One of my all time favorite things to eat in the summer is a good, crisp and fresh salad. Unlike winter, I don’t crave soups and stews (my other go-to food group) when it’s hot outside and nothing really hits the spot like a crunchy, cool salad.
Since I work from home, salads also make for quick, easy and healthy lunches so lately I’ve been preparing the ingredients early in the week and eating them throughout the week. It makes my days so much easier and lunch time less stressful. Half the time I’m rummaging through the pantry trying to figure out something to eat — usually that ends in me making pasta which isn’t exactly ideal for a beach body.
You might have noticed that there’s a No.1 in front of the post title and that’s because I’m starting a little series on salads! Expect more healthy and delicious combinations throughout the next few months.
Rob and I make a point to eat healthy when we’re at home and as best as we can when we’re out, in fact, one of my old blogs was called Cookin’ Skinny and was completely dedicated to healthy recipes. Now that summer is in full swing, I’ve been cooking a lot more and making some really tasty creations that I wanted to share with you guys!
I think we can all agree that eating a little healthier never hurt anyone, so hopefully you guys enjoy this series and get inspired to make some healthy meals of your own!
This salad is one that I make pretty often so I figured it’d be a good one to start with! I love adding quinoa to salads for the extra protein and avocado for the creaminess! This vinaigrette is one of my favorites too and is a great one to make and keep stored in the refrigerator because it’s mild and tastes delicious on almost any salad!
Quinoa Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Salad (for 1 portion):
2 handfuls baby arugula
a few rings of thinly sliced onion
2-3 Tbsp cooked and chilled quinoa
1/3 grilled chicken breast, sliced
1/4 avocado, sliced
1 Tbsp crushed dry-roasted almonds
Vinaigrette (makes several servings):
1 Tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine all salad ingredients through quinoa in a bowl.
Meanwhile combine salad dressing vinaigrette in a jar with a air-tight lid. Shake until combined.
Drizzle a little bit of vinaigrette on salad and toss to combine.
Plate and top with chicken, avocado and crushed almonds.
Do you eat salads regularly? What’s your go-to salad combination?
BTW, this heirloom tomato salad and 6 yoga poses for strong abs.
