Healthy Salad Formula - Shredded Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad

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Making a good hearty dinner salad is a great way to eat light yet still get a good filling meal.  A lot of times salad have a lot of hidden ingredients that can make it full of calories if you aren't careful. 

So how do we make it worthy of dinner and still keep it healthy?  I'll show you.

THE BEST HEALTHY SALAD FORMULA

This formula is a great base recipe to ensure that you get a satisfying mix of leafy green and add-ins without going overboard with the carbs or the calories. 

So let's talk about this formula.  This mix of greens, produce, some grains or starch, plus lean protein will give you that hearty salad that you crave.  Then you get to put in some treats like cheese, garnish and a nice small portion of dressing to top it off.

I've gone ahead and given you some handy examples of each of the components so you can mix and match and make artistic salads of your own.  

Salad greens = 3 cups
Escarole
Baby Kale
Bibb Lettuce
Red Leaf Lettuce
Romaine
Baby Spinach
Spring Mix

Other Produce = 1/2 cup, non-starchy, cooked or raw
Bell Peppers
Carrots
Cucumbers
Green Beans
Mushrooms
Radishes
Snap peas
Tomatoes

Grains or Starch - 1/2 cup

Bulgur

Whole-wheat couscous

Farro

Baby Potatoes

Quinoa

Winter squash

Corn

Sweet Potatoes

Lean Protein = 3 oz.
Chicken breast
Chickpeas

Hard-boiled eggs

Pork Tenderloin

Shrimp 

Salmon

Flank Steak

Tofu

Cheese = 1/2 oz.

Blue Cheese

Cheddar

Feta

Goat Cheese

Monterey Jack

Moaazrella

Parmesan

Garnish = 1/2 oz.

Avocado

Almonds

Pecans

Sunflower Seeds

Dried Apricots

Dried Cranberries

Capers

Croutons

Olives

Salami or ham

Walnuts

Dressing = 2 Tbsp., Olive-oil based

Balsamic vinaigrette

Lemon vinaigrette

Red-wine vinaigrette

So what do we do with all of this?  Let's make a salad!  I made a wonderfully crisp and light salad bursting with fall flavors.  Perfect for a light dinner with some crusty bread this salad features shredded chicken for the protein along with sweet potatoes for the starch.  I included apples for the other produce and delicious buttery avocado and pepitas as a garnish, as well as a little sharp cheddar cheese.  All topped with a lip-smacking good apple cider vinaigrette.  YUM!  This really tops the list for my favorite salad thus far this fall season.

Enjoy the recipe below which is a base recipe for 1 serving.  Increase the ingredients as necessary to serve additional people.  Now go make some great salads and let me know what you come up with!

Shredded Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad

1 serving

3 cups torn butter lettuce

1/2 cup cooked diced sweet potato

3 oz shredded cooked chicken

1/4 cup sliced apple (I used pink lady)

1/4 cup chopped avocado

2 Tbsp unsalted pepitas

1/2 oz. cubed cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Apple Cider Vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp each, salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

To make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar with ⅛ tsp. each salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil until blended. Extra dressing will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

In a large bowl add all salad ingredients and toss with 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinaigrette.  Serve immediately.

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins with an Almond Oat Streusel

Wonderful bakery style crowd-pleasing confections that you can make at home!

Happy Saturday my friends!

I'm soooo ready for some fall weather.  I'm craving cozy blankets and fluffy sweaters but the weather here in Southern California just doesn't want to cooperate. UGH!  In fact, we are actually having warm, hot, windy & dry weather which means FIRE SEASON.  And yes, you may have heard that we are having some fires right now.  

Thursday was a pretty bad day because the Tick fire up in Canyon Country broke out and then another one in the Sepulveda Basin started only minutes later.  The wind had blown all the smoke from Canyon Country down towards us and it smelled like a chimney outside and ashes were flying all around.  Luckily neither of these fires was in close proximity to our house but we seem to go into FIRE crisis mode anytime a fire occurs.  

So today I'm feeling sorry for myself that I can't enjoy some nice cool fall weather and I decided to make a nice hot breakfast treat that at least reminds of fall.  It will certainly turn cool soon but in the meantime...I can dream!

BLUEBERRY PUMPKIN MUFFINS WITH AN ALMOND OAT STREUSEL

Are you craving pumpkin yet?  I know you love pumpkin as much as I do, but I have a hard time picking a winner between pumpkin and apples.  So I won't!  I'll just enjoy both!  Cake and eat it too and all that.

Today it's all about these Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins with an Almond Oat Streusel.  That's a mouthful but man are these babies good!  Tender savory pumpkin flavored muffins bursting with bright blueberries and topped with the most decadent almond oat streusel.  I think I've died and gone to heaven.  And, if you are thinking about leaving off that streusel, don't! It really makes the muffin and takes it from good to dang that's a really GOOD muffin!

As usual I make a small batch of muffins so I don't have a dozen tempting treats staring at me.  That means I usually make 6 muffins but with the addition of the pumpkin this batch came out to about 8 muffins.  The addition of blueberries brighten up the savory pumpkin flavors and I think you will enjoy the twist.  You don't see this combination to often, but give it a try and you will be so glad you did!

No fancy paper liners needed here!  These muffins look beautiful with their rustic, straight-from-the-oven form.  So enjoy the fall weather (I'm dreaming of it now while I eat a muffin!) and I hope everyone is safe from the fires and any climate change weather related extremes.  

Enjoy!

Items used to make this dish:

• 6 cup standard muffin pan

• Fall cakelette baking pan

• Large Ice Cream Scoop

• Mixing Bowl

• Measuring Spoons

• Measuring Cups

• Rubber Spatula

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins with an Almond Oat Streusel

yield: 8 muffins

Muffins:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 fresh blueberries

Almond Oat Streusel
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
2 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter 


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6 tin muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.  

In a small bowl stir together the almond oat streusel ingredients and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, egg, and vanilla.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.  Stir to combine.  Add wet ingredients and mix until the flour is just blended.  Don't over mix.  Fold in the fresh blueberries.

Scoop batter into 6 muffin tin wells. If you have additional batter use another muffin tin or a fancy cakelette pan. Evenly distribute the streusel over the tops.  Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven an cool on a wire rack.  Serve with butter if desired.

Bacon Ranch Chicken Alfredo

The ultimate comfort pasta dish is made into a quick and easy weeknight meal, bursting with gooey cheese and bacon!

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This creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken Alfredo is a dish for all those weeknight days when nothing but a creamy pasta will do. It’s totally indulgent, and loaded with all the goodness you can get from food– gooey cheese, Alfredo sauce (cream=yum!),  chicken and BACON. With very little prep, this can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!

BACON RANCH CHICKEN ALFREDO

This is a great dish to make when you have some leftover cooked chicken and you want some comfort food to fill your tummy on a cold autumn evening.  With the help of a pre-made sauce and your leftover chicken this comes together in a flash.  All you need to do is cook the pasta and throw this in a pan and bake until hot, bubbly and gooey!

The flavors of ranch and BACON give this chicken Alfredo pasta bake some extra zip.  This is a dish you can really sink you teeth into and one the whole family will love!  It's the perfect weeknight meal.

Enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Chicken Alfredo



Serves: 4


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat penne noodles (cook according to directions)
2 cups Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons ranch dressing mix
5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 

Add the shredded chicken and penne pasta to the baking dish. Mix together to evenly distribute the pasta and chicken.  In a medium bowl combine the Alfredo sauce, yogurt and ranch dressing mix.  Stir until combined.  Pour over the chicken and past and spread so that everything is covered.  Sprinkle with cheese and bacon.  

Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted.  Switch oven to broil and broil for about 1 minute or until the cheese starts to brown.  Remove from the oven and serve warm.