Ok folks for all of you out there who don’t like to cook, here is a super simple, super yummy idea for lunch or dinner! Each person can kinda build their own depending on what their favorite add-ons are! So, confession time……my family has been in the process of selling a house and moving over the pat 3 months and this girl hasn’t been doing near as much cooking, yikes! I love to cook and I miss it so much, but trying to work out of a kitchen with a bunch of boxes has been CRAZY to say the least. So, here is one of my family’s favorite go-to’s that takes very little prep and can be whipped up in no time!
Ingredients:
chicken (either chicken pulled off rotisserie or boneless-skinless chicken breasts (4-6)
strawberries (splenda, stevia, or truvia if desired- small amount; see below)
blue cheese and or feta cheese crumbles
slivered almonds and/or walnuts/ pecans
spinach leaves and romaine (or spinach only is great too)
other possible add ons: sunflower seeds, blueberries, chia seeds, (flaxseed for those needing extra fiber)
Dressings: Maple Grove Farms of Vermont (MGFOV) Sugar Free Raspberry(1 carb) OR MGFOV Fat Free balsamic (I don’t get it bc its fat free but bc its only 2 carbs!) OR Annie’s Honey Mustard (4 carbs) OR you could use a bleu cheese dressing if you prefer, approx. 2 tbsp
Instructions:
For a night when you don’t feel like cooking at all; I use the Simple Truth rotisserie chicken at Kroger! NO HORMONES and there is plenty for a family of 4! IF you are on a budget you can get a rotisserie for $4.99 at Costco. If cooking your own chicken breasts, I typically cook chicken at 375 for desired time depending on how thick and how many breasts (for 4-6 breasts cut up; roughly 25-30 minutes depending on how thick they are; cutting them up makes them cook faster, be sure to check chicken as each oven is different and you never want to have undercooked chicken!) . I would recommend cooking extra breasts to have left overs for the week.
Pile spinach leaves (and romaine if desired- avoid iceberg lettuce it is devout of most nutrients)
layer chicken, bleu cheese or feta (or both) sliced strawberries, (and blueberries if desired), and slivered walnuts, almonds, or pecans (pecans have a few more carbs but are ok in portion control). Be sure to avoid the candied almonds, pecans, or walnuts as those will have additional carbohydrates (sugar). may add additional toppings mentioned above if desired.
2 tbsp. of desired low carb dressing.
If preparing in advance, best not to toss dressing in until the end. If each family member has specific likes/ dislikes let everyone build their own. If making for a crowd can toss the lettuce, cheese, berries, nuts and chicken and leave the dressing until right before serving. If you toss the dressing it typically helps you to use less, versus pouring it over it at the end. Or you can use the fork method and get a little on your fork before preparing each bite!
WATCHOUT for restaurant strawberry salads. They are marketed as healthy but will often be covered in candied almonds/ pecans with craisins/ raisins and a sugary vinaigrette dressing. I LOVE Aubrey’s strawberry salad but I order it withOUT the candied pecans and craisins. I have them add extra spinach and I typically bring my own low carb vinegarette dressing 🙂 or I do take out and use it from home! and I always add chicken for additional protein!
For a little additional sweetness, prepare strawberries in advance and sprinkle a small amount of truvia, stevia, or splenda over your berries. Place in refrigerator until time to serve. This will create some extra juice over the berries and also give moisture to your salad without additional dressing.
It is a family favorite!!!! IF you are extra hungry add a little more chicken and feta and pile up those spinach leaves. It is VERY filling. This can be done with steak as well!
ENJOY!!