What Can I Make for a Healthy Dinner?

My husband Nate and I are not perfect dieters, but occasionally we strike gold with a deliciously healthy meal.  Today was one of those days, so  I thought I would share with you :)  Here's what was on the menu:

Nate treated me to a 3 oz piece of Alaskan salmon (yes it came frozen, there is no shame in this) and a half cup or so of brown rice.  I whipped up a delicious summer salad to go with.  In it I included:

• Iceberg Lettuce, but truthfully, any kind of lettuce would suffice.  My favorite is actually spinach, which might be a stretch for some of you. If so, stick with the iceberg or the romaine.
• A few slices of Walla Walla sweet onion (Nate is from Walla Walla, so of course we have to eat the onions), but your favorite flavor of onion would be perfectly fine.
• 1 chopped slicing tomato.
• 1 gala apple.  Again, your favorite apple would suffice. 

We topped it with some Caesar vinaigrette dressing, which was tasty.  Raspberry vinaigrette is also delicious with salads that have fruit on them.  You may be freaking out about the calories in the dressing, but don't.  An oil based dressing is perfectly okay because it will contain mostly unsaturated fat, which if you remember from my post How Should I Really Feel About Fat, is not terrible for you.  I would choose oil based dressings or low fat dressings, but if you are a lover of the good old whole fat ranch, go for it, just calculate that into your discretionary calories (for more info look under the heading personalization after you click on the link).

The great thing about salads is that you really don't need a recipe, which is fabulous for me because I often feel restricted by recipes.  So basically, I just throw in anything that sounds good and try it out.  Also delicious on salads are mandarin oranges, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (any berry really), sliced almonds or walnuts, dried cranberries or raisins, and various cheeses.  Throw in some chicken to make the salad a full meal, and top with your favorite dressing.

Now it's your turn to try.  Mix it up and try it out.  I'm sure you'll discover something truly satisfying (and healthy too).

-Kamie