Mediterranean Sunset Salad

Did you overeat last weekend as much as I did? Too many rich and buttery foods like creamy mashed potatoes and pecan pie? If your pants are feeling a little snug, it might be time for a little dietary cleansing before the holiday parties and cookie exchanges begin. I find that we all need a little help recalibrating our diets back to healthy eating after a food-oriented holiday or family vacation. Even the kids have to relearn that we don't usually eat cookies and chocolate all day long and that every meal and outing doesn't need to include dessert or treats. Here are a few of my favorite ways to get our healthy eating back on track after a vacation or holiday like Thanksgiving:

• Drink lots of water and tea (or water and skim milk for the kids).
• Walk and move as much as possible to burn off all those extra calories.
• Cut out sweets for a few days to curb our sweet teeth.
• Keep between-meal snacking to fruits, vegetables, and light and healthy snacks like popcorn and fruit smoothies.
• Fill our plates with plenty of vegetables and lean proteins.

This salad is not only colorful and lovely to look at, but is also full of fiber, protein, antioxidants, and (most importantly!) flavor. If your kids haven't taken to eating salads yet, here are two suggestions for making them part of this healthy meal:

• Make a plate for them with all of the elements of the salad served separately, with a little dressing for dipping in the middle.
• Make a teeny tiny composed salad on a plate with just a bite of each salad ingredient. They may find this method so appealing that they will enjoy their tiny salad and ask for more (thanks to Six O'Clock Scramble subscriber Diana Molavi for this idea.) They might also like eating their salad components with a toothpick or tiny fork.

I'd love to hear how you combat holiday overindulgence in your home. Please share in comments below.