Quinoa Chicken Salad in a Mason Jar

Say “good-bye” to the sad desk salad, say “hello” to this gorgeous, satisfying, Quinoa Chicken Salad in a mason jar.

This simple recipe is a snap to meal prep, so you’ll have four awesome desk salads for the week in no time.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp. raw honey (or pure maple syrup)

• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil extra virgin

• 2 cups cooked quinoa

• 4 cups sliced cucumbers

• 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes

• 3 cups grilled chicken breast boneless, skinless, sliced

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. To make dressing, combine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.

2. Add mustard; mix well.

3. Slowly add oil while whisking; mix well. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.

4. Evenly layer quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken, and cheese on top of dressing in jars. 

5. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving. 

6. Variation (Add 1 green container per serving): Add 4 cups fresh baby spinach. 

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Garbanzo Beans, and Paprika Dressing

This colorful salad is a show-stopper — make it for your next potluck or picnic, or amaze your family for dinner any night of the week.

The recipe makes 12 portions, and you’re going to want to eat them all. Even after it’s dressed, this salad stores well for up to three days!

Quinoa and chickpeas give it a hearty serving of protein. We love the juicy tomatoes and cucumber, but the stars of the recipe are the piquant paprika dressing and the full cup of torn mint leaves.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups dry quinoa

• Water

• Sea salt (to taste; optional), divided use

• ¼ cup sherry wine vinegar

• 2½ tsp. paprika

• Ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 cups raw baby spinach leaves, washed, dried

• 2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

• 1 medium cucumber, unpeeled, chopped

• 2½ cups halved cherry (or small heirloom) tomatoes

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves

• 1½ cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese, divided use

Instructions

1. Place quinoa in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1-inch. Season with salt if desired. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and gently boil for 15 to 16 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Drain if there is excess liquid. Chill, covered in the refrigerator, for 4 hours or until cool.

2. Combine vinegar, and paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired; slowly whisk in oil to blend. Set aside.

3. Combine spinach, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and 1 cup cheese in a large bowl; mix well.

4. Add cooled quinoa to spinach mixture; toss gently to blend.

5. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to blend. 

6. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese over salad; serve immediately.
   

Lentil and Feta Salad

This lentil salad is a winner in so many ways. It takes a little bit of effort to chop all of those fresh veggies and herbs, but once you’re done, you’ve got enough food for a week’s worth of meals.

Eat it in winter, spring, summer, or fall. It’s a good vegetarian source of protein and fiber and has only 221 calories per serving.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ tsp dried thyme (or 1½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme)

• sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

• 3 cups cooked lentils

• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1 medium cucumber finely chopped

• 3 medium celery stalks finely chopped

• 2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes

• 1 medium red bell pepper finely chopped

• ¾ medium red onion finely chopped

• ½ cup fresh parsley chopped

• ¼ cup cup fresh mint leaves chopped

Instructions

1. Combine lemon juice, oil, and thyme in a small bowl; whisk to blend.

2. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.

3. Combine lentils, cheese, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl; mix well.

4. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to blend. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours).

5. You can eat it after an hour, but the next day is the best!

Egg White Pizza

Ingredients:

• 4 egg white

• 1/3 cup pizza sauce

• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

• Turkey Pepperoni

Directions:

1. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the egg white and allow to begin cooking.

2. Place the lid on top to allow the top to cook.

3. Gently flip the egg white and place sauce, cheese and pepperoni on top.

4. Place lid back on top with burner off to melt the cheese.

5. ENJOY

Have fun with recipe! So many options you could play around with. You could do a taco pizza, all meat pizza, hawaiian pizza...you get my point. Never be afraid to get creative in the kitchen.

Simple BLT Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 handfuls of romaine lettuce
• 1 medium tomato chopped cup
• 4 slices of turkey bacon chopped

I personally love ALL the Bolthouse dressings.

Extra tips to save time and calories: I like to get the bags of lettuce already washed and chopped and mini tomatoes all I have to do is rinse off. When I make my turkey bacon I’ll make a full package at a time and put the rest in the refrigerator for the following day. I’m all about saving time.

Calorie tip: Put the salad dressing on the side and dip instead of pouring the dressing all over your salad. You'll be surprised at how much less dressing you’ll use the calories you’ll save.

Sweet Potato and Chicken Wraps

Here’s a delicious and innovative take on a collard green wrap that gives you a complete meal on-the-go. It’s kind of like a chicken salad wrap, but it uses mashed sweet potato as a binder instead of mayo, which takes it to a whole new level of flavor!

SERVES: 4 (2 wraps each) Prep Time: 35 min. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp + dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt), divided use
• 1/2 tsp + dash ground black pepper, divided use
• 8 large collard green leaves
• 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potato (approx. 2 small)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp melted ghee (organic grass-fed, if possible)
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers (approx. 11⁄3 medium)
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato (approx. 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions

1. Place oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, basil, 1 dash salt, and 1 dash pepper in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. Remove stem from each collard green leaf where it touches base of leaf. Pare down remaining stem with a vegetable peeler until it is flush with rest of leaf. Set aside.
3. Combine sweet potatoes, ghee, remaining 1⁄2 tsp. salt and remaining 1⁄2 tsp. pepper in a large bowl; mix well.
4. Add chicken, bell peppers, tomato, and green onions; mix well.
5. Lay out prepared collard leaves, dark green side down. Evenly top with (approx. 2⁄3 cup) sweet potato mixture. You may add 1 Tbsp. of dressing to each leaf, or reserve it to dip in later.
6. Roll up each leaf like a burrito, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
7. When ready to serve, slice each wrap in half while still in plastic wrap; peel

RECIPE NOTES:

• To prepare sweet potatoes, pierce whole sweet potatoes multiple times with a fork and bake at 425o F for 40 minutes, or until soft to the center.

• Leftover wraps will keep in refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for up to 5 days.

1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 tsp.