiness!

Here's a little picture video of dinner last night :)

Quinoa with scallions and sun dried tomatoes

I soaked the sun dried tomatoes in water for a few minutes, chopped them up and added them along with sliced scallions into the prepared quinoa ~ delicious!

Fresh spring green salad ~ isn't it pretty?

Spring greens from Sport Hill Farm

tomatoes

cukes

orange pepper

lots of sprouts

scallions

walnuts

raisins ~ fresh from a California produce stand ~ amazing!

Raw cucumber dressing ~  a simpler version of a few recipes I've seen, I just threw it together in the kitchen blender

1 cucumber

1 avocado

1 clove garlic

abt 1/4 tsp raw honey

abt 1/3 cup olive oil

delicious ~ nutritious & ooh so satisfying  :)

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter

Health & Happiness