I did a lot of soul searching over the weekend. And by that I mean I watched a lot of feel-good movies on Netflix and thought about how amazing my life would be if I were a mystical creature… or Sandra Bullock. 

You could say I’ve been in a slump. 

For instance, I had the brilliant idea to forgo my usual cup of coffee when I wake and drink a tall glass of cold water before work. You know, mix it up. Give my body a boost of healthy, hydrating fluids to really jump start my day. So for the entirety of last week I skipped coffee until 9am and drank water instead.

It didn’t work. 

To be completely honest, I didn’t feel the tiniest bit different. I was at least expecting brighter, more hydrated skin…but not even my skin felt any different! As a nutritionist, it pains me to admit this but drinking water as your initial beverage seems like a waste of prime stomach real estate. Not to say you can’t have both, but to postpone coffee consumption until 9 am was literal torture. Actually, starting my day with coffee seems to be the number one greatest way to wake up and not want to commit murder before noon.  

That being said, I needed a slump buster. Something that would rejuvenate my mind, body, and palette from the terrible experience of swearing off my morning coffee.  “I promise,”  sobs gently “I’ll never stray from  you again, coffee.”

So I spent a few greenbacks at Victoria’s Secret, knocked a few things off of my to-do list that had been lingering, and made a batch of this super simple Marinated Greek Salad. 

Also, drank a gallon of coffee over the course of the weekend. That’s two days folks. Two. 

If you love a recipe where you do minimal work and most of the ingredients come pre-cut and in a can, get excited because this is your lucky day.

Marinated Greek Salad

2 large Cucumbers, diced

1 jar Marinated Artichokes

1 jar Marinated Roasted Red Peppers

1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted

1 cup Golden Grape Tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup Feta, crumbled (more or less depending on your preference)

Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid from the artichokes and red peppers. Pour reserved liquid over salad and mix well. Let cool in refrigerator for one hour. Overnight-even better.

IF you forget to purchase the marinated variety of vegetables and need an easy dressing…

1/4 cup Olive Oil

2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (because I always have it and it’s yum)

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Pinch of Salt

So fresh. So fancy. Consider this slump busted. Until next time!

♥Liz