As I travel this road of eating salad every day for a year (Yes, the tally of the video vote ended up as 365 days of green, leafy goodness - though a few 'friends':) tried to push for double the time!), I'm learning that the most difficult part is not making myself eat a daily salad. In fact, I have quickly learned that I rather like some elements of the common garden salad!
Rather, the struggles come in three other parts of the process. FIrst, blogging itself. I love to write and thought that sitting down to post every day about salads and CASA would be easy work. I was wrong. So many nights, I find myself worn out after a day of work and an evening with a toddler, and the last thing I want to do is write anything more than a Facebook post and a comment or two. Nevetheless, I can't believe I have allowed two weeks to pass without posting! I apologize and will try to do better.
The second struggle is is making sure I have the right ingredients for salad recipes sent to me. (There haven't been many sent to CasaGregGoesGreen@bellsouth.net, but a few.) I failed to consider the time needed to procure these ingredients and the fact that we don't have a plethora of shopping options in Tifton for anything exotic. Frankly, we've never been folks who do a lot of homemade cooking, so I'm having to learn to shop for ingredients rather than pre-packaged meals. (And I'm having to learn my way around the produce section! LOL) Because of this factor, I have been eating variations of a basic garden salad and not gotten into unique recipes. Rest assured that I will, though. I have to make a grocery run today, and I'll plan my list accordingly!
Finally, the most egregious mis-step of all - I have missed salads on two occassions. I have eaten them every other day and intended to on these two, but I failed. It has proven a struggle, at times, to work a salad into meal-times with a toddler. First - a week ago Thursday. I ended up without any leafy greens at home. I should have gotten a salad for lunch (lesson learned)in retrospect, but instead decided to wait for dinner, thinking I could make something up at home. Unfortunately, the lettuce we had was no longer any good. Denise had meetings until almost 9pm, and toddler Andrew was in no mood for a run to the grocery store. I had to go with his needs over the needs of the challenge and will 'make it up' by adding two days at the end.
Then, Tuesday. I actually had a salad ready today, then knocked it off of the table and all over the dining room floor. Aaargh!! Andrew was already at the table and half way through dinner with mom. I decided to sit and eat the rest of the meal with them, planning to get a salad later on as a snack. But I just wasn't hungry for a late-night salad. So, two more days at the end of the challenge.
One thing that I have learned through the days lacking a salad - my whole metabolism seems to have changed. On both days following the missed salads,, I was terribly hungry all day long despite eating at least as much as usual. I think my stomach was actually craving green leafy stuff! Hard to believe, I know, but the only explanation that makes sense to me!
Sorry, folks, that I have fallen short of the every day challenge. It is not for lack of desire to follow through successfully; I will try to do better and will make up the days. I am actually liking the green stuff now. And I'll try to make sure we always keep fresh, leafy greens in the house (and on the table)! :)
And I'll post the pics and comments on the salads I have eaten very soon.
