I love salad, but I hate making salads.

Growing up, I was “salad girl” — it was my job to make the nightly bowl of salad that accompanied our dinner. It got to be pretty tedious… Washing, drying, peeling, chopping, dressing… To this day, I get tired thinking about salad prep. However, now that I am eating a 100% grain-free diet, salad is one of my staples. I toss all sorts of random ingredients into a large bowl, top with a protein of some sort, and dress it.

I do not buy bottled salad dressings. Most are filled with funky ingredients and preservatives, most have soy oil as a base ingredient (I avoid soy), and many of the gluten-free dressings taste a little “off,” in my opinion. Homemade salad dressing tastes great and it’s so easy… But after the dreaded task of making the salad, the last thing I want to do is make salad dressing from scratch. Especially if I’m hungry or in a hurry.

I’m sure this is a no-brainer to most people, but the day I figured out that I should really make a large batch of fresh salad dressing once a week, my troubles were solved and salad-making became (a tiny bit) more fun.

Here are some of my favorite salad dressing recipes. Make a big batch so that you always have dressing on hand, ready to go. I have already posted my lemon tahini and caramel apple salad recipes… The caramel apple dressing is to die for, BTW.

Here are three more you will enjoy…

Smoky Orange Vinaigrette

This is adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay. It’s fairly sweet, and SO GOOD and fresh-tasting on all types of salads. Also makes a great marinade for chicken, pork, or even beef.

Add the following ingredients to a jar with a lid. After you have added all the ingredients, screw on the lid and SHAKE LIKE CRAZY.

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (such as this one, from Marukan, which does not use high fructose corn syrup)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 – 1 tsp smoked paprika (to taste)
• 1/2 shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced parsley
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste (I use approx 1/4 tsp of each)

Better Balsamic

I love the taste of balsamic vinegar. The tahini adds a bit of creaminess to the classic.

Again, add the following ingredients to a jar with a lid. After you have added all the ingredients, screw on the lid and SHAKE LIKE CRAZY.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 – 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• pinch of sugar/honey/agave/stevia
• dried herbs to taste (I like cracked rosemary)
• salt and pepper to taste

Creamy Salsa

I haven’t tried this as a make-ahead dressing, but it’s super quick and easy, and AWESOME atop taco salad. The following recipe serves 1-2.

½ cup prepared salsa (I use Muir Glen Organic) + 1 Tbsp tahini. Mix. Sometimes I add a dollop of coconut milk (full-fat, of course) to make it extra rich and creamy.

First, click here for some REQUIRED READING — the article, “The French Government Wants to Tone my Vagina” by Claire Lundberg, which was recently featured on Slate.com.

I shared Ms. Lundberg’s article on my Facebook page last week but I have been sitting on it since then, waiting to write a blog post about it. Thinking about it. Mulling over it. As you know, I feel very passionate about women’s health issues, as well as the topics of pelvic health  and preventive medicine, so I want to write in a way that is sufficiently inflammatory without being over-the-top. I like a good rant, but I also love my country (America) so I don’t want to go too crazy.

Rather than go into a diatribe about the sorry state of American healthcare when it comes to wellness education and prevention, let me just get to the crux of the issue: Americans need to get their priorities straight. Unless there is already a problem or pathology, the “powers that be” in the US healthcare system (i.e. insurance companies) tend not to pay for low-tech, non-invasive healthcare that is preventive in nature beyond basic screenings such as “well-child visits” and annual exams for females. Thank God for the well-child visits and the annual exams, but really — so much more should be done. What the French and other European countries are doing, with programs such as the mandatory postnatal “perineal re-education” described in the article above, is tremendous. Helping women understand their anatomy and helping them to regain control of their pelvic floor muscles after giving birth are lessons that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. So many American women walk through life not knowing why they pee when they sneeze. How many times have I heard, “doesn’t everyone pee when they sneeze? I’ve had a baby… I thought it was normal to leak after having kids!” No ladies, it’s not normal. At least it doesn’t have to be.

Unfortunately, in America it is not “standard procedure” to be referred to a women’s health physical therapist (or other pelvic health expert) after giving birth. Usually, a female is only referred to a pelvic health expert if there is a problem. And this is assuming she admits there is a problem. We know that incontinence and other types of pelvic floor dysfunction are incredibly common, but how many cases are undiagnosed because the sufferer is embarrassed to talk about it, or (possibly worse) she doesn’t realize there is a problem because she thinks that it’s “normal” or “to be expected” after giving birth?

Furthermore, even if a woman is brave enough to seek a referral for pelvic floor physical therapy — and if her problem is “deemed worthy” for referral by her doc and/or her insurance provider — physical therapists often have to fight for coverage for a sufficient number of treatment sessions. This makes no sense. Pelvic floor physical therapy is low-tech — it’s basically fitness training for a region of the body that is considered a “personal area.” In the grand scheme of the medical fee schedule, it’s cheap. But I recall a number of situations during my years in clinical practice in which women had to discharge long before they were ready because their insurance provider would only cover two to three sessions. However, the same insurance companies will pay for surgery five to ten years down the road their female subscribers’ uterus has fallen out, or after she reports chronic leakage of copious amounts of urine for years on end, significantly decreasing her quality of life. Surgery! Between the pre- and post-op visits, the anesthesia, and the surgeon’s fees, we’re talking quite an investment. Much more than a course of pelvic floor physical therapy that could have prevented surgery in the first place.

Something is wrong with this picture… Don’t you agree?

As Ms. Lundberg states in her article:

I’m going to admit it: I have really let myself go.

Yesterday morning I went swimming…. For the SECOND TIME! Hooray! See my first post about swimming by clicking here. As soon as I slipped on my suit, the following clip from Sex and The City came to mind:

Between family life and work life (FemFusion group exercise classes, my upcoming book release, and various other projects that are in the works) I have been so busy and single-minded with my mental focus that I have completely neglected my New Year’s Resolution of trying to dress, groom, and conduct myself in a more ladylike fashion. And dressing, grooming, and conducting myself in a more ladylike manner was one of the sole reasons for starting this series of blog posts, 365 Days of Fem!

I am facing you (the blogosphere) with full-disclosure of my current state of disheveled-ness: Despite best intentions, I still roll around in my yoga pants all day long, and sometimes realize — as I prep dinner — that I have yet to shower for the day. Furthermore, I mentioned in my Valentine’s Day post that I have been over-indulging lately, and I’m paying for it with a bloated tummy and acne. Today’s post is not a statement of self-loathing or self-pity, it’s simply a statement of fact: I am not looking my best right now. I am not taking care of myself the way I should be or want to be, and this needs to change. I have no desire to be a slave to beauty and fashion; however, in order for me to feel my best, I need to start paying more attention to myself.

So this weekend, this lovely three-day weekend, I am going to do two things. I’m going to bid adieu to unwanted body hair, and I’m going to paint my nails. Fingers and toes! It’s not much, but it’s a start. I don’t know when the “lady” in me left the building, but she’s gone, and I need to get her back.

How do you reconnect with your feminine side when you feel like she has left the building? What is your favorite beauty ritual? Do you feel guilty when you take time for yourself for beauty/fashion/self-care? Let’s chat: Your stories might help others (and me)! Please comment below.

*I apologize in advance for the fact that this post only applies to those readers who live in the Kaiserslautern area — although heck, if you’re in the mood for a trip to Germany, schedule it so that you can attend the following event!

I am so excited to share my e-book, FemFusion Fitness for Intimacy, with the world! It is still in the final stages of editing/conversion and is not *quite* ready to be released for sale, but in anticipation of the release I am organizing a launch party for Saturday, March 10 from 7-9 PM. The party will be a ladies only event (of course), and will be held at Grace Studio. Grace Studio is located at Weilerbacher Str. 110, 67661 Kaiserslautern – Einsiedlerhof. 

Come prepared for a fun night out! Everyone in attendance will be treated to wine and chocolate, a brief intro to the three steps to better sex, and we will run through the “Inner Core Energizer” — a targeted core strengthening routine featured in FemFusion Fitness for Intimacy — as a group. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat.

Don’t wait — register today! After you register you will receive a copy of my book, FemFusion Fitness for Intimacy, as well as a coupon code for a free download of my cookbook, Food Philosophy. Read up before class and come prepared with questions. Let’s start a dialogue!

To sum it up, for $25 you will receive:

• A fun “ladies night out”
• Wine and chocolate
• A fantastic core workout
• A copy of FemFusion Fitness for Intimacy
• A free cookbook (Food Philosophy)

That’s a whole lot of awesome!!! Again, the cost is $25 per person. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required. Payment can be made in person (cash only) at any of my FemFusion Fitness classes or online through PayPal. Use the button below to quickly and easily pay by credit or debit card. You don’t even need a PayPal account! Registration closes March 7, 2012. 

I’ve always been a fan of the Dutch Baby — a big puffy pancake that’s cooked in a cast iron skillet and sliced into wedges to serve. The Dutch Baby is usually a breakfast item, and often topped with maple syrup (delicious) or warm cinnamon-sugar apples… Also delicious. I thought it would be fun to create a savory Dutch Baby for dinner a few weeks ago, and let me tell you: it was a hit. My husband loved it… And so did I. Our son was a little turned off when I described our dinner as an “eggy pancake” (why did I do that???), but he picked his way through it and grudgingly admitted that he liked it. This recipe is adapted from The Spunky Coconut’s “German Pancake or Dutch Baby, part 2.”

Savory Grain Free Dutch Baby

Serves 4

Place large (approx 12 inches) cast iron skillet in the middle of the oven, and turn the oven on to 475 degrees F (or 245 degrees C). Set the timer for 15 minutes.

 Meanwhile, add to blender:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 6 eggs
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried cracked rosemary

Blend, then add:

• Scant 1/4 cup coconut flour
• Scant 1/4 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
• 1 tsp baking powder

Blend well. Next, stir in by hand (or push “pulse” 2-3 times in blender):

• 6-8 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
• ¼ cup sliced green onion (the green parts)
• 3-4 sundried tomato halves, sliced (or 2-3 Tbsp julienne cut sundried tomatoes)

After skillet has been in the oven for 15 minutes, carefully remove it. Use an oven mitt — the pan will be HOT!!! Add 2 tbsp ghee (casein-free) or coconut oil to the hot pan. When the ghee or coconut oil is liquified, pour the batter into the pan. Carefully transfer the skillet back to the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.