Good morning! Happy Monday!
In the beginning here I want to do my best to post everyday (and occasionally multiple times a day), just little things so I have some content going on here!
I’ve gotten a bunch of requests to post healthy recipes, so I figured I’d start with my favorite salad! Its soooo good & you can pretty much throw anything in it since just about everything tastes good with chicken and avocado (sometimes I mix in turkey bacon or use it instead of chicken). Would definitely recommend getting creative with the ingredients because, like, salads are pretty hard to screw up, but this is my go to recipe!
Avocado & Chicken Salad
1 chicken breast (prepared however you like! I really like using crazy salt or greek seasoning & grilling it).
1 small avocado (just use half if its bigger! Avocados are really calorie-dense so 1/2 a big one should suffice, but I’m not here to tell you how to live your life).
1/4 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of heirloom cherry tomatoes ( I get a brand called “Little Guys” from Wegmann’s so if you’re in New England, keep a look out for them! They’re so cute. Mostly because I refer to pretty much everything as “lil guys”).
2-4 tablespoons of Trader Joe’s Green Goddess salad dressing ( I literally buy 3 bottles every time I go to Trader Joe’s).
2 teaspoons hemp seeds
lime juice to taste (it’ll keep the avocado from browning!)
All the mixed greens & alfalfa sprouts your little heart desires
You guys are smart, I’m confident you know how to put a salad together, but my recommendation here is just to use half the chicken breast and half a large avocado (a small or half a large will come out to around 150 calories). It’s easiest to slice the avocado while its still in its shell and then spoon it out on top of your greens! I put everything in neat little lines and then just mix it up before I eat it so nothing gets too soggy (definitely keep the dressing on the side though!)
This whole salad comes out to around 411 calories (give or take 20 calories per 2 tablespoons of green goddess dressing – 411 is with 2 tablespoons). Often times I substitute the grilled chicken for turkey bacon just to save calories if I’m anticipating a calorie-dense, protein packed dinner or I had a calorie-dense, protein packed breakfast. It’s all about what works best for you! I know sometimes people are intimidated by “high calorie” salads or ~healthy foods~ but its all about moderation & knowing how much you’re getting in! It only really becomes a problem when you’re pounding açaí bowls & dark chocolate all day and not measuring out your brown rice. This salad usually holds me from lunch to dinner with no snacks, but if you’re the type who is going to snack anyway, just omit or substitute some ingredients! If I know I’m feeling snacky that day, I won’t add cheese & I’ll cut down on the avocado. That way, I’m getting rid of about 155 calories I can use towards a snack (just try to keep it high-protein so you’re not starving again before dinner).
I hope you guys like this and give it a try! Let me know what kind of other recipes you’re lookin for/ what ingredients you like the most & I’ll try to post some more throughout the week.
:)
Ally