Delicious and Healthy Mediterranean Veggie Salad

When I get sick of eating turkey sandwiches, my fall-back lunch choice is usually some sort of salad. This can be boring and usually ends up leaving me hungry again in a couple of hours. This week I made a lettuce-free salad, in bulk, with tons of protein to keep my energy up. I like to have a week's worth of some sort of lunch items in my fridge to keep me from going out for lunch during the work week so preparing in bulk is super helpful. Having lunch out can get expensive and unhealthy really fast. By making sure that I have healthy, homemade options ready to go I can a) save money and b) eat healthily. This make me happy because I know that I should be eating well, and it helps me save money & calories for shopping and cocktail-drinking, respectively. Now you see where my priorities lie.

Seriously though, this salad is so delicious and it looks just beautiful. Since I went with chick peas, I felt that I should commit fully to the Mediterranean vibe. Before I knew it there was olive oil and feta aplenty, and my lunch for the week was ready to go.

Here's what I used:

 Mediterranean Veggie Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup of grape tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 medium-sized cucumber, diced
1 15oz can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup of parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste (optional substitute for salt: garlic salt)


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, tossing well, and season with salt & pepper to taste. Pop into the fridge to chill.

Tip:  Choose a bowl that has a lid. This way you can keep it fresh in the fridge all week so you have daily lunches on hand.

This is a super easy and healthy lunch choice and can easily be adapted for the vegan crowd (just leave out the feta). Surprisingly this good-for-you recipe is really tasty and satisfying. It makes you feel alright about downing a couple dirty martinis (extra dirty, extra olives!)...or is that just me!?

Love,

Michele