Reuben Salad

This is the perfect salad for you Reuben sandwich fans out there! Thank you again for your 30-minute meals Rachael Ray! We all know rye bread is bomb but you won’t miss it in this recipe. The Russian dressing is so flavorful with the meat and cheese, my mouth is watering just talking about it. We replaced the sour cream with Greek yogurt and it still tastes luscious. It’s enjoyable as a side dish and substantial enough as a main meal!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Low carb, Keto, low fat

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Southern-Style Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

This is one of my favorite healthy “imposter” style sides, you can hardly tell Mr. Potato Head ditched the party! Instead of using potatoes loaded with carbs, this recipe uses nutritiously delicious cauliflower. Because cauliflower has a similar starchy consistency to potatoes, it’s taken over the past few years whether it’s through pizza crust, mashed potatoes, rice or sides like this! Plus it has an amazing taste and is a great canvas for other flavors. Serve this up at your next BBQ or gathering!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Low carb, Keto

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Seared Ahi Tuna Salad

Tuna…center-cut ahi tuna…on sale again at Sprout’s! $5.99 a pound!  This is when I make this salad (and my tuna tartare). Wish I can take credit for this one. Thank you Willow Arlen for this delicious meal! Growing up, I thought I hated tuna. But, oh, how I’ve changed my mind! There’s not much else to say, except that it’s delicious and I think ya’ll should try it! We all could probably use a little more tuna in our lives! 😉 Enjoy!

 -Tammy

Health tips: diabetes-friendly, low carb

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Buffalo Chicken Salad

Hot summer days equals light, healthy meals! The hubby wanted buffalo wings, and I wanted something lighter, but something that would hit the same bells and whistles! When I told him I’d be making my buffalo chicken salad, he was very happy. He LOVES this salad! You can always buy your own blue cheese dressing, but I like to make my own dressings from scratch because you can control the quality and quantity of ingredients. My husband does NOT like blue cheese dressing; the moldy cheese, it freaks him out! However, he does love feta cheese. So I make his “blue cheese” dressing into a “feta cheese” dressing. I still prefer blue cheese, so I divide the base mix into 2 bowls-one for me with blue cheese, and one for him with feta cheese. Feel free to make your own! Or you can always go out a buy  a bottle. They have great yogurt-based dressing in the produce section. Enjoy!

 -Tammy

Health tips: kidney-friendly, diabetes-friendly, low carb

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Rachael Ray’s Greek Farro Bowls

As usual, I was watching  the Rachael Ray show and she made the most delicious Mediterranean dish-Farro Bowls!  Farro is an “ancient grain” that kind of reminds me of barley. It’s mild in flavor and has a nice bite/chew to it. Farro is a healthy carbohydrate source for people-even if you have kidney disease or diabetes. I buy my farro at Trader Joes. If you love the flavors of Mediterranean dishes, you’ll love this! It has kalamata olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, lemon, and garlic just to name a few! Thank you Rachael Ray for this super fabulous dish!

 -Tammy

Health tips: kidney friendly, diabetes friendly

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Kenan Family’s Italian Chicken & Spinach Pasta Salad

My good friend Stacey had the girls over the other week to catch up and enjoy dinner together. She whipped us up a light, delicious salad that her mom always makes her. I fell in love with it and asked her if I could share it with you fine folks. This is super quick to make and is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Salads don’t typically fill me up enough but this one is wholesome and very satisfying!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Heart healthy; low carb, diabetes friendly and anti-inflammatory (if pasta removed or wheat used); low fat

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Zucchini and Arugula Salad

I belong to a private group on Facebook. The purpose of this group is to encourage each other and share ideas about living a healthy life style. We post and converse about many things, but my favorite thing is sharing ideas about food. One of my friends posted this original “Zucchini Carpaccio” recipe. It looked amazing; refreshing and simple with only 5 ingredients. I just happened to have all 5 ingredients on hand for lunch that day so I made it. I loved it so much, I made it for dinner that night and then for breakfast the next day! A big thank you to Gina Homolka from http://www.skinnytaste.com for this recipe. I hope you all can enjoy it too!  Cheers!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   kidney friendly, diabetes friendly, vegetarian

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Strawberry Spring Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

My sisters and I spent Mother’s Day harvesting some fresh strawberries at beautiful Tanaka Farms in Irvine a few weeks ago. What a fun experience…only $6 per person, and you get a tour of the vast property on a hayride truck, and your own container for picking plump, sweet strawberries! I picked up this yummy recipe from their farm store and just had to try it. It’s the perfect salad for this spring!

 -Mel

Health tips: Low fat, heart healthy, low carb, anti-inflammatory, diabetes friendlyRead More »

Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Craving a different kind of salad? I cannot tell you how delicious this salad is.  And if you think you don’t like quinoa…you’re wrong! When you add the flavors of lime, cilantro, and avocado, along with the “poppy” texture from the quinoa, your mouth is going to explode!  If you are going to give quinoa a try, please make this! And the best part is that you can feel great about eating it!

 -Tammy

Health tips:  gluten free, vegetarian, heart healthy, diabetes friendly

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Beet, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Salad

Talk about a perfect mix of flavors! I love this beet, goat cheese, and walnut salad. This salad hits all the bells and whistles; it’s earthy, a little sweet from the beets, tangy, has crunch from the walnuts, has some creaminess from the goat cheese, and just has a unique flavor-not your typical salad! Plus, there are so many healthy benefits from eating beets!

Confession time- I used to hate beets! Until one day, I went to a restaurant to meet up with some friends. My friends were munching on a salad just like this recipe. I wanted to give it a try. Yup, explosion in my mouth! Who knew beets were so delicious! I went back to the same restaurant a few weeks ago and found out they do not serve that salad anymore. Bummer. So I did some searching a found this recipe. It could not be easier! And thank goodness, now I can have the salad whenever I want! And now you can have it whenever you want!

-Tammy

Health tips:  anti-inflammatory, kidney-friendly, diabetes-friendly, vegetarian

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