RECIPE | MANDARIN AVOCADO SALAD

Spring is finally here! With 15 degree weather, I am forcing myself to believe that spring is here to stay even after that random snow storm we had last week. With Spring, comes warmer weather and cooler dishes like this Mandarin Avocado Salad. I've been trying to get back into my salad routine to cure my skin issues. After all, you are what you eat.

In the past year, my skin has rewound back to my teenage years when acne haunted me. I had awful cystic acne where I would get nasty volcano-like zits on my forehead, nose or chin. I was lucky in the fact that I didn't get a zillion red blemishes all over my face but life decided to be fair by giving me exactly that all over forehead along with little white bumps. At first I thought I wasn't cleaning off my makeup as well as I should, even though I would triple cleanse! (Yes triple cleanse with 3 different types of cleanser. Don't worry I've reduced that down to 2 cleansers now so I don't dry out my skin). Then I thought maybe there is too much oil in my diet but that wasn't it either. I swapped up my skin regime multiple times to figure out what was going wrong. I searched high and low for the answer and I finally figured it out. I found this YouTuber who explained that it was an fungal infection underneath my skin, hence the numerous white bumps that would turn into red little blemishes. The cause for the infection was an influx of yeast and sugars from white carbohydrates in my diet. It makes sense as I've been eating a lot more white carbs to replace my meat intake. Now don't get me wrong, not everyone will experience these same symptoms because every one is different. So please don't be convinced that you need to lower your carb intake and increase your meat intake. But I really needed to force myself to eat more whole grains not just white breads/pastas which is common sense. I am not just a fan of the taste in whole grains? Long story, short: I've returned back to eating more greens, fruits, and replacing white carbs with whole grain ones. So far, so good. My skin is clearing day by day!

So if you're also experiencing some skin issues, first think about what you eat. Do some research and try to understand what the cause is. I would say that 80% of our skin issues are based on our diet. Then to assist with the healing, look into active oils or serums that will speed up the healing process. But just remember you can apply all the serums in the world but if you eat garbage, it will still reflect on your skin. As they say, "Beauty comes from within."
Anyway I hope you guys give this salad a shot. It's one of my favourites and I used to eat it daily before my wedding and I remember having glowing clear skin! It's filled with Vitamin C, Folate, and antioxidants which fight the skin-villains. Easy, quick to make and wonderful for the new Spring season. In this recipe, I'm using the Super Greens salad box by Organic Girl which you can find at major Canadian grocers. If you do end up making this recipe, take a picture of it, tag @christieathome on Instagram and it may be featured. If you're not on Instagram please share this recipe (link) with your family and friends!

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by the companies listed in this post.

SERVES 2 | PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOK TIME 0

INGREDIENTS

• 142 g of washed salad mix: red & green swiss chard, arugula and spinach
• 2 avocados sliced
• 1 can of mandarin oranges
• 1 cup of canned corn
• 1/4 cup of roasted salted sunflower seeds
• Few slices of red onion or as much as you desire

Recommended dressing: Lemon Poppy-Seed

1. Prepare your ingredients as listed above.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients above. Tip: make sure that your salad is dried using a tea towel or a salad spinner, the dressing clings better to dry salad leaves.
3. Top off with a dressing with a sweeter note. Enjoy!