Quinoa Avocado and Apple Detox Salad

December 29, 2015

Quinoa Avocado and Apple Detox Salad


I’ll admit it, I tried to be virtuous but I totally went overboard with eating last weekend. Faced with homemade Christmas treats, it was hard to say no.
Yesterday morning I woke up feeling absolutely terrible. I actually felt like a Thanksgiving turkey: overstuffed, bloated, and even nauseated.
I was SO ready for a major detox.

Quinoa


First off I hit the pavement for a long run (about 13 miles) — when it comes to detoxifying my system I believe that nothing beats sweating it out.
I then stretched out for 15 minutes before “passing out” in the steam room. After a long cold shower I was ready for a healthy and satisfying lunch.
A salad called my name. Yes, that’s right: SALAD! I LOVE it and I know you do too.

Apples


After days of stuffing myself silly, I felt compelled to up my intake of greens, not to mention that my body was crying out for a reset.
So I created a filling meal based around antioxidant-rich foods. The result is a hearty salad loaded with healthy ingredients and bursting with flavor.
Crunchy greens (mesclun salad to be precise), avocado, quinoa, red apple, almonds, and chia seeds dressed with a lime olive oil vinaigrette.
Packed with fiber, protein, and all sort of good stuff, this Quinoa Avocado and Apple Detox Salad is satisfying enough to serve as a main meal, it is a nutritionally complete meal, and will keep you full and satisfied.
It’s the best salad to get back to your healthy, happy self.
Can you feel the power?

Quinoa Avocado and Apple Detox Salad


Quinoa Avocado and Apple Detox Salad                                                                                      Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

Salad

6 cups / 3.5 oz / 100 gr mesclun (or any other green of your choice)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1 red apple, thoroughly washed and cut into cubes
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons toasted almonds, chopped

Dressing

Juice and zest from 1 lime
4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Directions

In a small bowl whisk all dressing ingredients. Let stand 10 minutes.
Place greens into a big bowl.
Add avocado, quinoa, and apple cubes and toss to combine.
Drizzle with dressing, top with chia seeds, and toasted almonds and serve.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 329 calories, 24 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of protein.

16 comments:

  1. Yum! I am so ready to eat in a normal schedule again with healthier meals!!

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  2. This looks delicious! I'm definitely in need of a healthy meal after the holidays as well.

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  3. So I basically had the exact same experience- eating all the way through to Monday, when I woke up as a balloon of salt water and realized enough was enough (and ran a few miles myself!). Yesterday and today I've been really eating clean and trying to get good exercise and this quinoa salad looks like EXACTLY what I need! :) Pinning!

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  4. Oh my gosh this look so good!! I would eat that everyday If I could!

    http://xoxobella.com

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  5. This an amazing recipe to start off the new year! I love the avocado and apple together, it lends a creamy texture and a sweet taste for the salad! I need to dig into this for lunch soon!

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  6. I subscribe to your philosophy of a good ol sweat session to reset everything, Mike - and salads comes in a close second! We've been eating our fair share of salads recently - mostly because its been so warm here - next time I gotta try adding in chia seeds! BTW - Happy New Year friend!

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  7. This looks gorgeous, and so full of goodness. Just what I need after the festive season.

    Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger

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  8. I totally feel ya about needing a detox, Mike! I felt SO SQUISHY that Sunday I spent all day prepping salads for lunches this week. I just craved a big bowl of LEAVES haha.
    This salad looks great! I want to try and make a different salad next week.

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  9. This my friends is a power packed meal! loved the recipe. Please share some more with Quinoa. love form http://goo.gl/I0qjVt

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  10. Low fat whole food plant based life style alternative?

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    Replies
    1. Don't be scared by the fats. Due to especially the avocado, they're GOOD fats. You need them just as much as you need protein or anything else. Without good fats, your body would eat away at your muscles! So don't skimp on those! ;)

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  11. This looks like just the thing after some extensive holiday eating, and I have everything I need to get started!

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  12. Mmh, this looks so fresh and crunchy, perfect after the heavy meals over the holidays

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  13. This is so so good. We had it over the weekend and are talking about having it again tomorrow (Tue.) so easy and so good. and now I will play around a bit and add some onion, and zucchini or red bell peeper or... Thanks so much

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  14. This salad was really good! Small modifications - used red quinoa and added a little bit of maple syrup and balsamico
    to the dressing. Great light dinner for when you already had enough to eat during the day. :)

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