Good morning! We had a really fun weekend filled with family + LOTS of food + a little staycation at the beautiful Viceroy in Chicago. We started our Monday with a cup of coffee in bed and ANOTHER meal out. Does anyone else say, “I am going to start eating healthy tomorrow” over and over again? Well, I am serious and we aren’t starting tomorrow, we are starting TODAY, right after one final brunch ;).

We have really been on an unhealthy food bender. We have had lots of visitors in town, which means lots of meals out. And it is starting to add up and I am not feeling like I am at my best. Heavy, unhealthy food really starts to weigh on me after a while. So we are lightening things up this week. If you’re feeling like you’re not at your best either, pour yourself a big coffee, sit down and write a meal plan you can actually stick to!

Even when we try to eat healthy + lighter meals, sometimes I crave one of those traditionally unhealthy meals. Like one of my all-time favs, chicken salad! I started making this “healthier” chicken salad for bb, but ended up loving it myself and 100% switching over. It’s easy, healthy and packed with nutrients!

Here’s how you make it:

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients:

1-2 avocado (depending on how creamy you like your chicken salad)

3 chicken breasts

1 cup grapes cut into 1/4ths

1/4 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup diced red onion

salt + pepper + celery salt to taste

lemon

Instructions:

(1) boil, grill or bake your chicken breasts. Boiled is the healthiest version, but I usually do mine baked with a tiny bit of olive oil and salt + pepper…if you are crunched for time, grab an organic, no-hormone rotisserie chicken. Once chicken is cooked, shred chicken.

(2) smash one avocado into the bottom of a large mixing bowl. season with salt + pepper

(3) stir in chicken, scallions, red onion, and celery salt

(4) squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the chicken salad (this helps the avocado stay fresh if you want to eat it for leftovers and adds a nice summery flavor) if you’re not a fan of lemon, you can skip this step

(5) serve over a bed of arugula + spinach

 

Here is our light + healthy meal plan for this week! I have talked about intermittent fasting before (post here) but we are trying to stretch our usual 12 hour fast a little longer lately. In full disclosure, this is SO hard to do and maintain a social life. How are you supposed to cut off eating and wine at 6pm and still enjoy a date night or dinner with your girl friends? We are not super strict to the point where we skip those fun social events. But when we are at home, we are stretching our fasting hours longer. 11-5 is the goal (we eat dinner REALLY early). I don’t always make it to 11. I get really hungry some mornings and don’t like to feel light-headed. If I break my fast before 11, it is always with a light smoothie.

BREAKFAST

smoothies

frozen mango + pineapple, spinach, coconut water, flax seed, vital proteins

frozen berries, kale, coconut water, chia seeds, vital proteins

LUNCH

since we are skipping breakfast lately for an early lunch, we have been doing a lot of egg based lunches

avocado “toast” without the toast (avocado + lemon juice + egg + chives + red pepper flakes)

vegetarian chili + eggs + red onion + scallions (I make a big batch of vegetarian chili and freeze it in smaller containers that I take out one by one the night before)

DINNER

to accommodate earlier dinners, everything is really easy

avocado chicken salad + spinach and arugula

salmon tacos in lettuce wraps (we use THIS whole 30 blackened salmon recipe but substitute lettuce tacos for the rice)

leftover salmon + homemade caesar salad (my go to caesar salad dressing here)

GROCERY LIST

avocados

red onion

scallions

grapes

lemon

lime

garlic

chives

spinach + arugula

iceberg lettuce

escarole

cabbage

salmon

chicken breasts

eggs

can of chipotle in adobo + mayo (chipotle aioli for salmon tacos)

ALREADY HAVE

vegetarian chili – tomato juice, can of black beans, kidney beans + chili beans, onion, chili powder

blackening seasoning – cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic salt

anchovy paste

mayo

olive oil