Tomato, Cucumber & Onion Salad

So with two babies in the house, it's safe to say Mommy needs to lose some weight. I lost a fair amount of pounds on Weight Watchers before I first got pregnant, and really liked the program - so that's what I decided to go back to. I love that it's relatively unrestrictive and encourages good habits, choices and awareness.

But really, beyond the whole "don't want to buy bigger pants" aspect, I want to be healthier all around. I won't be in my twenties forever, and I know the older I get, the harder it will be to make a lifestyle change. So that means more raw foods, more fruits and vegetables, more lean proteins, more cooking. And I am NOT a good cook, so this has been and will be interesting. And holy crap, "healthy" groceries are so much more expensive, which is just unfair. But that's another blog post...

I'll share more on my usual meal choices soon, but I wanted to share a favorite snack/side that I have always loved. I worked at a Mediterranean cafe with a friend of mine after high school, and the Moroccan chef there showed her how to make this salad. She showed me, and I've loved it ever since. And yes, it's got raw onions in it - which I am generally not a fan of, even though I love them cooked. But something about chopping them up really tiny with other crunchy veggies and seasoning just takes the "ick" factor out of it. So if you're not an onion lover like me - try it anyway. You might surprise yourself. And if you're really not sure, just use a small amount of onion and ooch up the amount another time.

Tomato, Cucumber & Onion Salad
Ingredients:
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Onion
- Oil
- Ground cumin
- Kosher salt (optional)

 

Chop up equal parts tomato, cucumber and onion. I like to chop mine up super tiny. Food is more fun that way. Top with a splash of oil (I used extra virgin olive oil this time, but you can also just use a little vegetable oil or anything else with a fairly neutral flavor). Shake a bit of cumin on top, then stir it all together. Taste it, and add more cumin to your liking. I also like to sprinkle in a little kosher salt sometimes.

And um...that's it. It's delicious, crunchy, flavorful and super healthy. Depending on how much oil you use, it's only 1 or 2 pp (Weight Watchers PointsPlus). And the nice thing is that you can make as little or as much as you want - enough for a small snack, or a bunch for a family-size side dish.

We've been going through vegetables like crazy. Veggies and eggs. I see egg carton crafts in my future.

I'll share some more of my recent go-to's next week!