This morning I ate a date before my workout. I exercise at 6 am and I am not getting up early enough to be able to have a meal ahead of time. It would probably make me sick too. A date is enough for an hour workout.

Afterwards I had a smoothie with banana, almond milk, blackberries, a spoonful of peanut butter, and spinach. I know the Engine 2 isn’t big on smoothies because they want you to chew. I like smoothies because I can put in a lot of vegetables and fruits at once. It isn’t like I’m blending them instead of chewing them. I’m blending them instead of not eating them at all. I’m not going to sit down with a bunch of spinach and gnaw on it in the morning.

Lunch is going to be salad. I used to have a problem bringing salads from home. They’d get soggy. Then I learned this tip.

You put all the toppings you want in the bottom of the bowl. I have chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, dried cranberries, olives, carrots, and pickles. I throw everything in there.

It takes up about 1/4 of this medium mixing bowl I use for salad. Then, if you are going to use dressing, mix it in with the toppings. I don’t always have dressing if the toppings are juicy. That’s enough flavor. If I do use dressing it is just a little bit like 1-2 teaspoons for a big salad. I add the lettuce on top. The lettuce doesn’t get soggy at all.

I like making my own because restaurant salads tend to be wimpy and small. They don’t fill you up. This is a really filling lunch.