Sometimes you inspire your clients and sometimes, they inspire you!

One of our amazing Beat the Couch participants came in to see me for her biometrics today – we track weight, percentage body fat, visceral fat and inch measurements as we go through the programme.

Not everyone chooses to do it but for those that do, it’s a great way to stay motivated. When you start running, the scales don’t always move.

But if you can see body fat decreasing, muscle mass increasing and inches changing, then it’s a much more heartening process.

Of course, if you want to see real results, then nutrition has got to improve too. This particular client sometimes struggles to keep their nutrition on track.

So, they started a salad-a-day challenge with their friends. The rules were simple: for the month of May have one salad a day and share a picture in their WhatsApp chat.

Some people were following recipes, others were just throwing things together. Either way, it’s motivating to see what others are doing and great to get fresh new ideas.

I loved the idea. It’s simple and easy and it’s also a perfect time of year to get started. Midweek monsoons aside, it looks like the weather is picking up!

Sunny days should be salad days, so I’ve included three recipes for you to test out. If you don’t have time to food prep, then you can actually buy the Moroccan Salad and the Hong Kong Salad from Miles Deli (and in the Nutrifit fridge), but they are pretty easy to rustle up at home.

Whether you do a salad a day or just one a week, have fun experimenting and enjoy!

Moroccan Salad (serves 4)

This salad looks amazing with all the bright colours. It’s good on its own as the quinoa, chickpeas and pistachios work well together to provide quality vegetarian protein. It works equally well as a side though too and the dressing is delicious!

Ingredients:

Dressing:

½ cup plain yoghurt (organic plain dairy or plain coconut eg coconut collaborative)

¼ cup olive oil

1.5 tbsp maple syrup

1.5 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp cumin

White pepper and sea salt to taste

Salad:

1 cup cooked quinoa (add veggie stock and turmeric to the water for flavour)

1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (1 pomegranate)

8 cups of leaves

1 orange, peeled and sliced

1 cucumber, chopped

1 tbsp crushed pistachios

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ cup chopped fresh mint

2 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Method:

Spread the quinoa over the base of a large dish. Once cool, cover the quinoa with the green leaves. Layer on the pomegranate, chickpeas, cucumber and orange. Drizzle with the dressing and then top with the pistachios and herbs.

Hong Kong Confetti Salad (serves 4)

This sweet but spicy salad has amazing flavours and really crams in a variety of antioxidant-rich veggies. You’ll need to add your own protein, but that’s easy! Works well with grilled chicken or salmon, or with seared tofu/tempeh for a vegan option.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tsps sesame oil

2 tsps lime juice

1 tbsp honey

1.5 tbsps fresh ginger, peeled

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 medium carrots, shredded

1/2 small red cabbage, cored, cut cross wise, sliced into very narrow ribbons and then separated

1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded, cut length wise and the sliced into the thinnest strips possible

1 red bell pepper, prepared as the yellow pepper

1/2 medium sweet white onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1, Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over a medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

2, In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, lime juice, honey, ginger and cayenne. Set aside.

3, In a large bowl combine the carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, onion and cilantro. Toss thoroughly to mix well.

4, Add the dressing then toss again, til evenly coated.

5, Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve.

Wild Rice Salad with Fresh Herbs, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

This was a favourite from our Waterfront Wellness Healthy Kickstart earlier this year! This is a heart salad that’s filling, with knockout flavours. There’s just something about the punch of sun-dried tomatoes! There’s a decent amount of plant-based protein from the wild rice, pine nuts and walnuts, but you can always add extra on the side.

Ingredients per person:

1 cup cooked and cooled brown/wild rice mix

1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp chopped walnuts

½ tbsp pine nuts

1 tsp chopped fresh chives

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 serving Meyer lemon and honey vinaigrette

Optional: chopped spring onions

Meyer Lemon and Honey Vinaigrette

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3.5 tbsps Meyer lemon and honey Acid League vinegar (Miles) or lemon juice

1 to 2 tsps honey or maple syrup (to taste)

1 small clove fresh garlic

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1, Cook and cool the rice.

2, Toast the walnuts and pine nuts in a dry frying pan on the stove top for a few minutes. Set to one side to cool.

3, Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Save a few fresh herbs to sprinkle on top when you serve. It’s that easy!

Tips: If you have leftovers and want to refresh this the next day, just stir through some more fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon. This is great by itself or as a side to chicken or fish. If you want to add more vegan protein, toast some hemp seeds too or top with baked/marinated tofu.

Note: Due to food safety guidelines, cooked rice should always be kept in the fridge and used within two days.

Catherine Burns is a fully qualified clinical nutritionist. She can be contacted at 291-4725 or clinicalnutrition@gmail.com