healthy salads & starters

Not all salads require lettuce…

Best quality olive oil for drizzling
A pile of cherry, grape or other tomatoes
A handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the tomatoes in bit size pieces. Grape tomatoes can be halved. Chop larger tomatoes in the same bite size as other tomatoes. Put in serving bowl. Toss in desired amount of basil. Drizzle some olive oil on it. Add salt & pepper to taste, then mix well and serve!

From the healthy kitchen of Gina Caywood.

Use several kinds of cherries for flavor, color and texture contrast; a slightly bitter frisée or escarole and wedge of cheese nicely sets off summer’s first stone fruit.

So easy to make, and a delicious treat on a warm summer evening...

¼ c. rice vinegar
½ tsp. sugar (I prefer raw organic)
1 tsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. sesame oil
2 medium organic cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters and then thinly sliced
2 tsp. sesame seeds (optional)

One of my favorite dishes at our summer potluck, this delicious quinoa salad is a very loose recipe, so you can include your favorite ingredients for a tasty treat!

1.5 cups of quinoa to 3 cups of water (boil and simmer for about 10 min until quinoa is fluffy; set aside to cool)

Chop up leftover vegetables in your fridge: snap peas, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, black/garbanzo beans, whatever you have on hand.

 Serve as a side salad, starter or snack!

  • 4 cups strawberries, quartered (1 pound)
  • 2 Tbl thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp raw organic sugar 
  • 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

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