Happy Monday! The July 4th holiday is officially behind us and it is time to get right back on track with living a healthy life, crushing goals and working out regularly. Maybe you took some time off from the gym last week and gave yourself some additional freedom in your food choices. Small breaks are great for our mental health and to recharge, but it is important to get back to making healthy choices and practicing healthy habits as soon as you can after a holiday vacation.
Indulgences, treats and splurges are all apart of life and in my opinion, should be fully enjoyed! What is life anyways without them? Well, I’ll tell you… life would feel restricted, unbalanced and down right boring. It is what you do after your break or splurge that will keep you on track with meeting your health goals. Every Sunday night, weekend splurges or no weekend splurges I like to cook a healthy dinner of lean protein and tons of vegetables. This meal helps me get in the right mindset for the week, makes me feel good and it easier for me to make healthier choices going into a new week.
If you are coming off of a week or weekend of some over indulgences, don’t get down on yourself! Instead, have a healthy meal that you know will make you feel your best and back on track and drink tons of water. Create the habit to get back on track after an indulgence right away by planning ahead of what that meal will be. Better yet, make it your favorite healthy meal because it will be that much easier to want to prepare and eat it after a bit too much sugar or alcohol over the weekend.
Summertime is all about the cold salads and dishes to pass! My mom used to make a similar salad when I was young, which of course, I’d only eat the noodles. So, I decided to recreate the salad using healthier and cleaner ingredients like gluten free brown rice pasta and the most amazing dressing ever! I used the Primal Kitchen Foods Greek Avocado Oil Dressing and everyone that tasted this salad asked about the dressing. Sure, I could have created a homemade dressing for this salad but I am all about convenience when it comes to healthy eating and Primal Kitchen Foods is one of my ultimate go to’s for convenience and clean and delicious tasting products. Many grocery stores are starting to care this brand which is so cool, but I recommend buying it online because you can save 10 percent on your order using promo code kissbybrooke. Don’t forget to checkout their other awesome products that I love like their collagen protein powder and avocado oil mayo!
- 1 box (12 oz) Jovial gluten free brown rice fusilli pasta
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 orange pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 10 oz grape tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup Primal Kitchen Greek Avocado Oil Dressing
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Add a large pot of water to the stove over high heat and add a dash of salt. Once the water starts to boil reduce the heat to medium high and add the uncooked pasta. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until the pasta becomes soft stirring occasionally. Strain the pasta in a strainer and rinse with cold water.
- Add the cooked pasta and the remaining ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Cover and place in fridge to cool for 1 hour.
- Enjoy!