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Salad Bar 101: How to get your family to enjoy a salad!

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I don’t eat GREEN Salad!

Can you imagine my kid said that to me.  “Mommy, I don’t eat green food.”  Really?  Your Mom is a food writer, vegan chef, food photographer, micro farmer–how can you not eat green?

salad bar

Respect

I respect that my kid doesn’t like to eat green food.  He really means he doesn’t like salad.  And what he really, really, really means is that when he eats salad he feels like he will choke.  Cooked spinach, the same thing.  Kale?  Takes too long to chew.  I almost get it–in our house, you can not like something but you need to try it and tell me why you don’t like it.  If I suspect that he isn’t being less than sincere in his actions I will ask him to write a 500 word paragraph on why he doesn’t want to eat . . . . fill in the blank.  If he doesn’t feel like explaining it to me, he eats it.  Usually, I get a nice essay on “the dressing is a bit too acidic for my liking.”  My kids probably watch a little too much Cutthroat Kitchen . . .

Renee’s How-To:

My how to get your family to eat salad is really simple!  Like most things in life we tend to complicate the issues!

  1. Model the behavior.  If you eat salad or try new things, your kids will too.  Please do NOT hold your children to a standard that you don’t uphold yourself.
  2. Make it fun–add fruit and veggies.
  3. Make it colorful!  Red strawberries next to yellow peppers make the plate visually interesting–it gives us a pause . . . when we pause new ideas have the chance to form.
  4. Plan ahead–if you cut up broccoli and peppers for the salad and no one eats them . . . plan on adding them to a stir fry.  (the other dinner options are on the downloadable pdf below.)
  5. Creating a salad bar is a great way to introduce a new food with a familiar food.  I have found that I’m more receptive to trying a new food if I have a comforting familiar food on the plate as well.  Try it!

[Tweet “Renee has great tips on eating more salad! #plantbased #veganRenee”]

The Show!

 

Do you want my show notes?  My cheat sheet?  Salad101  Click on the link to download your own .pdf cheat sheet.  Or you can read a few of my other articles on salad!

1. Make your own salad dressing.

2.  Sweet Potato Salad (a great summer salad!)

3.  Make Ahead Salad (great for lunches)

 

Be Blessed as you eat and live with L.O.V.E.,

oxox,  Renee

 

Phish Phriday–Vegan Lunch

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Phish Phriday/Fish Friday (Vegan Lunch)

Growing up I ate hot lunch at school every day.  Fish Friday was one of my favorite lunches!  Now that I think about it, that is probably why Lent is one of my favorite seasons . . .

This vegan lunch reminds me of the old days.

The food in the 70’s was awesome, homemade, and made with love from the most talented women in our small town . . . it wasn’t exactly a town.  Willis, Michigan was more like a spot in the road.  It is a nowhere place perfect for dreaming big dreams.

The lunch ladies loved me!  I always made sure that I went back and told them what I really loved about their cooking.  I was for real–not shmoozing.  They cooked things my mom could never have cooked.  Over time, they began giving me exactly what I liked.  For instance they NEVER EVER gave me green beans.  They knew I hated picking them and eating them.  Sometimes when I’m feeling a bit nostalgic I make these fish sticks for lunch.

Vegan Fish Sticks with Avocado spread and a Mixed Green Salad with dried blueberries, almonds, and a basil/blueberry dressing.  So good!

https://instagram.com/p/BAScmZrOms7/

 

I said a little prayer for those lunch ladies.  I’m sure most of them have passed but the love they showed still lives in my heart.  That was a lesson to me–long after I die, I want people to remember the love I put into everything I do.

Be Blessed.

oxox

My Favorite Plum Market Salad

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Plum Market in Ann Arbor . . . 

is one of my favorite places to visit when I go home.  What’s not to love?  The produce is great–much of it is local, the beer and wine selection keeps my interest, the sushi is fresh and wonderful and the deli is awesome!  I’m a deli girl.  I’ve worked in deli’s off and on for many, many years in my younger days and it is my favorite kind of work.  Intense, changes daily, everything is fresh and you get to look over the counter and SEE the person you are feeding.  That connection is primal.  (ok, maybe it’s just that way for me . . . )

 I’m a traveling Vegan

Well, I’m actually a traveling Mom who happens to be Vegan!  My first big trip with kids was in 2002–my son was 18 months and I was pregnant with baby #2.  We “all” flew to Florida and stayed on Santa Maria something–near Bradenton.  It was an amazing trip.  Rental Car with a car seat, renting a tiny apartment with a pool!  The rental company hooked me up with another rental company for a crib and toys!  I rented toys!  

  1. Who rents toys?  (me, a new mom and I didn’t want my baby to be bored!)  Laughable when I think of it now!
  2. The apartment with a heated pool was amazing–waking up for a 2 am feed under the stars poolside . . . 
  3. Having my kid ride in a Kelty hiking backpack in the airport!

Soon after that trip I bought my cabin.  Then it was going to the cabin EVERY chance we had!  (ok, not much has changed there.  Even though it is 400 miles away, it will always be home of sorts.)  

Where am I going with this story?

Oh yeah, now, when we travel home from Ann Arbor or when we pass through Ann Arbor or . . . if we have a hotel room in Ann Arbor, we always stop at Plum Market.  It is local, organic, veggies, everyday!  And you KNOW how that gets me excited.  We can all get the food that will be best for us on our travels.  

The Food Bar

The Food Bar is absolutely amazing!  They also have a salad bar with all the normal stuff . . . but the hot bar had lots of Indian food, Greek Food and Classic American Food (my kids don’t eat that–not because of me, but because they don’t like it.)  If my kids are given the choice of Marsala vs. Fries–they chose Marsala.  What’s great about the food bar?

  1. Everyone gets what they want to eat.
  2. They get to try new foods a dab at a time.
  3. It is cheaper than a restaurant.
  4. It is faster than fast food and so much better for you!

My Plum Market Favorite Salad

 
https://instagram.com/p/yICMcDOmt1/