now that spring is here... how about some salads?!

Most of us tend to eat heavier in the winter. We crave warm comfort food, bowls of soup, pot roasts, chili, mashed potatoes... (now my mouth is watering...) but my point is in the warmer months, we tend to eat lighter. One of my favorite things to eat in the summer... salads!

Salads do not have to be boring. They can be whatever you want to make them! Here are 3 of my favorites...

Tuna Salad for Two

2 cans of Albacore tuna in water
2 tbsp of Miracle Whip or Light Mayo
2 tbsp dill or sweet relish
2 boiled eggs (chopped)
1/2 cup diced onion (white or yellow)
2 Romaine hearts (chopped)

Total: 275 calories per person

This is so so simple, drain the cans of tuna, mix in the mayo, relish, eggs and onion and refridgerate for 20 minutes or so. (This is a personal preference ... I don't like room temperature tuna salad). Chop up the Romaine lettuce and disperse equally on a plate. Halve the tuna salad and top the lettuce. Viola! Packed with protein!

Roasted Vegetable Salad

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 zuchinni (medium)
1/2 package of white button mushrooms
3 oz. baby carrots
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of onion
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
olive oil spray (spray pan)
2 cups spring mix or romaine lettuce

Rough chop the vegetables into 1" or 1.5" pieces except the mushrooms and baby carrots. Toss in olive oil. Place all vegetables except mushrooms into roasting pan in the oven on 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Add mushrooms during the last 5-7 minutes. Roast veggies until slightly charred. Top spring mix with vegetables.

250 calories total (This makes a large salad!!)

Goat Cheese, Cranberry & Candied Pecans Salad

1/4 cup goat cheese
1//4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup Target Archer Farms Honey Cinnamon Almonds (slightly crushed)
2 tbsp. Ken's Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinagrette
2 cups baby spinach

360 calories

Toss all this yumminess together! Sweet, salty, tangy, delicious!