Mason Jar Salad

I just want to start this post by saying, I love mason jars. I literally have an entire kitchen cupboard devoted to them. I use them for everything: salads, soups, sauces, milks, leftovers, desserts. You name it, I make it in one. I have even bought several blenders based on the fact that they fit a standard mason jar.

That being said, this is probably on of my favorite uses for them. I am currently on week 3 of Wildfit, and in week 2 we upped our vegetable consumption. Enter in the humble salad. I make one every morning with my Alkagizer and fruit plate. In my mind, you might as well get as much chopping done at once as you can. I used a wide mouth jar for this application, and I just pour in into a big bowl of  pre-washed, pre-cut lettuce when I'm ready to eat it. Feel free to change up the veg seasonally or to taste. With two cups of lettuce this has 5 servings of vegetables.

Mason Jar Salad

1 serving of salad dressing (see below)

1/2 avocado

6 cherry tomatoes

1 green/spring onion

1/2 cucumber

1 carrot, shredded

2 cups lettuce/greens of choice

1. Make your dressing on the bottom on a pint wide-mouth mason jar. 
2. Layer in the cut veggies. 
3. When ready to eat, dump over 2 cups of lettuce/greens.

Salad Dressings Four Ways

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch garlic powder

1 pinch Italian seasoning*

Great add ins: beets, sunflower seeds

Italian Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp apple cider or white wine vinegar

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch garlic powder

1 pinch onion powder

1 pinch Italian seasoning*

Great add ins: olives, chickpeas

Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp lime juice

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch garlic powder

1 pinch Mexican seasoning*

2 sprigs cilantro, chopped fine

Great add ins: bell peppers, mushrooms

Asian Ginger Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp lime juice or rice wine vinegar

1 tsp coconut aminos

1 pinch sea salt

1/2 clove garlic, grated

1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated

Great add ins: snap peas, mushrooms, sunflower seeds

*I love Frontier Co-op Spices. When choosing a spice blend make sure to check the ingredients list to make sure it is sugar and additive free. 

Until next time...

- Melissa

A long hiatus...

I started Eating Clean, Eating Green in 2012. I was recently married and trying to recover from some serious health and weight issues. I was succeeding. My gallbladder symptoms were decreasing every day and I was down 50 lbs. During this time, I also succeeded in my biggest goal of all; becoming a mother. This put the blog on a serious pause. 

Fast forward 9 years... I had my son (who developed the childhood trifecta of allergies, asthma & eczema at 3 months), moved across the Atlantic, twice, got divorced and pretty much got seriously stressed out in all aspects of my life. This put my health in serious decline. I have tried everything to get back (raw, vegan, paleo, AIP, keto, low chemical, etc.), everything but going back to Eating Clean, Eating Green.

Three weeks ago, I stumbled across a Mindvalley post on Facebook about food freedom. I watched the 1 hour masterclass and signed up for Wildfit right away. Hearing Eric, the founder of Wildfit, speak stuck a cord with me. He was singing my song. The universe led me back, so here I am. 

Over the next few weeks, I will start posting the recipes and research I find most helpful while on the program. Keep in mind, I am not affiliated in any way with the Wildfit program. My old posts may have recipes that aren't fully in line with the program and newer posts will only be where I am at in the program at the time, so use your best judgement when using them. That being said, I hope this helps not only me but others on their journey.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Summer is almost over...

This summer has had us super busy. Between our overflowing garden, coop full of chickens, endless entertaining and get-togethers, and rarely gorgeous Oregon summer weather we have had little time for things like emails and blogging.

Case-in-point: This weekend my husband went fishing with some co-workers, a trip he has been talking about for weeks. He came home with six lovely fish and six yummy crabs, all which needed to be cleaned and prepared for long term storage. This is a lot of work. So are fruit trees, even with our new food dehydrator.

Hopefully, as the weather cools, the garden slows down, and we fall into a fall routine, blogging will continue with some regularity.

So keep posted...

Until next time...

- Melissa

Summer Green Smoothie

This morning was a treat. I didn't have to go in to work, so the husband and I got to make breakfast together. Somehow, between Swiss-German lessons and feeding the animals, we managed to whip up a Summer Green Smoothie. Smooth, fruity and packed with good things (some of which came out of our budding garden). Below is today's seasonal version:

Summer Green Smoothie
Serves 2

1 Banana
1/4 Melon
1 Nectarine
4-5 Strawberries
1 small Avocado
2 cups Salad Mix
2 sprigs Fresh Mint
1 cup Water

1. Peel and seed, if necessary.
    Rough chop all fruits.
2. Add everything to the blender.
3. Blend until smooth and serve.

We enjoy some version of this twice a week, and its good to have these raw mornings (which also include a salad on Sunday mornings). It is an easy way to get quite a few different fruits and veggies in at one sitting. We do not eat anything else on these mornings, so its easy on the digestion as well.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Seasonal Eating

As the title of my blog says, it is all about local, in season food. I will have to admit though, up until a week ago I didn't have the first clue as to what was really in season in my part of the world. I figured that if it wasn't in season, like Hood Strawberries, you just couldn't get it. This, my friends, is not the case. 

As my husband and I were peering over our grocery receipt last Friday, we were wondering how on earth we could have spent what we did. "It's only vegetables!" I exclaimed. "Well, the asparagus was $10," he said, much too calmly for my liking. "But it is in season... isn't it?" I asked. This conversation, like so many in our house, sparked a wave of research. Yes, asparagus was in season, two weeks ago. The season is now over and it is time for local strawberries. 

So, you may be asking, what does this have to do with eating clean and green? Well, quite a number of things:

1. Eating seasonally is good for your health. Fresh, local produce is the way nature intended us to eat. Cold storage, shipping, and processing takes out nutrients we can never put back.
2. Eating seasonally is good for the environment. Less shipping = Less pollution.  
3. Eating seasonally is good for the local economy. Supporting local agriculture helps put money back in other local businesses, not giant corporations.
4. Eating seasonally is good for your bank account. Local, in season produce is generally cheaper than its hot-house grown, shipped around world counterpart. 

Below is a list of what is in season for the Pacific Northwest. If you aren't in Oregon or Washington, you can Google what is in season for you.

As we move forward, a lot of recipes will be tailored to the season, or have sections that say "Choose whatever fruits and vegetables are in season." Our Muesli Oatmeal is this way. Today it was nectarines, plums, strawberries, and banana. In a month it will be totally different. So enjoy the seasons! Eat what is fresh and eat what is local.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Spicy Chilpotle Stew

I recently made this little soup for my husband's birthday party. Everyone said it was "very good, but very spicy", and they are not at all wrong. After weeks of eating bland vegetable and mild minestrone soups, I needed a change. This was just the change I needed. It is based off of Whole Food's Chipotle Veggie Stew recipe, but I simplified it somewhat.

I have made this soup several times now, and have learned to respect chilpotles, especially in adobo sauce. At first they are smokey and delicious, but they have a heat that builds over time. So be careful of this little devil. I hope maybe this soup is just the change you need in your menu plan too.

Spicy Chilpotle Stew

1 cup black beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 zucchini
1 crookneck
1 cup corn
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Fiesta Seasoning
(chili powder, garlic, cumin)
1 quart vegetable broth
1 chilpotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice

1. Prepare black beans. Soak overnight, rinse, bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. 
2. Rough chop all the vegetables, and cilantro. 
3. In a large pot, heat oil and sauté onion, celery and carrots until onions are translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper and spices. Stir and cook about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, and corn. Stir and cook about 2 minutes. Add chilpotle peppers and the cooked black beans. Stir to combine.
4. Add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.
5. Add cilantro and lime juice and serve hot.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Vegan Taco Salad

I promise, up front, that you will never miss the meat/dairy in this dish. Now, growing up I loved taco night. The bright colors and flavors and the nearly endless possibilities. I would mix and match the ingredients until I couldn't eat another bite. When cleaning up our diet we came up with variation after variation on the theme: Fajita pockets (chicken, veggies and whole wheat pita pockets), Veggie Burritos (veggies and beans in a whole-wheat tortilla, which turned into "Flop-o's" because you couldn't roll them, just flop them over), and finally Taco Salad.


This is one of my favorite Green eating make-overs. I added the recipes for some of the pieces I make from scratch. (Note: 1 cup dried beans = 1 can, but the can lining may contain BPA, so really read the labels.) Fiesta Seasoning is a staple in our kitchen, and is in all three recipes below. You can buy it, in bulk, in Fred Meyer's natural section, or at New Seasons. I love this dish, and  I hope you fall in love with it too.

Taco Salad
Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
4 mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1/2 bell pepper
1 zucchini
2 tsp Fiesta Seasoning
(chili powder, garlic, cumin)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Bean Paste*

1/2 head lettuce
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup olives
1 tomato
Guacamole**
salsa
corn chips

1. In a skillet, heat oil. Add in onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute until caramelized. Toss in bell pepper, zucchini, salt and spices. Cook until tender.  Stir in bean paste. Set aside
2. Wash and rough chop the lettuce, spinach and cilantro. Place on serving plates. Slice olives and tomatoes and set aside. 
3. Layer over the salad the vegetable mixture, guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, olives and corn chips. Serve.

*Homemade Bean Paste

1 cup of mixed dried beans

(black, kidney and pinto)

2 cloves garlic

3 tsp Fiesta Seasoning

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Fresh Cilantro

1. Soak beans overnight. Rinse and place in a sauce pan. Cover with water, and add in garlic and half the spices and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Drain.
2. In a blender, place the cooked beans and garlic. Add in the olive oil, remaining spices and cilantro. Blend until smooth. Serve, or refrigerate for up to a week.

**Homemade Guacamole

1 avocado

1 tsp Fiesta Seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh lemon or line juice

1. In a bowl, mash up avocado. Season and squeeze in juice. Stir until combined. Serve.

Until next time...

- Melissa