Veggies, veggies and more veggies!

I'm trying to eat better. And, I do feel wise after drinking tea. After eating vegetables, I just feel hungry.   ~ Carrie Latet ~

Whenever I come across a quote that hits me in just the right way, I file it away on my hard drive. For quite some time, I have kept a Word document on the desktop of my laptop that is simply titled, 'Quotes'. Each time I find a quote that I may want to revisit, I add it to my document. In the course of my daily internet surfing yesterday, the above quote seemed to fit the bill. 22 days ago, Carrie Latet would have been describing me to a tee. But since I've been with the Ideal Protein plan, vegetables have taken on a whole new light. I guess I had never considered just exactly how many vegetables made up two cups - which is the volume of veggies that I need to eat with lunch and dinner. I can't lie, I would much rather be preparing a side dish of mashed sweet potatoes or a lovely mushroom risotto. And did I mention that we are allowed unlimited quantities of lettuce? Can anyone say rabbit?       

So, today I went out on my weekly quest to Sam's Club for bulk quantities of veggies. Asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, celery and English cucumbers. I couldn't help but eye the vibrant little cartons of red seedless grapes and raspberries. Sadly, these are not options in my plan at this point - no fruits at all for now! As I wandered the aisles (passing multiple sampling stations with yummy treats like éclairs and chicken tenders), I found myself not even looking or longing for foods that had once beckoned my attention. Later on in Walgreens, I strolled by the jelly beans, Cadbury eggs and the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Nothing. That little voice in my head was silent and I walked out with light bulbs and a bottle of Ibuprofen.   

Today was a good day. I followed my plan to a "T" had no urge to splurge and came home and prepared a wonderful meal...two cups of veggies and all! 

Last night my dinner was pretty simple. I sliced some leftover Cajun grilled chicken breast and prepared a new salad. Since my plan allows me to indulge with certain vegetables once or so a week, I decided to pay homage to Hearts of Palm. This fresh and simple salad will be a great addition to my spring and early summer recipe collection.   
   

Romaine and Hearts of Palm Salad

1/2 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 hearts of palm

1 green onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 wedges of lime

lice each segment of the hearts of palm lengthwise and coarsley chop. Place the lettuce, hearts of palm and green onion in a salad bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the salad and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and squeeze the lime wedges over the salad.