“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” – François de La Rochefoucauld

This week, after a flurry of intemperate eating experiences followed by three days of “road-trip” food, I have decided to be a little more focused when it comes to healthy food choices. Or at least not so much that is heavy on the carbs.

I am doing things like drinking extra water – especially just before lunch and dinner – cutting back on the bread and the chips and the fries, and throwing in a few extra salads as entrées.

No, it’s not a “Lent thing” it’s a health thing. Although I see how the two are absolutely related, especially as I think about what I plan to share at church this evening in terms of our journey toward Easter and the importance of “balance” and “refreshment” in our lives.

I was especially pleased with Tuesday evening’s salad creation, so I will share it here for today’s post. Built from the bottom of the plate up, the preparation went like this:

• A bed of iceberg lettuce;
• a similar amount of mixed baby spinach, radicchio and other wild greens;
• three colors of tangy cherry tomatoes;
• chopped celery
• green olives;
• sunflower seed kernels;
• a little shaved prosciutto;
• shredded parmesan cheese;
• a dozen hot grilled shrimp.

The meal was not only deliciously tasty but the plate presented beautifully. I served with creamy Caesar dressing and a freshly cooked buttermilk biscuit on the side.

Rebekah opted out of the olives, but she was as pleased as I was with the meal. We were both satisfied and at the same time happy that we were not feeling overstuffed!

I am more than ready to up my cooking game when we move into the new kitchen. In the meanwhile, however, I plan to continue to strive for balance and health – and have fun with salads… also the occasional sandwich… sometimes both! – DEREK

“The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books—how not to eat what you’ve just learned how to cook.” – Andy Rooney