Salad made simple

There are two things that caregivers around the globe agree they lack: time and energy.

This salad was one of my go-tos during my caregiving days and remains a favorite today. I make it in the morning and I'm good for the day.

The ingredients are quite simple and healthy:

- A package of shredded cabbage/carrots

- Snap peas or snow peas

- Onion

- Raw sunflower seeds

- Low fat mozzarella cheese

- Those little tomatoes

- Salad dressing

The beauty of this salad is that just about everything comes already packaged so you just have to add the right amount in a mixing bowl to suit your taste and, lookie there, you have a salad. Personally, I'm heavy on the slaw, snap peas and onion and light on the cheese and salad dressing. Again, personal preference as I understand not everyone is onion-crazy like me, and I love the raw cabbage for its roughage-properties.

Feel free to substitute my ingredients or add other fun stuff from your produce section such as apple slices, pineapple chunks, raw almond slivers, shredded lettuce, grapes...the possibilities are endless.

Remember, you are going for simple, fast, filling and healthy.

(A parting tip: to make the raw cabbage a bit easier to chew--and to avoid looking like a cow chewing cud--I sprinkle on the salad dressing, stir and refrigerate for about an hour before eating.)