last august i found this eating plan completely by accident.  my dr had prescribed apple cider vinegar to be taken daily.  this became a little more than  i could tolerate well...as in i couldn't choke it down any more.  i posted something on facebook about needing to find another way to chug it and all these comments about good girl moonshine kept poppin up.  when i googled that (secretely hoping it had tequila in it) THM was mentioned in almost every post.  i looked that up and i have been on a get healthier journey that is finally working for me.  if you want to know more, google it....what did i ever do before google?????  if you want to hear more about my own personal journey with THM, i am HAPPY to oblige.  

it has been a trial and error situation for me, and add in beginning to work full time, i had a challenge on how to make this continue working for me.  i have some regular things that work well and i would love to write about it all, but you can find most of what i do on pinterest or facebook.   BUT.  i have made it work for ME.  

this is one of those things.  i have seen these little jewels on pinterest for years now and been afraid to try them.  i LOVE salads!  but only when someone else does all the prep work.  I love salad bars but they are too pricey for me.  and i NEEEEED more salads in my life.  so.   i decided to bite the bullet and try these out.  I LOVE THEM.  i take them to work daily and they are so good and i feel so much better first knowing i'm eating better and then i feel better because i AM eating better.  

i will explain more about the science behind what i do, but for now (and it will only make sense to those already eating this way) i will tell how i make these salads fit into the plan.  

i have made most of these 'S' meals, which means they are high protein, high fat/low carb.  Some are 'E' but not as much because i don't do well on high protein, high carb/low fat.  

to keep this from being too long on details when all you want is the specifics, i will get to it.  

these can be any size jar.  the big quart size make a nice salad to share or to feast on.  i made them this size first and they were too big...time wise and appetite wise.  i had to throw much more out than i wanted, so went to the pint size.  they are perfect for me.  

i think glass makes a difference in the staying power of the greens.  i haven't tried anything else, but what i have read makes me want to stick with mason jars.  and honestly, i have mason jars coming out my ears because I LOVE MASON JARS.  I DID purchase the plastic lids because i don't like to deal with rust.  

the key is the layering order.  you want the dressing to stay as far away from the greens as possible.  so...what i do and did here is in the order i put them is

• dressing
• grape tomatoes (not too many if your doing an 'S' meal
• zucchini
• cucumbers
• bellpeppers
• purple onion (again...not too much)
  

basically any vegetable that being merinaded in the dressing won't hurt or will make it better--broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus...you get the idea. 

then...i put in either seeds, nuts, olives or avocado, or grains or beans (if I am making an E)

next would come cheese/meats.  if i am doing an E, i use fat free feta.  for meats, i have used what i have or i go buy specific meats for what i want.  i really like pepperoni and salami cut up with parmesean and cheddar.  i have used taco meat and made a taco salad.  i have used left over baked chicken for both S and E meals. i put the cheese in first and then the meat.  

then comes the greens.  this is fun because i can use greens that i typically wouldn't buy.  i buy the big containers of probably spinach and then 'power' greens.  i stuff stuff stuff the top of the jar to the point i have to hold it in to put the lid on.  

i put the lid on and put them all in the frig in order of what fuel source they are.  

you HAVE to get them full to over the top brimming to keep them fresh.  

DRESSINGS:

I have several favorites and for the most part I make them myself. 

by the nature of dressings, they would typically be an S but what i do is switch out half the oil with water.  Can't even tell.  

two of my favorites so far are:

HERB VINAIGRETTE 

• 1/2 Cup Olive oil
• 1/4 Cup ACV
• 1/4 Cp Braggs Aminos
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon dijon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

mix together in a jar

STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE

• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons sugar free strawberry preserves
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper 
  

mix together in a jar

i use about 2 tablespoons of dressing in the bottom of my jars. 

i will post answers to most of the questions i have gotten in my next post......later tonight or tomorrow.