Healthy Lemon Almond Chicken Salad

Aug 26, 2015

So, I had this post all written and ready to publish, then it mysteriously disappeared. Like, hit save and *poof*—everything was gone. So you’ll have to take my word that it was probably the most interesting, witty piece of food writing known to man.

Or probably not. Guys, my brain is totally fried. Looooong hours, too much on my plate, getting ready for travel, not sleeping well. I know from experience that the way I’m living right now is a no-fail recipe for gaining weight (I have last fall to prove it). I’ve had absolutely no time or energy to cook, but I knew that if I didn’t make something I’d end up having a Farm Burger #4 chicken burger every day for lunch. Which…hello, 15 pounds.

So this caught my eye a few weeks ago. I’m a sucker for chicken salad. All of it. All the kinds. But I tend to be lazy about making it, because it takes a number of ingredients and then I eat it so fast. Plus, it’s not always the healthiest.

The ingredients for this chicken salad were super simple. And more importantly, healthy. I didn’t even cook my own chicken breasts. Just saute up cooked chicken with some spices, zest the lemon, slice the scallions, and you’re rockin’ and rollin’. It’s light and fresh and perfect for August in Georgia (and a healthy work lunch).

Whole 30-Approved Avocado Sonoma Chicken Salad

Apr 18, 2015

I’m a sucker for chicken salad. Regular chicken salad, Sonoma wine country chicken salad, curried chicken salad, chicken salad with bits of pineapple, with mayo, without mayo—literally, I have yet to find one I don’t like.

I’ve posted my absolute favorite chicken salad recipe, the best I’ve ever had. But it also isn’t necessarily the *healthiest* one. This one, however, might be.

I haven’t done Whole 30 myself, though I’ve thought about it. Honestly I can’t commit myself to a month of anything that requires drastic change, not with my insane work schedule. I like the idea, though, for the most part…except giving up wine, that’s just CRAY.

This chicken salad has no mayo and is chock full of whole, raw ingredients. It brings fiber, healthy fats, and a one-two protein punch from the chicken and pecans to the party. I devoured it on my little Trader Joe’s 12-grain crackers for lunch a few days in a row, and found it satiating and tasteeeee!

Most Popular Recipes in 2013

Jan 4, 2014

2013 was a pretty crazy year for me on several fronts. Including an insane year at work, I bought my first home, which was a huge learning experience and has been pretty amazing. (Also stressful…I mean, when my garbage disposal threatens to go out, I have to fix that nonsense myself. Ugh, being a grown-up.) I struggled with major hip pain, which led me to have what is still considered a fairly experimental hip surgery mid-year. The second half of my year was largely focused on recovering from that, and pushing myself to put in the time and effort at getting stronger and healing. I walk/jogged 3 miles in 34 minutes this week and took my first hot yoga class in a year, so I’m really proud of how hard I’ve worked to get there.

And then there’s this blog, which blew my mind this year by growing exponentially. Seriously, visits grew over 1200% in 2013 (that’s insane!), without me doing anything that different. What was surprising is that some of the most popular recipes in 2013 were some of the ones I posted back in 2012. So in case you missed some of these, here are the top 10 recipes everyone seemed obsessed with in 2013. Excited to see what delicious goodness 2014 has in store!

Baked Potato Soup (a.k.a. the best soup ever!)

I don’t accept soup as an actual meal, but this stuff is amazing and easy and healthy. Also, bacon garnish.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

Again, easy (check), fairly healthy (check), crockpot (check), bacon (check)…I’m sensing a theme here.

Roasted Okra

Mmmm, okra. Tastes just as good as fried, and okra’s surprisingly awesome for you.

No-Bake Cookies a.k.a. Haystacks

You can never go wrong with no-bake. Or a peanut butter-chocolate combo.

Best chicken salad in the world (Aunt Tina’s Chicken Salad)

Jun 6, 2012

I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know chicken salad existed when I was growing up (now, TUNA salad I was familiar with…). But when I moved to Atlanta and began having catered rep lunches, I fell in love with it. The best part is how many variations there are. There’s regular, Southern-style, with mustard, with curry, Waldorf, just about anything really.

We were in Texas visiting family four or five years ago, and my Aunt Tina (who has other amazing talents, like cake baking/decorating) made this chicken salad. It’s in the (Blair) Waldorf family, and is the best chicken salad I have EVER had in my life. The combination of cider vinegar, honey, and white pepper in the dressing is the secret, I think.

It’s like crack. Sweet, tangy, mayo-covered crack.

My mom and I both begged the recipe off of her, and have made it a few times—including about 8 gallons of it (no, seriously) for my sister’s wedding reception dinner. It’s really easy, though kind of time consuming and makes quite a bit. Great for big groups, like picnics and family get-togethers.