Think GREEN, not just for the environment but for your body, your health, and your fitness. Aim for atleast 1 cup of non-starchy dark green veggies such as spinach, kale, broccoli, romaine, or Brussels sprouts-every day. Throw these dark green in your sandwich at lunch (instead of lighter, less nutritious iceberg lettuce) and include them on your dinner plate and you will see that going green can truly help you stay lean.

Spinach, Apple and Walnut Salad

This nutritious salad makes it simple to get some nutrient-packed spinach, apples and nuts into your day.

Yield: 4 servings

Dressing:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Dash pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup 100 percent pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup canola oil

For the dressing: In a food processor, process all ingredients except oil until blended. Slowly pour oil into food processor, pulsing until well blended. Chill until serving salad.

Salad:

• 6 cups organic baby spinach leaves
• 1 green apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 4 teaspoons gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

For the salad: Preheat a toaster oven to 350ºF. Spread walnuts on an aluminum foil covered baking pan. Toast walnuts in a toaster oven for approximately three minutes, shaking pan occasionally to prevent scorching. Place spinach, apple slices and walnuts in a salad bowl and toss. Serve salad in salad bowls and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon gorgonzola cheese and 1 tablespoon dressing and serve.

Nutritional Information (¼ of the salad plus one tablespoon of salad dressing):

Calories: 208, Fat: 15 g, Cholesterol: 2 mg, Sodium: 155 mg,

Carbohydrate: 21 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 11 g, Protein: 4 g