culinary exploration

Healthy Eats Brown Bag Challenge (WEEK 4)

It’s the last week of the challenge and I’m proud to say I’ve stuck with it so far.  Even the week I was in Vegas for 3 days - I brought Larabars, almonds and banana chips to eat instead of hitting the casino buffet. 

Since I always do make-ahead lunches on Sundays for the upcoming week, I made one of my favorite salads.  My mom had a strict rule that no matter what we were having for dinner, even if we were having pizza or grabbed some chinese take-out in a pinch, we HAD to have a salad with dinner.  A good habit to have as a kid because I find myself now as an adult always ordering a salad with dinner at restaurants (and inevitably eating less of my meal as a result of filling up on something green first). 

This salad is what we Greeks call a village salad.  A true Greek salad.  As you can see - NO LETTUCE.  That’s right.  It’s the simplest, easiest salad to make and in my opinion, the tastiest. 

Here’s what you do: chop up tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion then throw together in a bowl.  Toss in some crumbled feta, season with salt, pepper, and oregano, then finish off with some extra virgin olive oil (Greek olive oil preferably).  Stir and you’re ready to go!  I know, there’s no measurements… but if you were to ask my Yiayia (“grandma” in Greek) she would give you the same “recipe” so I figured I would stick to her style!  :)

That’s my lunch for the last week of the challenge.  Check out what these fabulous bloggers brought in their brown bags:

Chez Us: Lentil Salad
Essentials of Nutrition: Brown-Bag Challenge, Break Room Not Required
The Undercover Cook: Buffalo Chicken-Stuffed Baked Potatoes
This Imperfect Plot: Week 4 (and a BBC side effect: weight loss)
Confessions of a Curious Cuisiniere: What Does Your Sandwich Say About You?
I Brown Bag: Brown-Bag Challenge, Day-by-Day
Carmen Fitness: Brown-Bag Challenge, Going Strong
Family Fresh Cooking: Top Ten Best Lunch-Packing Tips
Canadian Mother Musings: Caught NOT Brown-Bagging It
BoysNBerry: Sandwiches … and a Not-so-Great Frozen Burrito
Feeding Philosophers: Lovely Legumes
Healthy Plates: Vegetable Beef Soup
Healthy Kitschy Vegan: Peace
Ali Girl Cooks: Brown-Bag Shake-Up
All Things Splendid: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chili
City Life Eats: Day 16 and a Recap of This Week’s Lunches
Cooking Channel: Monkeying Around Lunch Box
Reve Noir: Brown-Bag Challenge Day 9, Repeat Again
The Garden Ephemerist: Brown Bagged
Adventures in Every Day: Brown-Bag Recap
Eating Omily: My Lunch Story

Nutritious Daily: Easy, Peasy Pasta
Chick Bike: Brown-Bag Challenge Days 15 & 16

Day 1 of the Healthy Eats Brown Bag Challenge: tomato, roasted corn, crab and avocado salad

I don’t feel like this will be a difficult challenge for me because I bring my lunch to work pretty much everyday.  I’m personally challenging myself to make a conscious effort to bring only healthy lunches and snacks with me.  This salad is from my favorite place to get recipes (especially for lunch): skinnytaste.com - it was SO delicious! 

Check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge:

Organic Gardening’s This Imperfect Plot: Day 1 of the Challenge
Between City Limits: Brown Baggin’ It
Virtually Homemade: Mixed Greens and Nectarine Salad
Essentials of Nutrition: What I Bring Everyday
City Life Eats: Brown-Bag Challenge
The Brown Bag Chronicles: Lunch On-the-Go
Cooking Channel: Daily Lunch Box
Diary of a Fat Kid: Refrigerator Salad
Not Your Church Cookbook: Enough With the Urban Chickens
I Brown Bag: Brown-Bag Challenge, Days 1 and 2
Eat, Sweat, Smile: Leftovers No More
Healthy Kitschy Vegan: Cheater’s Curry
Healthy Plates: Pesto Penne Primavera
Boys n’ Berry: A Mad Dash for Leftovers
Adventures in my Kitchen: Brown-Bag Challenge, Day 1
Nutritious Daily: Brown Bag: A Basic Ensemble
Chick Bike: Brown-Bag Challenge, Days 1 and 2
Brown Girl, Brown Bag: Fishing for Compliments
The Adirondack Chick: Brown-Bag Challenge, Week 1
Adventures in Every Day: Brown-Bagging It
The Undercover Cook: Take It Tuesday, Crispy Halloumi Cheese Salad on Flatbread