Monday, August 19, 2019

Healthy Living Habits


I wanted to share ideas for healthy lunches and encourage everyone to make an effort to stay healthy. It takes some planning to eat right and exercise and it's a lifetime commitment. But believe me when I say...as you get older, you'll be glad you made it a priority. And you can begin at any time. I always tell people not to focus on their weight. When you eat right and exercise enough, your body will find it's perfect weight. I weigh once a year....well, I weigh more often than that but I write down my weight in my journal on the same day in August. And this year I am 2 pounds less than I was 9 years ago. I maintain my weight. I am at my ideal weight and I stay the same all the time. 


So here's some ideas for lunch. When I tell someone I usually eat a salad for lunch, they imagine a lettuce and tomato salad with dressing.  But I place a nice big bed of lettuce on a plate and then put my goodies on top of that. Really anything you can put on a sandwich can go on a salad....well except maybe peanut butter and jelly! heehee! And that's what rice cakes are for!


When we grill for our dinner meal, we grill extra meat. 

Then we take the chicken or steak and add lots of extras. For my chicken salad, I like a few grapes, broken pecans, avocado and a lemon mayo dressing. (mayo, lemon juice and Truvia)


Sometimes I add Havarti or apple chunks to the chicken.

For steak, add cheddar cheese or blue cheese, walnuts with a dressing of mayo and mustard.


A leftover grilled hamburger can be crumbled up with cheddar cheese and Salsa....oh my! 

The key is to have protein with your salad. Skip the crackers and croutons. And only use pepper on top not salt.

It's nice when we can encourage each other. When we share our struggles and our success, it helps!

Anybody else have good lunch ideas? 

I’m joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE .



36 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Your salad looks delicious. I have to try the mayo with lemon and truvia.
Hubby and I are trying to eat healthier, I love all kinds of salads.
Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

Your lunches prove you are a woman who is simpatico with me!

A Bit of the Blarney said...

The chicken salad looks so very tasty! Yummy! I do enjoy a good chicken salad! Thank you!

Tom said...

...what, no fries?

Susie said...

Good for you Diane, Oh how I wish I could say that. I lost weight sitting in the hospital but gained sitting at home. LOL. Rats. So I truly will have to work on that. I like how you make the meat and salad the entire meal. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

Wild Oak Designs said...

That's what we do to....it is one meal we then don't have to cook or think much about...
great ideas for lunch...
Nancy
wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

riitta k said...

Your salads look delicious! Me and my husband eat salads many times a week. And really you can add almost anything, what you like. I don't have any weight problem, but still want to loose a bit. Lost 2 kg this summer, 2 kg to go. That's really no big deal, but the clothes fit better :) I try to walk an hour a day and add there some garden jobs. Feels good & healthy & energetic! Wishing you a lovely week.

Connie said...

Your salads looks so interesting and delicious. Be careful we all might show up at dinner time, wouldn't that be a hoot! Ding Dong, you go to the door and there we are 30 or 40 blogging sisters ready for dinner, LOL.

Gillena Cox said...

Good going with those healty salads. Bravo. Thanks for dropping by my blog today

Much❤🕊❤love

MadSnapper said...

I dislike salads as much as you love them. when I eat them because I know I should I feel like I had no lunch.. the one I do like is the greens salad with tomatoes and crumbled burger. I have lost the 65 pounds and held at this weight for 22 months now, which is great for me since I have been obese from a young age. the only food I like is the kind that is bad for me. I don't like meat and could go the rest of my life without it. other than a burger on a bun all the way and with fries … I eat that once a month. I also eat pizza once a month. and bread of some kind every day.. I stay away from white flour and eat nothing that has added sugar. that is how I maintain. I can't eat anything at all with sugar, it is like alcohol to an alcoholic. when I eat salad I feel like I am being punished .

Terri D said...

Salads are always good! Our local sub-shop does sub-in-a-tub. If you don't want the bread (always too much) they make the sandwich in a container (tub) with all the same stuff for the sub sandwich. I always get it that way!

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

I love your lunch ideas using chicken or steak to go with a salad. The chicken salad looks and sounds so good. I hope you have a nice week!

Lorrie said...

I love salads for lunch, and like to save protein from the previous dinner, too. I also love vegetable soups and often eat those with cut up vegetables and cheese for lunch. It's important to look after our health as we age.

Vee said...

Looks delicious, Diane! I admire anyone who can maintain weight so consistently. My weight is bouncing around through chemo treatment, but I hope to get it under control. (They give you stuff to maintain your weight as they continually say that this is not a weight less program. Well, then, what is the point?! ☺️)

I have a sweet “thinking of you” card with a nice note here. Thank you for thinking of me.

Anne (cornucopia) said...

These look delicious.

Happy@Home said...

Thanks for the lunch ideas, Diane. I just so happen to have two grilled burgers in the fridge and must admit I would never think of putting them in a salad. Great idea! I have been enjoying salads for lunch in the heat and tend to toss in whatever is on hand. We also enjoy making mini pizzas on naan bread. We grill extra veggies and then use them along with spinach and fresh garlic to top the pizzas. Yum!

Ann said...

I had a salad for dinner today. Mine was your typical tossed salad though. I'm bad about eating the wrong things and I really do need to start making better choices

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your salads look delicious! Believe it or not my husband and I often eat canned sardines for lunch. Sardines are full of minerals and vitamins and are heart-healthy and we find them filling when accompanied by a salad. Other favorite lunches are plain yogurt or cottage cheese with some honey, nuts fruit and granola.

Laurel Wood said...

John is diabetic and also is on a salt-free diet. We love salads with added meat, nuts etc. We have a salad every day and we try to eat apples and oranges. Thanks for the tips and the great looking meal ideas.

Lowcarb team member said...

Love salads, they are such a go to summer food.
Eat real food and stay away from processed!

Great post and lovely looking food Diane.
Enjoy your week.

All the best Jan

suziqu's thread works said...

I agree with you totally Diane!
We have been eating a healthy diet basically for the last 50 years and my weight has hardly changed also and I exercise everyday.
Another good thing to do is skip a meal e.g. breakfast and eat at lunchtime as this gives the body a break in digestion.
Take good care,
Suzy

happyone said...

Salad looks delicious. We try to eat healthy too but I do like my ice cream!! : )

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

We find eating our larger meal at lunch and a smaller meal, such as a salad or soup at the evening meal. I've been on a low carb diet in the past year and can honestly say I feel so much better. Here's to healthy eating!

ann said...

Great ideas for salads. As hot has it have been and with fresh vegetables from the garden often our evening meal is a salad.

Angie said...

Diane - congrats on maintaining your weight (or even losing a little). As we get older, it gets harder (or so they say), but as you point out, healthy habits can make it easier. When we moved into this house, we joined Costco and one of the things I really like (that Hubby buys) are the pre-mixed salad greens. They feature great variety, and then (as you do), we add nuts, protein, dried cranberries, etc. A salad with a diversity of tastes and some crunch is very satisfying! One of my favorite salads has gorgonzola, prosciutto and nectarines. Yum! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

Jenn Jilks said...

Good for you. I am overweight, but my depression has compounded my progress.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

My husband is a diabetic and he is LCHF. We eat a lot of salads, and sometimes low carb wraps with tuna, or some kind of sandwich meat. He makes his own dressing with olive oil, apple cidar vinegar and flax oil. It's true what they say about shopping the outer rows of the grocery store...all the processed foods are on the middle aisles.
I'll have to test your chicken salad, it looks delicious!

Sam I Am...... said...

Thank you for the lunch ideas. Those salads look and sound delicious! I need to keep those items on hand for them. My biggest problem is breakfast as there are not many breakfast items I care for..no cereal for me!LOL! Maybe I'll have your salads for brunch as I usually don't eat right when I get up anyway. Thanks again!

Barbara said...

Good advice, everything you said. I especially enjoy grapes in chicken salad. We have dark leafy greens AT LEAST once a day, if not 3 times, starting with a green smoothie at breakfast.

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Salads are refreshing, especially on a hot day. I've recently acquired the taste of arugula, but finding organic arugula isn't so easy where I live.

BeachGypsy said...

I love this post and all the DELICIOUS looking pictures has made me HUNGRY!! LOL I adore salads just as much as you, and love to make a big one and top it with protein (usually for us chicken, a few leftover steak bites, salmon/fish, or even kidney beans!) for a complete meal. I learned a new one though----crumbled up leftover hamburger with cheese and salsa I think you said?? Cant wait to try that one out!! It's time for salads again here this week!

podso said...

Your lunches look delicious and a lot like mine. Lettuce is wonderful and so versatile. I also use it as a wrap for chicken salad, etc. I also enjoyed your post about your hospice volunteer work. Wonderful! And so giving of you. Having had my parents in hospice I can appreciate all the details of things you were involved with.
You make a difference in many lives!

The Liberty Belle said...

I enjoy a good salad. However, I go through cycles of healthy/unhealthy eating. Great post.

Deborah Montgomery said...

I'm thinking I need to put away my scale, too. I'm so focused on losing weight. I just need to focus on healthy eating like you do. The weight will take care of itself, like you say. xo

Red Rose Alley said...

This salad looks sooooo good. Have never thought of putting pecans in salads, that sounds delicious. I love avocados, and that's a nice addition also. I think that's great that you have been the same weight for many years. I enjoy food, so it's hard for me to maintain the same weight hehehe.

~Sheri

Petite Plangonophile au chocolat said...

Thank so much for this post. I needed this kind of encouragement. I won't say more but I am truly grateful for this post.