Melissa-Brooke-Macrina

All I can say is I LOVE SALADS!! Especially during the summer 😊 They're quick and easy to make and help me stay healthy, energized and focused on my goals! This is one of my favs and I LOVE even more the bowl & chopper that I use to smash it all together and combine the flavors of all of the healthy goodness! Here's what you need: Combine the following in a bowl: • 1 can chickpeas (drained & rinsed) • 1 medium cucumber (peeled & diced) • 1 package cherry or grape tomatoes (halved) • 1/4 cup Kalamata olives sliced • 3 stalks celery (chopped) • Juice of 1 lime • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil • fresh or dried basil & oregano & salt & pepper to taste ••• mix together & 1 cup to the top of 1 cup fresh baby spinach (if you have the chopper and bowl, chop away 😊) •••Top with chicken, salmon or hard boiled eggs and enjoy!

Parmesean Kale Salad... Let me just say this, I've had some AMAZING kale salads... WHEN I GO OUT TO EAT! In fact "their" salads somehow ALWAYS taste better than when I make a salad myself! Can anyone relate to this!? UGH! It doesn't matter if I'm at a top notch restaurant or someone else makes the salad at my very own place, with my very own ingredients. Somehow, everyone else's salad is ALWAYS better! BUUUUUTTTTT... last week I discovered this yummy & HEALTHY salad! It's VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE! OH...AND SUPER SIMPLE TO MAKE! Here's what you need: • 1 bunch of organic kale • 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) • 1 lemon • 1 cup raw almonds • 1/4 nutritional yeast 1. Vegan-Parmesean Cheese: In a food processor or blender (I prefer Vitamix) combine 1 cup raw almonds & 1/4 cup nutritional yeast Blend until almonds are small pieces 2. Remove the stems from the kale and the juice from the lemon.  Chop up the leaves (I use my OXO Go...

PROUD TEACHER MOMENT.... We all know I'm a health, fitness and nutrition NUT...I mean HEY, my undergrad degree IS in Exercise Science, I AM a Beachbody Coach, I grew up as a dancer and gymnast and am now a runner, rockstar Cizer and true believer in all things Beachbody because who doesn't like to slam out their workout from their home in the mornings before work and have time to do whatever your heart desires in the evenings!! And come on...what do you expect... OF COURSE I'm going to plant little seeds throughout the day while I'm at my full time teaching job :) Many people have NO clue what they're feeding their children...the box says "low-fat" or the bottle says "100% juice," so it must be good for us and our kiddos, right??? NOT SO FAST!!! So here we are, it's day 11 of school, 9:15 AM, we're about to read a story together, and one of my kiddos was just a little off....very lethargic with quite the attitude...he forgot to bri...