By Kristine Theodore
NO MAYO CHICKEN SALAD
Whether you’re working from home or on the go, quick and healthy lunch options are a must. Chicken salad is a great choice because you can make it ahead of time and it travels well! My super-hero /super healthy version replaces the standard mayo (unhealthy fats) with Greek yogurt and avocado (healthy fats).
Why do we even need good fats? Here are a few very good reasons:
- They help our body absorb important fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.
- They help to lower our LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase our HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
- They’re a great source of energy and they can help to lower our blood pressure.
Servings:
6-8 servings (an economic win for the entire family)
Limiting your bread? Serve it on a nice crisp piece of romaine lettuce or with a few crackers.
Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
YOGURT BASE:
1C plain Greek yogurt (I like 2%)
1 avocado (half for the base and half to garnish)
1/3 jalapeño, (optional, seeds removed if you want less heat)
lime juice (from a whole lime)
1/2TSP salt
1/2TSP chili powder
MIX:
1 celery stalk, chopped (it’s about 1C+)
1C grapes, quartered
1/2C pecans, chopped (I like toasted pecans)
2-3TBSP green onions, chopped
2TBSP red onion, finely chopped (optional)
CHICKEN:
(You can bake it or buy it pre-cooked)
2 chicken breasts
paprika
salt & pepper
avocado oil (or EVOO)
GARNISH OPTIONS:
cilantro & avocado
DIRECTIONS
- If you are baking the chicken, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Rinse chicken and pat dry.
- Drizzle both sides of the chicken with avocado oil and dust both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika. I like to use a heavy hand here.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes and remember to flip chicken at the halfway point.
- While the chicken is baking, make the yogurt base.
- In a small food processor, combine yogurt, HALF of the avocado, jalapeño, lime juice, and chili powder until it is creamy.
- In a medium bowl, combine celery, grapes, pecans, green onions, and red onions.
- Once the chicken is done, let it cool before you chop it, then add it in with the mix in the medium bowl.
- Pour the yogurt base over the mix and blend well. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve chicken salad on fresh bread, pita, lettuce, or crackers. I like to and finish with chopped cilantro and a few slices of avocado from the remaining half. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
CARDIO ZONE
This is great if you are short on time and wanna break a quick sweat. I call this the 3 for 3 interval workout. You can do this on a treadmill, bike, elliptical, or other cardio equipment of your choice.
Always begin with a warm-up, aim for 3 to 4 minutes. Your goal is to start to get your body warm. Then begin the interval work.
INTERVALS:
1st minute move at an easy pace
2nd minute take it up to an uncomfortable pace
3rd minute push to a challenging pace
= 3 minutes of interval work.
Repeat this 3-minute interval, 3 times for a total of 9 minutes of work.
Finish with a 1 to 2-minute cool down where you start to feel your heart rate come back down.
= 15 total minutes of work
Please email kristine@gravelroadeats.com for more questions or visit her IG page @Kristine_Theodore
