Recipe: Chicken Salad with Grapes

🍇 This is a lunch you’ll look forward to!

Serve this on top of a piece of sprouted grain bread, over salad greens, or in a wrap.

Make 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (115 g) plain Greek yogurt

• ⅓ cup (75 g) mayonnaise made with olive oil

• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• ½ tsp sea salt

• Pinch of dried ginger

• 3 cups (420 g) cooked chicken, chopped

• 1½ cup (145 g) seedless grapes, cut in half

• 2 stalks of celery, diced

• ½ cup (60 g) pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayo, dill, lemon juice, salt, and ginger until it forms a dressing. Stir in the chicken, grapes, and celery. Sprinkle nuts over the top.

2. You can serve this immediately (at room temperature) or chilled. Delicious!

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Merinka from Getty Images

Recipe: Chopped Mediterranean Salad

🥗 I’ve kept the ingredients short in this tasty salad recipe, but feel free to add chopped carrots, avocados, your favorite lettuce, or any other veggies you have on hand.

Makes 4 side dish salads.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber, chopped

• 6 cherry tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 bell pepper, red or yellow, chopped

• ½ red onion, chopped 

• ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 

• Juice of 1 lemon 

• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the cucumber, tomatoes, celery, pepper, onion, and olives in a medium bowl. Gently combine.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat. Simple, fresh, and healthy! 

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Vladimir Mironov 

Recipe: Beet Salad

💡This recipe uses a secret time-saving trick … PREcooked beets! You can find them right in your grocery produce section.

Or, you can buy fresh beets and roast them yourself – just scrub them, place in a foil packet, and roast until tender at 400ºF/200ºC for 45-60 minutes. 

Either way, this recipe is a winner and is great chilled or at room temperature!

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium beets

• 1 large carrot, finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp honey

• ½ tsp sea salt

• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the beets into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes and place in a large serving bowl along with the carrot and celery.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, sea salt, and pepper. Pour over the beets and toss until the veggies are fully coated. Enjoy!

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Yana Gayvoronskaya 

Recipe: Lucky Black-Eyed Peas Salad

🤩This salad is packed with protein … and also makes for a GREAT meal prep recipe. 

Tip: It tastes even better if you make this at least 8 hours ahead of time.

You can keep it plant-based … or you can add a can of tuna or shredded chicken to boost the protein content!

Makes 2 main servings or 4 side servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 15 ounce (425 g) cans black-eyed peas

• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped

• 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped

• ½ red onion, diced

• 1 carrot, chopped

• 1 stalk celery, chopped

• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped

• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Toss the peas, tomato, bell pepper, onion, carrot, celery, and parsley together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture into the vegetables. Cover well and place in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours) before serving. Delicious!!

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by caratt from Getty Images

Recipe: Monkey Salad

Have you ever heard of Monkey Salad before? It’s a weird name for a fun fruit-and-nut salad that contains bananas.

This makes a great snack for anyone – kids really love it! – and you can customize it to suit whatever you have on hand.

Swap out the nuts, change the fruits, experiment with different nut butters … it’s all good (and delicious!).

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, sliced

• ½ cup of berries or sliced apple

• ¼ cup cashews, pecans, walnuts or almonds

• 1 tbsp almond or other nut butter

• (optional) 2 tbsp coconut flakes

• (optional) Sprinkling of sea salt

• (optional) Drizzle of honey

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Recipe by: Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Dima_Belokoni from Getty Images

Recipe: Chicken-Berry Salad

Any time I can have fruit on my salad it makes me look forward to lunchtime! If you meal prep by pre-cooking chicken, this one comes together in a snap with a simple oil-and-vinegar dressing. (Time-saving option: buy an organic rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups salad greens

• ½ cup grape tomatoes

• ½ cup chopped salad veggies, your choice: peppers, carrots, onions, etc.

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

• 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 3 oz grilled or roasted chicken, chopped

• ¼ to ½ avocado, sliced

• 1 cup berries: sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, pomegranate seeds, whatever you like

• 2 tbsp pumpkin or sunflower seeds

• (optional: 2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese)

Directions:

1. Wash salad greens and place in big salad bowl. Add in the grape tomatoes, salad veggies and chicken.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar and add in the salt and pepper to taste. Whisk again as you pour over the salad greens. Toss together to mix.

3. Add the chicken, avocado, berries, pumpkin/sunflower seeds and optional goat cheese and toss again. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe by: Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by EvThomas from Getty Images

Recipe: Energizing Protein-Power Salad

(makes 2-4 servings)

Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• ¼ tsp each salt and pepper

• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil

• 8 cups (140 grams) salad greens

• 1 14 oz. (400 g) can artichoke hearts, rinsed and halved or quartered

• 1 cup (170 g) rinsed no-salt-added chickpeas

• 2 celery stalks, chopped (I also peel cause I hate the strings)

• 1 carrot, sliced or grated

• 1 avocado, chopped

• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add the vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the oil, whisking until well combined.

2. Add the salad greens, chickpeas, celery, carrot, avocado, and eggs and toss to coat with dressing.

3. All that’s left to do is sit down and devour it. :-)

Photo Credit: Canva by zeleno from Getty Images Pro

Recipe: Greek Chopped Salad

Have you ever had a chopped salad before? They are the BEST!

Because everything is chopped up into tiny portions, you get deliciousness in every bite and that makes them a lunch to look forward to.

As an added bonus, because of all that chopped goodness, they require less dressing than most other salads, which is perfect if you have a body transformation goal.

TIP: Taking the time to really chop up those ingredients before you put them in the salad bowl pays off!

Feel free to customize this salad recipe to suit your own tastes. Try adding chopped grilled chicken, chopped extra-firm tofu, or stirring in 1 cup of cooked quinoa.

4 Servings

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 Tbps olive oil

• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp fresh black pepper

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 oz (112 grams) roasted red peppers, chopped finely (about the same as 1 red pepper)

• 4 cups (170 grams) romaine lettuce, chopped

• 2 small cucumbers, chopped

• 1 cup (150 grams) grape tomatoes, halved

• 2 Tbsp pitted kalamata olives, chopped

• 1 (15 oz / 425 grams) can salt-free cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• ¼ cup (30 grams) feta or goat cheese, crumbled

• Optional: 8 oz (225 grams) chopped grilled chicken, 1 cup (215 grams) chopped or shredded tofu, and/or 1 cup (185 grams) cooked quinoa

Directions:

1. In a large salad bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

2. Next, add all of the salad ingredients EXCEPT the feta cheese, and stir to incorporate the dressing.

3. Top with feta and enjoy!

Photo Credit: Canva by Alex_Petin from Getty Images

Recipe: Kitchen Sink Salad

1 Serving

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups mixed greens (not iceberg)

• ½ tomato

• 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

• ½ shaved carrot

• ½ sliced zucchini

• ½ diced red bell pepper

• Handful of sprouts

• ¼ avocado, sliced

• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Dressing 

• 4-8 oz protein of choice (chicken, fish, turkey)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, toss everything together any way you please.

2. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Canva by Barbara Dudzinska from Getty Images Pro

Recipe: Greek Dressing

6 Servings

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 clove pressed garlic

• ¾ tsp oregano

• ¾ tsp basil

• ½ tsp black ground pepper

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a jar or storage container, and shake well.

2. Let the dressing sit for a minimum of 10 minutes before serving to let flavors blend together.

Photo Credit: Canva by DirkRietschel from Getty Images Signature