BBQ chicken salad

Last year BJ and I tried something new a delicious, a barbecue chicken salad. I was skeptical, but it was amazing! We were in California visiting BJ's family and attending his cousin's wedding. Our first lunch with the Ryan's was at a cute little family-style restaurant. Or maybe they just served humongous portions and I thought it was family-style. Either way, we split two chicken salads between the five of us. They brought ranch and barbecue sauce. Really, I thought? Barbecue sauce? Everyone else was putting it on their salad, so I gave into peer pressure and did it too. We were always taught not to "follow the crowd", but I have to recommend breaking this golden rule when it comes to eating. It just doesn't apply. The sauce was excellent, by the way! Mixed with the ranch, it gave it a wonderful zing. How had I never thought of this? I like to consider myself a sauce connoisseur, how did I miss this combo? Regardless, I'll never forget that delicious salad.

I came across a recipe the other day that made me think of this "first" for me. And this is how the salad turned out:



Only the prettiest salad I've every made!



BBQ chicken salad

2 pieces of chicken, grilled, marinaded in BBQ sauce overnight
2 ears of corn, grilled (frozen corn skillet-cooked will also do)
1/4 c red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/4 c green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/4 c red onion, coarsely chopped
4 c your favorite salad lettuce
&
Creamy BBQ cilantro lime ranch (recipe below)
Your favorite BBQ sauce for drizzling

Other toppings I will consider next time:
Queso fresco crumbles
Extra lime juice
Crispy tortilla strips

On the stove top of a skillet, saute the bell peppers and onion (if using frozen corn, add in here) for around 5 minutes, or until it gets "grill" marks. Toss with the corn and set aside. This is how I layered:

1.) Lettuce
2.) Drizzled dressing
3.) Corn salsa
4.) Chicken
5.) More drizzled dressing
5.) Drizzled BBQ sauce

This is definitely a sauce-lover's salad! Oh, by the way, this made two salads. I'm also going to pimp the BBQ sauce I bought, Austin's Own, Chipotle Flavor. It was perfect for this since it was a perfect consistency for drizzling and has an amazing flavor!


Dressing:
2/3 c mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 c buttermilk, sour cream, or nonfat greek yogurt
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 to 1/3 c BBQ sauce

Whisk all ingredients together, or mix in a blender. I bought a handy-dandy Magic Bullet for protein shakes and also use it for blending dressings. It's awesome!


*Photography courtesy of the wonderful Mr. Bailey

Healthier grubs

I started slacking off on my cooking at the beginning of February. Groupon (if you haven't heard of it, you must live in outer space) was selling a coupon for River Oaks fitness, 5 personal training sessions for cheap. So I thought "why not?" and bought one. After my first session I learned that my body is completely out of alignment and that I am the least physical person on the planet. I also also learned that River Oaks Fitness was looking for a freelance designer to make some brochures for them. So I asked to do a barter: designer for a trainer. They agreed! We went straight to work, on my end and on theirs. For two months I was either at work, the gym, or my home computer designing comps. No time for cooking, nor did I want to because everything that I enjoy making was definitely off limits. Good news is I lost 10 pounds. Bad news is my passion for cooking was on hold. But I'm back in action and loving not being on a diet! Is that wrong to say? So I thought I would make a post about some of the things I ate while working out. I still continue to eat these things too!

During my 2 month decline in food consumption this guy named CLIF was my lifesaver!

Chocolate Mint is the only way to go. Taste like a thin mint girl scout cookie. BJ prefers the peanut butter, which tastes like play-doh to me. The chocolate is my second favorite.

My trainer had me on a 60/20/20 diet. Meaning 60% protein, 20% carbs, 20% fat. Wow, that was a lot of meat. Almost a disgusting amount. So I had 2 protein shakes a day to help.

Protein powder + fat free frozen yogurt + crushed ice = Jen friendly milkshake





Almost taste like a Wendy's Frosty! Seriously, if you're looking for a good protein powder, this stuff is yummy even if the packaging looks intimidating.

River Oak Fitness is a gym owned by the creator of My Fit Foods. So occasionally I would eat some of their meals, and I have to say they are pretty delicious! I recommend their Turkey Pasta, Green Chicken, and Chili. They are a little pricey, so to cut costs I would buy the large and get 2 lunches out of it with a salad from home. http://www.myfitfoods.com/

Even though I loved my CLIF bars, I needed other snacks. These items also helped me get through the late night munchies:




I couldn't give up cheese.

For dinners, we had a ton of chicken. Marinaded, mostly. This recipe I found was the best marinade for grilled chicken. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something new:

Dijon-lime marinade



4 boneless, skinless organic free range chicken breasts
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (or bottled if you don’t have limes)
4 cloves garlice, minced
1/4 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp dijon mustard

Marinate for a few hours or overnight. Grill and enjoy! One night I added half a slice of swiss cheese and ate with a a serving from a bag of steamer vegetables. Oh! Another staple while cutting calories:



I also considered adding the chicken sliced on a salad with my honey lime vinaigrette! I call it mine, but I found the recipe. This dressing is so good, I even got my anti-vinaigrette husband eating it (and loving it).




1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil

Blend everything in a blender, or whisk oils into other ingredients.

BEST DRESSING EVER! I have some in my fridge right now.

Another great lunch option is Kashi frozen meals. These things are the only frozen meals that don't have that previously-frozen taste. To me, anyways. Amy's meals are also delicious, but are meat-free. They can be found in gluten-free too. That helped with my mac and cheese cravings.




Oh mac and cheese...