April 10, 2017
The summer between my junior & senior year of college I lived in Manhattan for an internship. While it was an awesome experience the reality was I was a broke college student at an unpaid internship. At the time I was 21 years old, and wanted nothing more than to live the Sex in the City life drinking cosmopolitans, rubbing shoulders with high profile professionals and spending my Saturdays frolicking with friends in Central Park.
Knowing this was likely the only time in my life I would be a New Yorker I was bound & determined to make my most of the time in the city-broke or not. That summer I packed my lunch for work everyday in an effort to save all my money for weekend festivities. It was a constant rotation of those low-carb tortilla wraps filled with deli turkey, hummus & cucumbers or small salads with turkey, cucumbers, and Kraft Asian Sesame dressing with the occasion 100 Calorie pack of Oreos that my mom had sent in her weekly care package. If I even catch a whiff of that dressing now, it immediately takes me back to my cubicle on the 52nd floor of the Viacom Building.
Needless to say, by the end of those 3 months I was burnt out on salads and deli meat and I can’t even think about eating the same food for 5 days a week. Burnt out or not- like most people who diet I always thought salads were a complete bore. Salads have never filled me up in terms of dieting and I always ended up snacking later when hunger struck which essentially defeats the entire purpose.
It wasn’t until I started to learn more about proteins and food for fuel that I realized my salads were seriously lacking on an ingredient level. Chef salads, even in restaurants are usually the best salad option because they are full of protein & nutrient packed ingredients like meat, avocado & hard boiled eggs. My version of the chef salad replaces croutons with pistachios, a healthy fat, and exchanges a sugar-filled processed dressing for a delicious vinaigrette free of any additives. The pomegranate seeds are just there to look pretty.
I am not an ice berg lettuce type girl. I love salads with mixed greens, spinach, arugula, etc. Trader Joes has this amazing bagged mix called Cruciferous Crunch that is made up of kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, red & green cabbage. Ever since discovering this mix I always toss it in with my normal greens for a little half & half action.
Ingredients
- Red Wine Herb Vinaigrette
- 1/2 C Olive Oil
- 1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice (1/2 lemon squeezed)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
- Salad Ingredients
- 16 Oz (2 Bags) Mixed Greens (I used 1/2 Spinach 1/2 Trader Joes Cruciferous Mix)
- 1 LB chicken breasts
- 1 Avocado
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 1/2 C Pistachio nut meats
- 1/2 C Pomegranate seeds (or berry of choice)
- Chicken Marinate
- 1/2 Lemon Juiced
- 1 TBS Oil
- 1 Garlic clove Minced
Instructions
- Vinaigrette
- Place all ingredients in a bowl & whisk to combine. I use an empty glass jar and place ingredients within, close lid, and shake. This also keeps leftovers ready to store in the refrigerator.
- Salad
- Pound out chicken breasts to even thickness. Combine marinate and coat the chicken. Marinate for 15 minutes or longer.
- Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan over medium heat, cook chicken 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Remove from heat, let rest & slice.
- Combine all salad ingredients in salad bowl and mix. Dress salad with 1/4 of more of vinaigrette for desired coating. Add chicken & serve.
