What you can't see underneath these beautiful roasted sweet potatoes is a large helping of super greens and an assortment of chopped veggies! As the weather starts to warm, we love to eat fresh, crispy, crunchy, sweet and savory salads! A garden salad, even though it contains good micronutrients and fiber, is most likely not an ideal pre-cycling workout meal. However, when we add protein and roasted potatoes...it becomes a delicious source of nutrition AND fuel. Of course, it is completely customizable!
Take just a little more time and prepare extra ingredients to make salads for a few days! Store the salads in air tight containers in the fridge. If you are making extra salads, read how to layer them below.
Salad Bowls - Sustainable Endurance Style
Ingredients:
Super greens - Kale, Spinach & Arugula, or your choice of favorite greens
Choice of complex carbohydrates - 2 to 3 large sweet potatoes roasted, purple potatoes roasted, cooked quinoa, cooked rice, etc. (We love sweet potatoes)
Choice of protein - Tempeh, chicken or beef (leftovers are perfect)
English cucumber
Red bell pepper
Shredded carrots
Green onions
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado - 1/4 to 1/2 sliced
Pumpkins seeds
Organic feta cheese - a little to sprinkle on top
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
Directions:
First, cook your carbohydrates. For potatoes, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes. Chop potatoes into one inch cubes. Keep the skin on for extra nutrients. Toss potato cubes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 45 minutes stirring them about every 15 minutes. Roast until potatoes are as toasty as you like. Remove and set aside. Alternatively, cook quinoa or rice according to package instructions, and set aside.
While carbohydrates are cooking, prepare your choice of protein. We usually have tempeh in our salads. We sauté tempeh in a pan adding salt and pepper for seasoning.
Chop up your favorite veggies and set aside.
Make dressing. We simply mix one tablespoon of olive oil and two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste, stir really well, and split it between two salads. To make extra salads, add a little more olive oil and a little more balsamic vinegar and stir well.
For salad today, start with a generous amount of greens, add 1 to 2 cups of carbohydrates, add your chopped veggies, add your protein, sprinkle with a little feta cheese and pumpkin seeds, add avocado slices, and drizzle lightly with dressing. Enjoy!
Stored Salads:
Use an airtight container or use mason jars!
Dressing: Always put your dressing on the bottom. The farther away from your greens the better! Putting your dressing on the bottom prevents your greens from getting soggy before eating.
Hard Veggies: The second layer should be hard veggies! These are a great second layer since these vegetables are non-absorptive ingredients and won't become soggy. Examples of hard vegetables include carrot, celery, onion, and bell peppers.
Protein: Next layer any form of protein that can last a few days.
Carbohydrates: Grains or potatoes. Placing your carbs right under your greens and toppings.
Soft Veggies: When using soft vegetables and/or fruit remember some brown when exposed to air. Examples include avocado and apples. A helpful tip is to try adding lemon juice to those ingredients if you have a little extra time, or simply when you are ready to eat.
Toppings: Garnish your salad with nuts or seeds and a little feta cheese
Greens: Pack the top of your container with greens of your choice and seal the lid! Keeping your greens at the top.
We are Coach Al and Trish. Our goal is to share good nutrition and help support healthy lifestyles while keeping it real and simple because we all have busy lives. Nothing fancy, just real food for real life and cycling encouragement for a balanced, healthy lifestyle. Please leave a comment or question! Happy eating and cycling!