Buffet Style Eating

My version of a buffet

Two weeks ago, I blogged about an Easy Snack Platter.  I had said that there were variations on that theme.  This time I want to show my version of a buffet.  It's quick and easy to put together.  It is great for on-the-go people and/or those who feel a little lazy like me.

It was simple to put this buffet together.  All I needed was were my partitioned dishes.  Mine are red.  Then, I chose the foods I wanted in each section.  I chose red grapes, red apples, baby carrots, baby spinach, cheese cubes, ham, and turkey breast.  Of course, pickles and cherry tomatoes can round this buffet out.  I also included ranch dressing for the carrots and spinach.

Grapes, apples, and carrots for buffet

Daughter helped with washing fruits and veggies

My choices from the buffet

Leftovers waiting for later

Whatever we did not eat, I scooted over to one dish.  I covered the dish with the Press 'n Seal wrap.  We won't have to prepare this again.  We'll just bring it out later when we get hungry again.  It really saves time and keeps me from getting cranky when I must eat right away.

 

Well, thanks for reading about our buffet style eating.  I hope this has taught y'all about a quick set of snacks to throw together.

 

What about you, my readers? Do you like finger foods? Do you like cheese, pickles, and ham?  Combining fruits, veggies, and meat into a buffet is easy.  I encourage you to get creative with colorful foods.  Don't shy away from allowing your family members to eat what they want to eat, as long as they are eating from the recommended food groups, too.

May God bless you with His peace and wisdom, my beloveds.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads. I hope you enjoyed it!

Variations on a Sandwich

Healthy, delicious sandwich

I am down to the wire, wondering what to blog about.  I applied to my husband, asking him what I should write.  He said I should leave it off for tomorrow, but I am adamant about blogging every day for this year.  He suggested I write about sandwiches.  Oh, there's a subject I haven't written about.

Here goes a lovely description about my version of a delicious sandwich.  I love adding healthy ingredients.   One can add any condiment of choice.  Any meat and vegetables can be included, too.  Enjoy the pictures.

Simple ingredients for a healthy sandwich

Easy ingredients:

Bread, 

Turkey breast slices,

Cheese slice,

Spinach,

Tomatoes, 

Mayonnaise

SaraLee bread with no high fructose corn syrup

My choice of condiment--mayonnaise

Sandwich assembled my way

A sandwich can be assembled in any way, as long as the ingredients end up in between the two slices of bread.  Of course, one bread can be used for a younger child.  Mustard can be used instead of mayonnaise.  Spinach and tomatoes can be left out.  In place of turkey breast slices, bologna or ham can be eaten.

 

 

Well, thanks for reading about my easy sandwich variations.  I hope this informs you all of quick sandwiches which can be thrown together.

 

What about you, my readers? Do you like sandwiches? Do you like cheese, tomatoes, and spinach in your sandwiches?  

 

Combining these simple ingredients into a sandwich is wonderful.  I encourage you to get creative with quick meals.  You can use chicken or tuna salad as a meat ingredient.  Sandwiches should include ingredients from the recommended food groups, too.

May God bless you with His peace and wisdom, my beloveds.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads. I hope you enjoyed it!

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

Blueberry smoothie with spinach

For this latest attempt at a smoothie, I felt adventurous.  I wanted to add some very beneficial ingredients.  I've been dealing with inflammation so I knew I wanted to add ginger and turmeric, in powdered form.  I also added some sweet flavors, including Sweet Leaf Stevia and cinnamon.  I added my trustworthy blueberries and cranberries, which are rich in antioxidants.

Ingredients pictured here are for the blueberry spinach smoothie.

I decided to add spinach, ground flaxseed, coconut shavings, parsley, some strawberry & banana yogurt, water, and powdered grape seed complex.  ( I added a teaspoon of coconut oil, too, which is not pictured here.)  The result was a soupy concentration, but I still drank it.  I needed to eat drink something good for me.  I knew that I could now find the ingredients I desired since I had cleaned and organized my refrigerator and freezer.  I wanted to reward myself and be good to myself for all the hard work I had done in the weekdays.

Well, I hope you liked my new version of a blueberry smoothie.

Thanks for reading this short blog entry.  In the future, I hope to make another type of smoothie.  Stay tuned!

 
How about you, my readers?  Have you made a fruit smoothie lately?  Why or why not?  I encourage you to add unusual ingredients; you can always mask the bitter taste with cinnamon and stevia.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads.

Spinach and Pasta Balsamic Vinegar Salad

Some ingredients for spinach and pasta salad.

I wanted to jazz up the spinach salad with pasta.  I bought some Colavita balsamic vinegar and more baby spinach.  Many times, I have seen Lidia Matticchio Bastianich on PBS, with Colavita as one of her sponsors.  I came home with a bottle of the balsamic vinegar and researched online for a good recipe.  I already had the pasta; all I had to do was add a few touches.

I've heard that balsamic vinegar has many benefits.  Among them is that it suppresses your appetite and lowers your cholesterol.  It also acts as an anti-viral and antibacterial agent.  Who wouldn't want to receive health benefits by simply ingesting something?  I wanted to take advantage of these positive points to improve my health.

I used Wacky Mac spirals for my pasta salad.

Water boiled before adding the pasta.

Then, I stirred the pasta into the water.

The pasta became swollen ten minutes later.

I had the strainer ready to drain the pasta.

Hubby helped out.

Hubby poured out the pasta into another bowl.

Pasta was ready for other ingredients.

Mild cheddar cheese was a nice addition, as well as the lemon juice.

Here is a picture of the pasta with cheese cubes on the side.

I added cut up tomatoes.  I tore the baby spinach leaves into smaller bits.  I added about a teaspoon of the balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of olive oil, a few dashes of lemon and some salt.  I left the cheese out because I knew my children would not want it in the pasta.  I loved the colors; they seemed so inviting.  

Croutons added a crunch.

Buttery garlic croutons added a good taste to my pasta.  I added a little bit more lemon juice to my plate.  The result was a wonderful symphony of taste.  All of the participating flavors conspired to create a delicious pasta salad.  I wonder if I will be able to duplicate it in the future.

All of the wonderful ingredients worked together.

This truly was a wonderful pasta salad.  The spirals were already packed with various vitamins and minerals.  I simply added tomatoes, spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar.  I also added buttery garlic croutons and cubed mild cheddar cheese.  The ingredients did come together to create a delicious pasta salad, which surprised me.

My husband ate the spinach pasta salad with balsamic vinegar.

About an hour later after eating the salad, I still feel sated.  I feel the acid in my tummy.  It is not an unpleasant feeling.  Perhaps, and I hope it is true, the balsamic vinegar is benefiting my body.  I pray that I will keep using this pleasant ingredient--balsamic vinegar--in my diet.

Well, I hope you liked this version of a salad, 

which included balsamic vinegar. 

Thanks for reading this blog entry.  In the future, I hope to make a Greek Salad.  Stay tuned!

 

How about you, my readers?  Have you made a pasta salad lately?  Why or why not?  I encourage you to add balsamic vinegar; it's said that it's a better ingredient than any mayonnaise-based dressing.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads.

Spinach Tossed Salad

Spinach tossed salad can be delicious!

Today, I made myself a spinach tossed salad.  It was so delicious.  I want to share with you how I put it together.  It wasn't totally healthy, but I was craving it.  Of course, you can add and/or remove ingredients.

Here are the ingredients I used for my salad.

The salad was easy and fast to make.  I just gathered the ingedients I desired.  I would have like a boiled egg, but I was too lazy to make some.  Anyway, the picture above shows the ingredients of spinach, pre-cut tomatoes, cucmber, Italian dressing, and croutons.  As I said, you can add other things like cubed cheese, cubed meats, and crumbs of bacon, if you'd like.

The salad in the container is tossed best upside-down.

I assembled the salad.  First, I put in the desired amount of spinach leaves.  I added the pre-cut tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons.  Then, I poured some of the dressing and two small pinches of salt.  The next part was fun because I cover the salad and turn the container upside down and shook.  (This is so funny to me because I'm listening to a song with the words, "Shake, shake, shake...")  

There are some considerations when making a salad.

Keep a mini-compost bin.

When peeling a cucumber, don't throw the scraps in the trash.  Have a container handy.  You can put those peelings in the container.  Later you can throw them in the compost bin.  You can make some healthy soil for a garden and reduce trash for the landfill.

Use a gallon size baggie to keep spinach fresh.

Something used to discourage me from buying spinach.  I would buy the spinach.  Then, it would take me a few days to eat it.  Sometimes, my family would only consume half of the bag.  Now, I put the bag inside a baggie to keep the spinach fresher for a longer time.

Well, I hope you liked my spin on salad making, using spinach. 

How about you, my readers?  Have you made a salad lately?  Why or why not?  I encourage you to add spinach; it's touted as a better ingredient than plain iceberg lettuce.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads.