Jennifer Aniston Cobb Salad

Spent the week at the cabin and wanted something easty and yummy, so figured I would try Jennifer Aniston's viral cobb salad -- it was yummy :)

Ingredients:

Lettuce (Jennifer used butter lettuce but anything works)

1 cup Shredded chicken

2 Eggs (hardboiled)

1 cup Chickpeas

1 cup Bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup Salami or summer sausage

1/2 ciup chopped Tomatoes

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Dressing

2T red wine vinegar

1/2 lemon juices

1 teaspoon italian herbs

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad with Veggies

This is such a great summer lunch idea -- you can eat it on the go and it makes enough for a couple days lunches!!!

Ingredients:

Cooked pasta 

Chopped veggies (bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes)

Cubed cheese

Pepperoni

Crumbled Bacon

Ranch dressing

Secret ingredient: McCormick Salad Supreme

Cook pasta and drain.

Cook bacon and crumble.

Toss everything in a bowl and let it chill in the fridge for a bit before serving.  Keeps all week!!!

Tuna salad

Took a bite into Matthew McConaughey's legendary tuna salad, and wow—this flavor-packed twist is a game-changer!! So easy to make too!!  WIN WIN!!!

Ingredients:

2 cans tuna, drained

1 green apple, diced

¾ cup frozen corn, thawed

1/3 cup dill pickles, diced

¼ cup red onion, diced

¼ frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup pickled jalapenos, diced

½ cup mayo

1T lemon juice

1T apple cider vinegar

 

Mix everything together and enjoy!!

Fiesta Chicken Power Salad

B man doesn't like school lunch so I'm always on the hunt for high protein meals I can make him!!  This was quick and delicious!!  He loved it!!

Recipe from: Makayla Thomas Fit - Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 Potatoes, diced

1lb Ground chicken

Fajita seasoning

Lettuce, shredded

1 cup corn, cooked

2 roma tomatoes, cut

1/4 cup red onion, diced

Cilantro

Jalapeno, diced

Greek yogurt

Chic Filet Creamy Salsa Dressing

Cojita cheese

Dice, season potato in air fry at 400 degrees for 10 min - then shake - then 10 more min.

Cook ground chicken with fajita seasoning.

Make Pico de Gallo - tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno.

Mix potato, chicken, pico, lettuce and corn.

Combine yogurt and Chic Filet sauce together and top.  

Top with cojita cheese and enjoy!!

Brussels Sprout Apple Salad

 Serves 10

• 5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2.5 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 5 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 2.5 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2.5 pound brussels sprouts
• 0.63 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2.5 apple thinly sliced (honey crisp, pink lady, or other tart apples)
• 0.63 cup pecans chopped

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Holding the stem of the Brussels sprouts, thinly slice each one until you get to within ½ inch of the stem. Discard the stems and place the sliced Brussels sprouts in a large bowl, breaking them up with your hands and discarding any tough pieces.
• Toss the sliced sprouts with the dressing until coated. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the sprouts to soften and the flavors to combine.
• Before serving, toss in the grated parmesan, apples and pecans, and taste again for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper, if needed.

Skinny Chicken Salad

 This is our favorite on-the-go lunch ever!!  We all like it and it's easy to make!!!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces shredded or diced cooked boneless, skinless, chicken breast (abt 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup diced sweet crisp apple
• 1 tablespoon light mayo
• 1 tablespoon light sour cream or Greek yogurt
• optional: 1/2-1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients except almonds and stir to combine. If possible, chill for an hour or so before eating.
• Before serving, mix in almonds.
• Eat in a lettuce wrap, on whole grain bread, in a wrap, or in a pita.

High Protein BBQ Chicken Salad

I've been trying to look for protein packed lunches for B man and this was great!!  It was easy to make and he liked it, so YAY!! 

Ingredients:

Protein pasta

3-4oz chicken, tossed in BBQ

Bacon, crispy

Red onion, chopped

Corn

BBQ sauce

Ranch

French Fried Onion 

Put in a mindful serving of protein pasta.  Then toss chicken in BBQ and add.  Put in crispy bacon, red onion, corn.  Top with BBQ sauce, ranch, and french onions!!

Easy 3-Bean Salad

Always looking for new lunches for B man -- can you believe he eats this healthy crap hahahaha  He is 11!!!  He loved it :)  It was quick to make and he said it tasted great!!

Makes 6 cups 

Ingredients:

1 medium apple, peeled if desired, cored, and chopped (¾ cup)

½ tsp. lemon juice 

4 cups cooked chickpeas

kidney beans, 

black beans, rinsed and drained using canned

1 cup chopped green and/or red bell pepper

½ cup sliced scallions (mostly green parts)

¼ cup finely chopped celery

3½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

1 to 1½ tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pinch ground cloves, plus more to taste* 

In a large bowl combine apple and lemon juice; toss to coat. (This will help preserve the color of the apple.) 

Add the remaining ingredients; toss to combine. 

If you like, season with additional salt and black pepper. *Tip Ground cloves add great nuanced flavor to this salad

Everything Bagel Cucumber Salad

We needed a quick side and these cucumber salads are all the tiktok craze, so made one up -- it was DELICIOUS!!  It tasted like sushi hahaha  Evan just ate the salman hahahah  but the rest of us loved it!!

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, sliced

1oz smoked salmon

1oz red onion

1 tablespoon cream cheese

1 tablespoon everything bagel spice

Green Olive Bean Salad

Looking for more lunch ideas for B and got this from his friend -- he tells me it was DELICIOUS :)

 Serves 4

Salad Base

• 1 can (13.4 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (13.4 oz) butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 1/2 cup finely minced cilantro
• 1/2 cup finely minced parsley
• 1–2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• Mozzarella pearls

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey (a heaping tablespoon)
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (sub with 1 tsp red pepper flakes)

Instructions

1. Add the salad base to a bowl. Add the chickpeas, butter beans, olives, shallot, herbs, and garlic into a serving bowl. Set aside.
2. Make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar or cup and whisk well until emulsified. 
3. Toss together and serve. Pour all of the dressing on the salad and toss together well. Adjust for salt as needed and let sit at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy on toasted sourdough, or just on its own. 
4. Store any leftovers in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Ham Salad

B doesn't like many sandwiches so I have been looking for something else he would like....this was it!!  He LOVED it!!!  AND it is high in protein!!  You can eat with crackers or pretzels too -- pretty yummy!!!  Great way to use leftover ham too!!

Ingredients

• 24 oz. cooked ham I bought ham steak
• 6 tablespoons light mayonnaise 90g
• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese 110g
• 1/2 cup celery diced (100g)
• 1/2 cup pickles diced (60g)
• 2 tablespoons diced onion 30g
• 3 hardboiled eggs diced
• 2 teaspoons Dijon

Instructions

• In a food processor pulse/dice up the ham really well. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
• In the food processor blend up the cottage cheese and mayo. Transfer to the mixing bowl.
• Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.
• Serve with crackers, cucumbers, celery sticks, or on a slice of bread.

Notes

• This is a great one for using up leftover ham!
• Meal prep snack idea: pack 150g with crackers, veggies, fruit, or cheese!

Favorite Quinoa Salad

So I'm looking for some meals to get me through the end of the school year for B man, and he LOVED this!!!  It is delicious -- we added some feta cheese when we had it for dinner.  YUMMY!!!

• • 
    
• • 
  Author: Cookie and Kate  Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped red onion (from 1 small red onion)
• 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (from 1 large bunch)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
4. Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
5. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

ASIAN WONTON SALAD

I had a work dinner so the boys tried this one -- they said it was "Eh".  They really liked the wontons but didn't love the rest of it.  Dang -- I had high hopes hahaha

Ingredients:

Dressing

2/3 cup rice vinegar

1 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons sesame seeds

Salad
2 heads romaine lettuce, or a combination of greens (romaine, shredded cabbage, spinach etc)
2–3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken)
large handful cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, sliced
1 package wontons
vegetable oil for frying (canola or peanut work great)

DRESSING
Place all dressing ingredients into a quart jar (or something equivalent) and shake vigorously. If desired, make ahead of time and store in the fridge.

WONTONS
Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pot on the stove top. Use pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut wontons into thirds (about 1″ strips). You may not need the entire package, depending on how much salad you’re making. I usually use about half of the wonton wrappers. You’ll want the oil at about 375 degrees. Test by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time and set on paper towels to dry. These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.

SALAD
Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Add shredded chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together. Once everything is well coated, add wonton strips and gently toss to combine.

Asian Cucumber Salad

We had this with Salmon bowls but you could totally have it on it's own too!!  It was yummy and had a strong taste!!

Ingredients

• 1 large English cucumber sliced* about 4 cups
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp liquid aminos soy sauce, or coconut aminos
• 1 small clove garlic minced
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup

Instructions

• Stir together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, liquid aminos (or soy sauce or coconut aminos), garlic and pure maple syrup in a mixing bowl.
• Run a vegetable peeler down the side of the cucumber in 3 or 4 strips and slice the cucumber thinly.
• Add the sliced cucumber to the mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
• Allow the salad to marinate at least 1 hour before serving - ideally 12 to 24 hours. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it will become!

Easter Salad

I needed a whole new menu for Easter this year, so this was the perfect spring salad!!  It was SUPER YUMMY!!!  The toasted slivered almonds and goat cheese was MMMMM

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 12 ounces mixed spring greens
• 16 ounces strawberries washed, hulled, & sliced
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

For the Lemon Honey Vinaigrette

• ½ cup sunflower, safflower, OR extra-virgin olive oil (neutral-flavored)
• 5 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt plus additional to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds optional

Instructions

• Adjust the rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the slivered almonds on a sheet pan and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fragrant and light brown, watching carefully to prevent burning. Set aside and allow to cool.
• To prepare the vinaigrette, measure all of the ingredients into a Mason jar. Tightly screw on the lid and shake vigorously until everything is thoroughly combined. Alternatively, you may whisk the ingredients together in a medium bowl or blend them in a mini food processor or blender.
• To assemble the salad, layer the mixed greens, sliced strawberries, toasted slivered almonds, and crumbled goat cheese in a large bowl. Just before serving, dress with your desired amount of Lemon Honey Vinaigrette and toss until the salad ingredients are evenly coated.

Avocado Chicken Salad

 Needed a dairy and gluten free lunch packed with protein - this was it!!  YUMYY!!!

Ingredients

• 4 oz /100g chicken breast, cooked
• 1/2 avocado, large
• 1 egg, hard-boiled
• 1/3 cup tomatoes
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1-2 scallions, thinly chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped olives

Dressing & Additions

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Arranging the bowl: Start with a bed of spinach, then arrange tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, olives, chicken, egg, sprinkle chopped scallions, add freshly ground black pepper.
2. Prepare the dressing: Mix olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice and toasted sesame oil (optional) and add to the salad, combining everything together. When you've mixed everything add salt to taste.

Mexican Avocado Salad

This gluten free deal is yummy but hard to find stuff with a ton of flavor SO looking for new recipes!!  This was super good!!!

Salad Ingredients

• 1 small onion diced
• 1 medium red pepper chopped
• 1 small green pepper chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 small ripe avocado sliced
• 1 cup (180 g) cherry tomatoes chopped
• 2 medium ears fresh corn

Avocado Dressing

• 1 (15 oz) can white beans rinsed and drained
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups (270 ml) plant-based milk
• 1 small ripe avocado
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 heaped tbsp mustard
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper optional

• Brush each of the ears of corn with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet or a grill (over medium heat) and add corn. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, rotating frequently, for a total of 10 minutes. Set aside to let cool, then carefully cut the kernels off of the cob.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: Add white beans, garlic cloves, plant-based milk, avocado, lime juice, mustard, sea salt + black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) to a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed and scrape down the sides if needed until the dressing is completely smooth and creamy. Set aside. Add 1 cup of plant-based milk for a thicker dressing, or 1 1/4 cups for a runnier dressing.
• In a large bowl, combine the chopped peppers, onion, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, and corn. Add some dressing (you will have leftovers for the next day) and stir to combine.
• Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more salt/pepper/lime juice if needed.
• Garnish with fresh herbs (e.g. parsley) and serve immediately. Enjoy! Store leftover dressing in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It tastes great over pasta salad or potato salad or any other salad.