Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt

One of my favorite meals in the summer is without a doubt, Chicken Salad.

It's so light and fresh that it just makes me go "Ahhh".  And with 10" of snow on the ground, the farthest thing I'm feeling right now is "Ahhh" LoL. So I'm thinking to myself...I'd really love some Chicken Salad right now, to make me remember that lovely summer feeling it gives me.

But how one earth can one eat Chicken Salad when she's going through a Lifestyle change and calorie counting? I mean, it has TONS of mayo in it!!

I HAD to figure out a way to make it, and make it healthy, so I Googled my little heart out and talked to some girls I'm in a group with...the main consensus was...Greek Yogurt.

Ok...sure...sounds great! I've never had it and it's so good for you, of course it was the logical explanation. So I trek into the kitchen, chop my fruit, veg, and chicken and pull out the Plain Greek Yogurt. I open it, stir it, smell it (I always smell stuff), and think to myself "Just try it. You like regular yogurt, how can this be so different". I dip the spoon in and have a little taste.

OH YUCK!!! This stuff is terrible!

But I'm NOT going to give up. I refuse. There must be some way to use this stuff and not have to hold my nose while gagging it down...I open the refrigerator and search the shelves. Soy Sauce...ok...this could work! I love Soy Sauce! I mix it in really well and have a taste...eh...it's DEFINITELY better, but still needs something...a bit of sweet I think. I grab the honey bear. Yep. That's what it needed. I mix it into my chopped veg, fruit, and chicken and take a taste...IT'S GOOD!

Thank Goodness. I was really going to miss my Chicken Salad if this didn't work...

So here goes....my Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad...oh and if anyone can come up with a clever name, I'd love to hear it! I'm not good at coming up with that kind of stuff.

Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt

Ingredients

• 2 small chicken breasts (or 1 large)...it came to about a cup diced.
• 1 celery stalk, chopped to your preferred size (I cut in half long ways and then diced)
• 1/2 cup of small grapes, halved
• 1/2 apple (your favorite type...I used Golden) diced

Dressing

• 1/4 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 TBSP Soy Sauce
• 1 TSP Honey (or use Honey Flavored Greek Yogurt)

Directions

1. Chop or Shred Chicken, add into a bowl with the chopped fruits and celery.
2. In a separate bowl mix up your dressing.
3. Dump it over the top of your chicken and fruits and mix so that your dressing is covering the rest of your ingredients.
4. Now eat it up! I ate mine on Wheat Thins Flat Bread Crackers and it was delicious :)

Mine made approx. 2 cups, but you could easily double the recipe. You could also add other fruits/veggies to your liking, even some nuts would be good (just remember to adjust the Nutrition Information for whatever you add!)

Serving size is per 2/3 cup

Oatmeal Bake - 2 ways

SO...if you are anything at all like me, you get pretty darn tired of eating the same thing day in and day out...especially for breakfast.

Generally for breakfast, you want something quick that you can feed yourself and your kids on the way out the door, BUT you still want it to be healthy and filling. SO whenever I saw this recipe on the Kath Eats blog, I just KNEW I had to try it.

I mean, what's better than good, healthy oatmeal that you can actually TAKE with you if you need to?!

I'll tell you what...nothing (that I've found so far)!

So being trapped inside my home from a snowstorm, I had NONE of the ingredients to make this, but Chelsie did, so I lived vicariously through her...she made a version with blueberries and bananas and sent me pictures to drool over (I couldn't taste her's after all because I was stuck at home and besides that...New York is a long way to travel from Missouri...even for yummy food haha).

FINALLY, a week later, I got to the grocery store and was able to make this delicious concoction. OH MY GOSH...it's fantastic! I did change up the Recipe from the original one I found (as did Chelsie), so I will post the recipe for Chelsie's first (with photo) and then my recipe (with photo).

You have to try this...it's so easy (as ALL of my recipes are, if you haven't noticed), and so good and so ridiculously healthy.

Chelsie's Blueberry/Banana Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients

• 1 extra large egg
• 2 cups, dry, oatmeal (Old Fashioned, but if you all you have is Quick Oats, they work too)
• 1 ½ cups 2% milk
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 medium banana
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup unpacked brown sugar

Directions

1. preheat oven to 375º.  Mix dry ingredients, oatmeal,  baking powder and cinnamon, set aside.
2. Mix wet, one egg (beaten), mashed banana,  milk, vanilla, mix well and pour into dry ingredients, mix all together and spread into 8 inch square sprayed baking pan. Add blueberries to top.
3. Bake for 25 minutes, then add brown sugar to top, turn oven to broil and leave in another 3-4 minutes. Remove and cut into 9 squares.

Nutrition: Servings: 9  ● Total Calories (for pan): 1120  ● Calories per serving: 140

Since I'm not crazy about the taste of banana's baked into things, I cut down the amount of banana I used. I also used Unsweetened Almond Milk and Splenda Brown Sugar on mine...BUT after reading a few things that made my stomach turn, I have decided to use up my Splenda supply and switch to something a little less...poisonous. SO when I figure out what that will be...I will post again...besides, I have a few different ideas for this recipe that I hope will be mind blowing. (we shall see...haha) ☺

Trisha's Cinnamon Banana Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients

• 1 small banana mashed (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small banana sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (Quick Oats will work too if that's all you have)
• 1 ½ cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 TBSP Cinnamon
• 1 Large Egg (beaten)
• 1TBSP Vanilla
• 1 TSP Baking Powder
• 2 TBSP Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
• 5-6 Whole Pecans, Chopped Finely (optional) 

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º. In a bowl mix together wet ingredients (egg, mashed banana, vanilla, almond milk), set aside.
2. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients (oats, cinnamon, baking powder). Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into a greased (I sprayed mine) 8x8 pan (I couldn't find my 8x8 so found one close to this size) and add sliced bananas to the top. Bake for 25 minutes.
4. When it has finished baking, pull it out and sprinkle the brown sugar and pecans on top. Turn oven to 'Broil' and leave in oven for another 5 minutes.
5. When it's finished take it out and cut into 9 pieces (if you used 8x8 pan) or 8 pieces (like I did because my pan was rectangle) and ENJOY!!

You can refrigerate leftovers and when you want one take it out of the fridge and pop it into the microwave for about 25 seconds, reheat in the oven, or slide your piece into the toaster!

Servings: 8 (or 9) ● Total Calories (for pan): 1096 ● Calories per serving (if cut into 8): 137 ● Calories per serving (if cut into 9): 122

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!!

Egg-static about Protein!

I know, I know, it's an incredibly lame title, but it made you smile a little didn't it? Come on. I know it did ;)

Today's post is about a great way to get in lots of protein! That is...if you like eggs. If not, you better just skip this one ;)

I'm really terrible about eating meat and therefore, had to find another alternative to the protein dilemma...my resolution? Scrambled Eggs! Quick, Easy, Healthy :)

I know, I know...everyone knows how to make scrambled eggs, so I won't go into too much detail about it...but I just wanted to be sure and remind everyone about them. Sometimes people forget about them! And honestly...they are the perfect breakfast/lunch for the "not so hip on meat" or "SO tired of chicken" person ;) They keep you full for awhile (that means less snacking!) and they are a fantastic low-cal treat!

PLUS....you can dress them up a million and one different ways.

Here's how I did mine...

• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (about a palm full if you don't want to measure)
• Garlic Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder to taste 
• 1 tablespoon Chunky Garden Salsa

Combine egg and whites (reserve your yolks for another recipe maybe!), cheese, and spices in a bowl. Pour the mixture into a small skillet sprayed with Olive Oil (if you don't have an Olive Oil Misto Bottle, I would use about a tsp....not much...just enough for the eggs to not stick) and scramble! When it's nice and firm dump it out onto a plate (or into a bowl) and put your salsa on top...then enjoy your fantastically easy 5 minute Protein boost :)

Other ways I've enjoyed my scrambled eggs lately?

Grated Parm instead of Cheddar Cheese

With Spinach! (Pics of this below!)

Add some Peppers and Onions

Enjoy it inside of a whole wheat wrap

See? The possibilities are endless! 

And don't worry...we'll add other egg-citing Egg recipes ;)

Nutrition for the combination posted above

Chelsie's Eggs With Spinach