This may look very basic to you... but remember, this is coming from a girl who wouldn't voluntarily eat a salad a year ago... So this is a big step!
Inspired by the delicious Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken from Cafe d'Italia on the square in Chambersburg, PA...
Their salad includes fresh spinach, red onion, tomato, mushrooms, egg and bacon. I add their tasty and fresh grilled chicken on top, and it's just mouth-watering!
Inspired by the delicious Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken from Cafe d'Italia on the square in Chambersburg, PA...
Their salad includes fresh spinach, red onion, tomato, mushrooms, egg and bacon. I add their tasty and fresh grilled chicken on top, and it's just mouth-watering!
Even though I've gotten behind on my weekly new vegetable, I have been incorporating some of my favorite experiments into weekly meals, but I've even been trying to make salad about once a week! This is what was in last week's salad, but it varies, depending on what I have on hand.
Some of my other faves to throw in the mix are cucumber, peppers, parm cheese and we like the tortilla strips instead of croutons. Brandon actually loves to add fresh sliced hot peppers to his salad too.
Some of my other faves to throw in the mix are cucumber, peppers, parm cheese and we like the tortilla strips instead of croutons. Brandon actually loves to add fresh sliced hot peppers to his salad too.
I haven't mastered the completely veggie salad though, so to help my carnivorous side, I need some protein mixed in to feel like I'm eating a meal... via chicken, bacon and/or hard-boiled egg! Just saute the chicken with some Italian or Greek dressing!
Lovin my salad, with my current fave dressing: Gazebo Room Greek! Yumm!
Lovin my salad, with my current fave dressing: Gazebo Room Greek! Yumm!
Coming from a picky eater, here's my fave salad concoction:
Again, making salad is probably basic to most of you out there, but I had to research quite a bit to find ways that I would like salad... Here's a few of my not-so-professional tips:
* If the chicken breasts are thick, cut them in half before marinating/cooking so they cook through faster.
* My preferred marinade is Italian dressing. Supposedly the acidity in the dressing helps to break down the meat and make it more tender. I just think it tastes good.
* Saute chicken breasts on high heat, add a little extra Italian dressing if it cooks off or chicken sticks to pan. A little carmelization or browning on the chicken is perfectly fine and delicious!
* After chicken is cooked, transfer to a container and plop it in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting. This helps stop the cooking and lock in the moisture. (Don't put a hot container or anything that it will thaw! I look for an empty spot on the shelf.)
* When cutting the cooled chicken, cut into thin slices on a diagonal and against the grain. I found that this is more like what you get in a restaurant, and by cutting against the grain, you get nice pieces that you can easily break apart with your fork in the salad and you won't need a knife to get through those pieces.
* Make sure those veggies are diced or cut into bite-sized pieces to avoid having to cut into smaller pieces once in your bowl.
* In order to get your salad more evenly covered with your dressing, put a little squirt in the bottom of your empty bowl. By having some dressing on the bottom, and add a little more on top at the end - it's much easier to mix it up in your bowl to get everything covered! (A handy trick from my husband...)
* If you prep all of these items at the beginning of the week, it's quite easy to throw together little lunch-time salads for the rest of the week!
- Grilled or sauteed chicken (marinated in Italian dressing or whatever's on hand...)
- Fresh crumbled bacon
- Sliced hard-boiled eggs (one of those slicer gadgets is absolutely wonderful here)
- Baby spinach leaves (much sturdier, tastier, and nutritious than lettuce)
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Diced bell peppers
- Diced onions
- Diced baby portabellos
- Dash of parm cheese
- Pinch of tortilla strips (The size/texture fit so much more nicely than a big ol' crouton, and they're a little zestier too!
- Splash of Gazebo greek dressing (or any dressing, this is just my fave right now!)
Again, making salad is probably basic to most of you out there, but I had to research quite a bit to find ways that I would like salad... Here's a few of my not-so-professional tips:
* If the chicken breasts are thick, cut them in half before marinating/cooking so they cook through faster.
* My preferred marinade is Italian dressing. Supposedly the acidity in the dressing helps to break down the meat and make it more tender. I just think it tastes good.
* Saute chicken breasts on high heat, add a little extra Italian dressing if it cooks off or chicken sticks to pan. A little carmelization or browning on the chicken is perfectly fine and delicious!
* After chicken is cooked, transfer to a container and plop it in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting. This helps stop the cooking and lock in the moisture. (Don't put a hot container or anything that it will thaw! I look for an empty spot on the shelf.)
* When cutting the cooled chicken, cut into thin slices on a diagonal and against the grain. I found that this is more like what you get in a restaurant, and by cutting against the grain, you get nice pieces that you can easily break apart with your fork in the salad and you won't need a knife to get through those pieces.
* Make sure those veggies are diced or cut into bite-sized pieces to avoid having to cut into smaller pieces once in your bowl.
* In order to get your salad more evenly covered with your dressing, put a little squirt in the bottom of your empty bowl. By having some dressing on the bottom, and add a little more on top at the end - it's much easier to mix it up in your bowl to get everything covered! (A handy trick from my husband...)
* If you prep all of these items at the beginning of the week, it's quite easy to throw together little lunch-time salads for the rest of the week!
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