I recently had my second (and definitely last) baby and now I’m in the oh-so-fun process of losing all the extra baggage I acquired while pregnant. To make matters even more exciting, my husband’s 20-year high school reunion is coming up at the beginning of August. Ugh! That just doesn’t seem possible. Are we already that old?! Actually, I’m 5-1/2 years younger than my husband, so he’s the old one. My little boy will be 4 months old at that time and hopefully I’ll be at least 4 pounds lighter because as of now I only have 2 pairs of pants that kinda fit and the thought of going shopping for a new outfit for the reunion frightens me. Full-length mirrors are not really my friend right now. To reach my goal of fitting back into my skinny jeans I’ve been exercising when I can and eating ridiculously healthy. It’s not at all easy, especially with a 2-year-old toddler around whose always munching on the good stuff, but this awesome salad makes the process a little more tolerable.
The sweetness of the fresh mango pairs so well with the saltiness of the feta. The silky avocado adds a delightfully creamy texture to the dish while the crisp red onion creates a tangy crunch. The balsamic vinaigrette is absolutely delicious, way better than anything you’d find on the shelves of the grocery store, and is incredibly simple and inexpensive to make.
Fresh grilled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper would taste amazing on this salad. But with 2 little ones it’s sometimes very difficult to even find the time to eat healthfully let alone grill up some chicken. So I often turn to my favorite brand of chicken strips, True Story, which I buy at Costco. They are the best tasting precooked chicken strips I have ever had. I highly recommend them. I like to serve them warm, but they are delicious cold as well when I’m really pressed for time.
Here’s what you’ll need to create this super healthy and flavorful salad:
CHICKEN, AVOCADO, & MANGO SALAD
Serving size: 2
INGREDIENTS
4 cups baby spinach
1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1 ripe mango, cut into cubes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup feta cheese
8 oz grilled chicken strips
For the dressing:
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Slowly add the oil while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the spinach with 4 tablespoons of the dressing, coating evenly. Divide the spinach between two plates. Top each bed of spinach with half of the avocado, mango, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and grilled chicken strips. Drizzle remaining dressing on top of each salad. Coarsely crumble feta cheese on top and serve.
3
