So in an effort to eat a little bit healthier (but still eat delicious foods) I have been slowly switching from traditional cheddar’s, jacks and mozzarella cheeses which are high in fat to low fat options like feta and goat cheese. The best part about this is that I think that these alternative cheeses taste as good if not better than the standards and I am happy to use them instead! I am also a huge fan of meals that don’t take a culinary degree to successfully execute, and one of my favorite ways to achieve this is by purchasing pre-marinated meat at the store. This meal starts off with chipotle marinated boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are cooked in a pot on the stove for about an hour and a half. I don’t have a crock pot anymore (it was an unfortunate accident) and so I use a soup pot with a lid on my stove top instead. I find that it takes about half as long to cook a meal as the crockpot, which is good for me because I don’t have to know what I am making for dinner as far in advance! 🙂
Once your meat is cooked through, pull it out and let it rest on the cutting board. This is one of those things that is super hard for me to do, because I am impatient by nature and once I am cooking I just want to power through until I am done. However, if you let your meat rest for about 10 minutes you will really lock in all those juices and flavors that you worked so hard to get in there to begin with. Once it is well rested, slice it into strips, that are just long enough to be considered bite size, but not so small that it would be considered chopped.
Chipotle Chicken Chopped Salad
- Marinated Chicken
- Romaine Hearts
- Marinated Feta Cheese
- Carmalized Onions
- Tomato
- Avocado
The rest of the meal is super easy, chopped romaine hearts, caramelized onions, chopped tomatoes and crumbled marinated feta cheese. By the way, this cheese is like the most delicious cheese of all time. It is so good and I have been finding it at my local Safeway in the deli section (and they have been marked 50% off for the last few weeks, which makes it a super saver! Plus you can freeze them and save them for later!) Toss all your veggies and fancy cheese in a bowl and then add in your sliced chicken meat. This makes a restaurant looking meal with very little work.
I am excited for the weather to start turning, because I find it easier to eat more fruits and veggies when they are in season. I definitely feel the winter blahs are in large part due to the meat and potato dishes paired with the never ending football food options! What do you think? Do you eat fresher during the summer months or are you good all year? What are some of your secrets to eating well even when it’s not easy?
