{"id":9004111223101567,"date":"2016-04-05T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.healthcoachinstitute.com\/?p=997"},"modified":"2022-01-20T16:14:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T16:14:28","slug":"the-best-protein-packed-spring-squash-salad-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.php85.healthcoachinstitute.com\/articles\/the-best-protein-packed-spring-squash-salad-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Protein Packed Spring Squash Salad Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s spring! And that means the soil is rich and fresh produce is abundant and flowers are blooming all over the place. There is no better time of year to get inspired by the thought of eating a healthy, nutrient-rich, protein-packed salad. Hang on\u2026 did we say protein-packed salad? Yep. Nowadays the idea of a salad made with a bed of pale iceberg lettuce and a few pieces of chopped up half-green tomato and too-cold cucumber is so pass\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Salads are the new steak! You can start building your salad on a bed of uber-healthy grain like quinoa\u2014an ancient seed (yup, it\u2019s considered a seed not a grain) that originated in the Andean regions of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. If you\u2019ve ever heard anyone glorify quinoa as a \u201ccomplete protein\u201d what this really means is that it\u2019s loaded with all 9 essential amino acids that are so good for your health you could eat quinoa for breakfast, lunch and dinner and be oozing health. To give you an idea: 1 cup of quinoa has eight grams of protein. WOW. Who needs chicken breasts anyway?<\/p>\n

Add to that bed of quinoa, a cup or 2 of roasted, steamed or boiled bright orange butternut squash (with the skin,) which is packed with Vitamins A & C, fiber and folate and you\u2019ll be rocking it. Winter squash grows in\u2026 winter so it\u2019s the perfect spring veggie to piggy-back on for spring. Plus, it\u2019s starchy, which makes it filling to your tummy. Add to that fresh goat cheese, which has 6 grams of protein per ounce and is way less allergy prone than cow\u2019s milk cheese and you\u2019ll be baaa-ing your way through the day.<\/p>\n

This salad wouldn\u2019t be called protein-packed if it weren\u2019t for the final punch which is pumpkin seeds (raw and unsalted are best). These superpower seeds have about 6 grams of protein in a handful! Wow. Last but not least take a bunch of fresh, green vitamin-boosted herbs like cilantro or parsley (by \u2018bunch\u2019 we mean a big handful) and chop it up quick-quick and toss it all over your salad. Pour over a big glug of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and a giant squeeze of a lemon (the whole thing), a pinch of salt and pepper and voila!<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need to make The Best Protein Packed Spring Squash Salad Ever:<\/p>\n

Prep time: 20 minutes<\/h5>\n