Menu Ideas

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Menu Ideas Recipes

Harvest Cobb Chicken Salad with Beets and Figs

Bursting with fall flavors and colors, this harvest cobb salad with beets and figs is a healthy dinner option that suites any taste buds.

Truth be told, I often eat the same thing over and over for dinner. Hey I like what I like and as long as it’s healthy and flavorful, then I will stick to my ways. Because my husband is often gone, I typically will make one big meal every few days and portion it out for lunch and dinner. I pick the foods and flavors I love and that way, eating the same meal never gets boring for me.

Well this past month, this harvest cobb salad with sweet beets and figs was on repeat and seriously, it’s delicious! The market here in Spain has had the most marvelous fresh figs and although I do not eat fruit very often, due to having type 1 diabetes, I usually let myself splurge a big in the summertime, when fruit is fresh, local and seasonal. I have been loving slicing one fig up and wrapping it in manchego and prosciutto for an afternoon snack.

Harvest Cobb Chicken Salad with Beets and Figs

Anyways, back to this harvest cobb salad with a tangy cinnamon balsamic vinaigrette that I can’t stop eating! It is still very hot outside, so salad as a meal seems so refreshing at this time of year. I love making fulfilling, meal style salads, rather than a side salad as those are just boring. This is a great way to eat lots of veggies but still make a fulfilling scrumptious meal, that is even husband approved.

To make this meal simple, look for pre-cooked beets at the store and then prepare the other ingredients and place them in glass storage containers. That way all you have to do when you want to eat is toss and serve. Keep all the fun, flavorful toppings in glass containers in the refrigerator so you can add to lettuce and top with chicken for a simply dinner or lunch!

What are your favorite fall flavors?

Harvest Cobb Chicken Salad

Serves 4-6

  • 3-4 chicken breasts + salt, pepper
  • 2 cups cooked beets, cubed
  • 4-6 figs, sliced in quarters
  • 4 soft boiled eggs, sliced in half
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  • baby lettuce leaves + arugula

Cinnamon Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

  • Warm your grill to medium-high heat.
  • Whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette until thoroughly combined.
  • Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken, then drizzle 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and mix to evenly coat the chicken.
  • Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side or until completely cooked through, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
  • Set aside to cool slightly as you prepare the salad.
  • In a large bowl, add all the salad ingredients. Toss with an appropriate amount of dressing.
  • Slice the chicken and serve atop the tossed salad.
  • Store any remaining dressing in the refrigerator to use at a later time.
Menu Ideas Recipes

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Chop Salad

A blissful summer meal, this healthy Mediterranean chicken chop salad comes together in minutes—simply grill, chop and toss for the perfect combination of flavor with each bite!

Do you ever just have one of those days? Days when you want to crawl in a hole and escape everything that is current reality? Well, I had one of those days a few weeks back and thankfully my sweet husband stepped in and somehow just made it all ok! He let me take a much needed nap, go for a long run in the sunshine with Libby the golden retriever and then kept me out of the kitchen for a few hours, saying dinner would be served at 8. Seriously? How cute is that!

I had no clue what he was making and honestly did not expect this amazing Mediterranean grilled chicken chop salad with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta and so much more. All I knew is that dinner was at 8 and that I was not allowed to do a thing, not even clean up!

And I will admit, I even got to eat in my bathrobe after a hot shower. Yes, dinner cooked completely by the husband, eaten on the patio in your bathrobe might just be my new favorite thing!

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Chop Salad

Since living in Spain we have sort of become olive obsessed, well more obsessed that we were before! Most every meal here in Spain starts with olives and when we are home we have taken up on that habit too. We may or may not even have a whole shelf dedicated just to olives. Yeah we are obsessed!

Olives are rich in healthy fats, Vitamin E (which is fabulous for your skin) and antioxidants, so I am totally down with eating them by the bowlful. Since olives are high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates, I think they make the perfect afternoon snack or dinner appetizer because just a few leaves you satisfied and can help balance your hunger hormones!

We have been loving this Mediterranean grilled chicken chop salad and I love that it comes together so simply with minimal clean up. I like to make extras and store the toppings and grilled chicken in glass containers to eat for lunch or dinner throughout the week.

Mediterranean Chicken Chop Salad

serves 6

Grilled Chicken

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp Italian herbs

To Assemble

  • Mixture of baby lettuce, arugula and spinach, chopped
  • 1 cup olives
  • 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled (omit for Paleo/dairy-free)
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped

Directions

  • Add the chicken to a large bowl and pour in the marinade ingredients. Use a spatula to mix together, making sure all of the chicken is thoroughly coated.
  • Warm your grill or smoker to about 350 ° F. Grill your chicken for about 30 minutes, rotating about every 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 165° F (I recommend using this internal temperature reader so you do not end up with dry chicken).
  • While the chicken cooks, whisk together your vinaigrette ingredients. Chop the lettuce and other salad ingredients and add to a large bowl. Right as the chicken is finished, toss the salad with the vinaigrette. Top with warm grilled chicken slices and serve.
Smoked Lamb Shoulder
Menu Ideas Recipes

Smoked Lamb Shoulder

Tender, juicy lamb shoulder that slowly smokes in the smoker for the best taste!

 

As much as my husband and I love exploring, we equally love quiet weekends at home. Since my husband is gone a lot, on his days off, we often find ourselves sitting on the patio with our golden retriever at our feet, cocktails in hand and with something delicious smoking away in the smoker. The spring weather has been so beautiful here in Spain that we have been eating most dinners outside on the patio.

I have been working so intently on my big nutrition course, which is coming soon to YOU, that my husband has been doing a lot of the cooking recently, and I am so thankful for that! We both love to cook and it has been a relaxing way to unwind and connect together after a long day. Since the weather is warm, we love to put everything on the smoker or grill. I usually will whip up a side salad or something green right as the meat and vegetables are finishing up on the grill. What is your go do warm weather meal?

Since going to Ireland a few months back and getting to snuggle this adorable baby lamb, I sort of felt guilty for cooking lamb. I am truly an animal lover but also eat a lot of animal products, because they are so nutritious. I firmly believe that animals should be ethically raised and treated and have been loving all the grass-fed and pasture raised meats in this area of Spain. I see animals on the side of the road and in pastures just living happy lives, munching on grass and soaking up the sunshine. They live good, happy lives, so I remember that whenever I eat!

If you have ever struggled with the ethical reasons of eating meat, I highly encourage you to seek out local farms in your area and truly get to know your farmer and butcher. There can be so much love and life involved in this process! That is the beauty of eating healthy, really foods and the beauty of the foods God gave us to eat!

Smoked Lamb Shoulder

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 lamb shoulder
  • olive oil
  • mineral rich sea salt and pepper
  • fresh rosemary, chopped
  • side salad, for serving
  • butter cooked mushrooms, for serving

Directions

  • Place your lamb shoulder on a large platter and coat the entire shoulder with a very thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle all sides generously with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary.
  • Prepare your smoker with oak or hickory wood to a desired temperature of about 300° F at the top and 260° F at the grates.
  • Place your lamb shoulder on the grates and smoke until the internal temperature is around 190° F, maintaining your fire and temperature as stated above. This should take about 3 hours.
  • Next, carefully wrap the entire lamb shoulder in foil, making sure no areas are left open. Place back on the smoker and continue cooking for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature is 200-205° F. This is when the shoulder will become super tender!
  • Rest for 15 minutes before opening and shredding apart.
  • Serve with a side salad and butter cooked mushrooms if desired.