I try to live a simple life.
I am a firm believer that the simplest things are often the most meaningful and significant parts of our lives.
Plus, to be completely honest, I just get overwhelmed with too many options.
Living this out is not always easy to today’s society. There are always ways to feel inadequate and out-of-date if we don’t “have it all.”
Yet, it’s the times that I’m on the open road with my husband, eating a pb&j sandwich and singing off-key to a song when I feel the most content.
I’ve mentioned before that we don’t have Facebook, we don’t own a T.V. and we don’t have smart phones. While this may send many people in a frenzy and feel completely out-of-touch, for me, it’s simply another way to force myself to be more mindful of how I spend my time. While I have a feeling these ways of being “unplugged” may not last forever, for right now I know it helps me to live simpler. I already feel like there’s not enough time in the day, yet I can easily see myself getting sucked into mindlessly watching reruns and checking statuses with the precious time I do have. For me, it’s easier to just not even have the option.
Another way where I find simplicity at its best is definitely with food. This salad is comprised of just a few staple ingredients, most of which you can find at your local Farmer’s Market right around this time of year. Keeping the ingredient list short and simple, allows each taste and texture to really shine through in every bite.
Tomato and Cucumber Summer Salad
Adapted from Plenty
Keywords: salad side entree appetizer vegetarian vegan tomato Greek
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup quinoa
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, 1/2 inch slices and quartered
- 3 tbs. chopped cilantro
- 1 tbs. chopped parsley
- 1 tbs. lemon juice
- 3/4 tbs. red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Dusting of garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bread with about 1 tbs. olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 5 minutes per side, until toasted and crispy. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions.
3. In large bowl, mix together tomatoes, cucumber and all remaining ingredients. Stir everything together, serve and enjoy!
~How do you try to live a simply?
