So one thing we have noticed is that meat is not always a sure find. We have noticed a few too many times that the quality of meat is not exactly what we would like to eat – especially not as a major player in a meal. So, we have found that turning to other high protein vegetarian options can be a good alternative when good meat is not available.

So meet my first salad experiment: Veggie and Bean Salad. There is an abundance of local produce available that is all really, really affordable. It is a great meal staple and we buy fresh produce at least 2 times a week.

What you Need:

kidney Beans
chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
lettuce
carrots
sweet peppers (these are a local mini version of bell peppers, so delicious)
green onions
parmesan cheese
ranch dressing

You can add pretty much anything you can think of to this salad. We were of course trying to keep it to local produce that is nice and inexpensive. One thing you can add that is also local is cucumbers. They are everywhere and so fresh. Hubby is not so much a fan so I left them out.

Tyler added some hard-boiled eggs.

But as you can imagine, prep is a cinch. Chop up veggies and lettuce and toss in a bowl. Add kidney beans and chickpeas and cheese and toss with some dressing. Beans have enough protein for lunch or dinner. And the hubby added a hard-boiled egg to his (I don’t like them) which helped him embrace the idea of salad for dinner and make it a little more filling. Besides, if you eat something like this for dinner then you feel less guilty when you have a chocolate oatmeal cookie for dessert.

I am a sucker for a good salad and nothing like something that requires no time to make (hello – med student here) and is healthy and delicious. Sometimes heavy food plus Caribbean heat leaves me too tired.

Enjoy!