Strawberry Spinach Salad & Homemade bread

Since I am starting this blog I figured I'd also start some new healthier eating habits as well. I am in no way opposed to eating meat. I like chicken, steak, fish...all of God's delicious little creatures, however for the next 30 days I am giving up meat. We really don't eat enough fresh fruits & veggies at my house so for the next 30 days we are going to get them back in our diets. During the hot summers down here in the swamplands of Louisiana a simple dinner of salad & homemade bread is  more than enough to suffice! Plus my little one absolutely LOVES salads.

Strawberry Spinach Salad:
 Salad:
4 cups of baby leaf spinach
1 cup of fresh sliced strawberries  
1/4 of a medium red onion sliced
1/2 cup feta crumbled
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1Tbs water
3 tsp sugar

Dressing:
1/2 tsp honey dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs red wine vingegar
2 tsp sugar3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Serves: 5  1 serving= 16.3g fat  14.2g carbs  210 Calories

Heat water, sugar, & pecans in a small saucepan on medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved and the pecans turn golden. Pour onto a piece of parchment paper and spread them out. Allow pecans to cool.

Put the spinach in a large bowl then top with strawberries, sliced onions, & feta.

In a medium size bowl whisk together the dijon, salt, poppy seeds, honey, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, & the sugar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Pour the dressing over the salad, add the cooled pecans & toss together!!

This is my absolute favorite bread recipe EVER!!! It's a little time consuming but soooo worth it. This is a great recipe to let kid's help out on too. Plus kneading dough is a surprising workout.

 
 

Homemade French Bread:

2 packages (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)

1/2 c. warm water

1/2 tsp. sugar

 

2 c. boiling water 

2 tbsp. sugar 

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. salt

 

7 1/2 - 8 c. flour

 

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp. milk

Dissolve the yeast and 1/2 tsp. sugar in the 1/2 cup of warm water.

 

Bring the additional 2 cups of water to a boil. Once it's at a rolling boil, add the oil, salt, and 2 tbsp. sugar and stir to combine.

 

Let the boiling water mixture cool to lukewarm, and then add the yeast mixture to it.

 

Mix together the water mixture, yeast mixture, and the flour with a wooden spoon. Once it's combined, knead (yep here's your workout segment) on a well floured surface for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn the dough, so it's coated. Cover with a floured towel or greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

 

Punch down and let rest 15 minutes.

 

Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out each half to about a 12"x15" rectangle. At this point I spread 2 Tbs of butter over each half of the dough then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan & 2 Tbs of the Pampered Chef Garlic & Herb Rub. Roll up the rectangle, starting with the 15" edge.

 

Place the two dough rolls on a greased cookie sheet and make 4 or 5 slashes diagonally across the top of each. Let rise until doubled.

 

Once doubled, mix together the egg and milk and brush on the loaves.

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serves: 2 loaves (about 36 slices total)  1 slice=.9g fat  3.9g Carbs   100 Calories

You can make your bread plain without anything in it, you can make it a sweet bread & add butter, cinnamon & sugar, or spicy by adding cheddar & jalapenos....the possibilities are endless.