When Chicken Met Salad

 Last weekend a special guy in my life was craving chicken salad. I was a touch lazy so it didn't happen. However, I was so inspired by his desire for it on the weekend that I decided to make it for my lunches this week. Perhaps to his chagrin ;) 

One of my favorite chicken salad recipes is here in St. Louis at this little boutique grocer called Straub's. While there are many great things to say about their chicken salad, there are a couple of things that make it a difficult menu option for me. One, they put all the fatty, creamy (granted delicious) things in there that if you are trying to stay on a healthy track one should avoid. Two, the price. As much as I absolutely adore Straub's, it is $11/lb of chicken salad, and on my itty bitty non-profit salary that isn't always an option. As a result I started scouring the internet for chicken salad recipes that wouldn't bust the bank, or the button on my jeans ;)

Here is what I found! 

Skinny Chicken Salad
Inspired by Damn Delicious 

1 Pound Cooked Chicken Breast, Shredded
1/2 Red Onion, Diced
2 Stalks of Celery, Chopped
1/2 Cup Granny Smith Apple, Chopped
1/2 Cup Red Grapes, Halved
1/3 Cup Raw Trail Mix (I used the Serenity blend from Aldi)
1/2 Cup Plain Green Yogurt 
1/2 Lemon worth of juice
Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper

1. Begin by cooking your chicken. ( I used the same method in my previous Lime Chicken recipe last week. You can find that here.) Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, shred into bite sized pieces.

2. While the chicken is cooking, chop up your onion, celery, apple and grapes. Measure out your greek yogurt and trail mix.

    ** Other recipes I found online called for almonds and dried cranberries separately. I used this Aldi trail mix called the Serenity blend. It has dried cranberries, walnuts and almonds in it all raw. It was a great option because I used it here, but also snacked on it throughout the week. **

2. Once everything is ready to go, combine into one bowl and squeeze lemon juice over ingredients.

3. Then stir! Mix until everything is covered with yogurt. 

4. Enjoy! I went with the no bread option this week, but you can certainly pair this with a whole grain bread and make an open sandwich or with crackers.

This upcoming week is going to be a crazy travel week, so I'll be on the go, but that won't stop be from whippin' up a yummy dinner. Check back next week to see what's cookin' ! 

Remember... just keep running! 

TGFMP: Thank God For Meal Planning

This week has been so crazy ! With an increased workload due to staffing changes and a big presentation it was an exhausting week so most nights I came home and crashed. That being said, I was so happy I took the time last week to meal plan and cook some clean, healthy meals so even when I was super busy I was able to stay on track! 

Lime Chicken with Sweet Potato Patties 
Inspired by Budget Bytes & A Pinch of Healthy 


2 Chicken Breasts
2 Limes 
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Cup Corn 
2 Green Onions, chopped 
Handful of Cilantro, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder 
1 Teaspoon Cumin 
1 Teaspoon Salt 
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Large Egg 
2/3 Cup of Cornmeal 

1. Place chicken breasts in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, then squeeze lime juice over breasts. Marinate chicken while assembling sweet potato patties. Minimum 20 minutes.

2. Pierce the skin of sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a microwave safe plate and heat for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop out potato and place in bowl. 

3. Add corn, green onions, cilantro and spices to sweet potatoes. Stir mixture and taste. Adjust to spices to personal taste. (I'm a huge fan of spicy food so I upped my chili powder at this point)

4. Once spices are adjusted to personal taste, add cornmeal and egg to bowl. Stir. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350º.

5. Heat cast iron skillet and heat chicken for 4 minutes per side. Place in oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking. 

6. About half way through cooking the chicken begin heating a pan for your sweet potato patties. Shape sweet potato mixture into patties roughly 2-3 Tablespoons (depending on how large you want them, mine were a touch larger because I'm a sweet potato addict). Lightly spray pan with cooking oil and place sweet potato patties on pan.

7. Heat two minutes on each side then let rest. Remove chicken from the oven when cooked through. Place two patties on a plate and top with chicken breast. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

This has been a great dinner all week, quick, easy and delicious. 

Even when you feel like you're a hot mess express, just keep running! 

Back & Better Than Ever!

 
    After some crazy transitions from grad school to a new job in St. Louis, the last two months have been a pretty intense whirlwind. I am still settling in, building new relationships and exploring some of the best St. Louis foods & beers which also means my clothes are gettin' tight. So here we are back on the clean eating wagon, and on my way to looking good in my clothing again. For the first edition back from hiatus I wanted to do something simple, filling, fast and mobile, since my job requires I travel a good amount during the weekdays. One of my favorite breakfast foods is roasted veggies, which may not sound like a breakfast food per say, but it is a great way to get in extra vegetables and start your day off with a nutritious kick. 

Hardboiled Eggs with Roasted Breakfast Veggies
Inspired by Lexi's Clean Kitchen 

1 Dozen Eggs 
1/2 Bag of Baby Carrots 
1 Sweet Onion, Chopped
2 Cups Asparagus, Chopped
Olive Oil 
Salt & Pepper 

1. Preheat oven to 400º

2. Place eggs in saucepan and cover with water. Place on heat until water comes to a rolling boil. Turn off heat, cover and let eggs sit for 12 minutes. 

3. While eggs are cooking, clean and chop vegetables. Place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper then sprinkle with olive oil. Stir until all vegetables have an even coat of olive oil. 

4. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet, then place in the oven for 40 minutes. Check and flip after 20 minutes to ensure even coloring. 

  

5. After your egg timer goes off, place eggs in an ice bath to cease cooking and ensure a perfect creamy yellow center of your hardboiled eggs. No black rings !

6. Peel eggs, slice in half and serve on a bed of your roasted veggies.  

In the morning just heat vegetables for 1 minute in the microwave, peel an egg or two and enjoy ! 

Until next time...