Simple Summer Salads Deliver Powerful Nutritional Punches

When the boys ask for pizza night a day early, I'm always glad I can whip up a nutritious "side" salad with just a few simple ingredients I almost always have on hand.  After a hot day at the pool, pizza and a crisp, cool salad sounded perfect!

Today I had some lovely spring greens, green onions and a leftover hydroponic tomato that I used for the fresh basil dish that I created the other day.

With those few ingredients, and a few pinches of queso fresco, or feta cheese, whichever you may have on hand, you have the basis for a great salad that the kids will actually eat.  My three boys are no different from other kids - you definitely have a better chance of getting them to eat things that are good for them if you keep it simple and add a little cheese!

I always make my salad dressing from scratch, and this is the secret nutritional punch - because I use apple cider vinegar with the mother. You can use any old olive oil (not really, but you know what I mean)  but using the ACV with the mother is an immune system booster key! According to the American Diabetes Association, it also helps lower blood glucose, thus helping combat diabetes and obesity.

The "mother" is best described as a web-like looking substance that is epicenter of the nutritional goodness.  The webbier and murkier, the more protein-packed and enzyme-laced.  I've really noticed a difference in my overall health and fitness since utilizing ACV with the mother more and more, along with a few other healthy, life-changing habits, like warm lemon water with honey and cayenne pepper first thing in the morning.  (I can't say it enough, I really think it's a game changer - I will even call you up on the telephone to see if you've had your WLM!)

So, to put together your dressing, shake that ACV with the mother up and pour a few capfuls over your greens, veggies and cheese that you've assembled in a pretty bowl that will make people smile, pour a generous amount of olive oil over that, and get ready for the spices.

I love garlic.  Love love love how it tastes as well as how good it is for you, so I like to shake a generous amount of garlic powder on top of my greens, along with my fresh-ground Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, and fresh ground black pepper.  That's it.  Nothing else - I mean, keep it simple and see how amazingly delicious it is, and you won't even think about the great things you're doing for your body.  Make sure that the few spices that you're using are as organic or kosher as you can get, because as always when you're keeping it simple, it's all about the quality. 

Toss it around a few times, and your super simple nutritional powerhouse is ready to go before your pizza is halfway done!