California Chicken Salad with Avocado and Mango

If you're like me, the coming of 2010 brought with it some resolutions to live a healthier life. Eating fresh and nutritious foods is just one of the ways we can take better care of bodies and improve our quality of life.

This salad is a favorite of mine. It comes from a book that I also highly recommend--Making the Cut by Jillian Michaels (trainer from the Biggest Loser). It's quick and easy to make, but more importantly, it tastes amazing. My friend Karen served this salad at our very first KO Book Club meeting last year. One of our friends (who shall remain nameless) wanted to lick her plate. It's just that good. So, enjoy this salad--I promise you will finish feeling full, satisfied and knowing you've made a healthy choice.

Note: Karen and I have both made this so many times I can't count. Try out some of variations to save time or if some of the ingredients aren't readily available to you.

California Chicken Salad with Mango and Avocdao
serves 4, 185 calories per serving

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons mango chutney (sugar-free orange preserves or peach chutney work well, too)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
cooking spray
8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup mango, diced (a Fugi apple tastes great if mangoes are too expensive or aren't in season)
3/4 cup avocado, diced

Combine oil, juice, chutney, soy sauce, and ginger in a small bowl. Place chicken on a large plate and spoon 2 tablespoons of oil mixture over it. Turn the chicken to coat and allow to stand 5 minutes. Reserve the remaining oil mixture to be used as the salad dressing.

Place chicken in a skillet or a grill on medium-high heat. Cook 4 minutes on each side, or until chicken is done, brushing with oil mixture from plate. Slice chicken cross-wise into strips. (I make my chicken ahead of time and shred it with a fork.)

Arrange greens, mango, and avocado on 4 serving plates. Arrange chicken over greens. Drizzle reserved dressing over salads.

hannah

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

My mom has been making this salad for as long as I can remember. We ALWAYS have it on special occasions, definitely on Thanksgiving. When I was a kid I thought, since my family loves this salad, that all families must eat it on their special occasions, too. Now that I am aged, I've learned that just because my family did something one way not ALL families do it the same. So I am happy to post this recipe & pass it on to other families so that they might enjoy its goodness on their special days too!

We had this on both Thanksgivings but on the first my Mom mixed it up a bit (scary, right?) & made the Jell-O layer a little different. She used one Raspberry Jell-O & one Orange Jell-O, and a can of whole cranberry sauce, and the small can of pineapple. It was delicious & that is the one featured in the picture.

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 sm. pkg. Cool Whip
2 small pkg. strawberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
16 oz pkg. frozen strawberries
1 sm. can crushed pineapple

Mix pretzels, sugar and butter. Spread mixture over bottom of9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar and Cool Whip and spread over pretzel layer. Dissolve strawberry Jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add frozen strawberries and drained pineapple. Chill until partially jelled. Then pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate.

Kristin

Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad

I eat a lot of salad because it's very easy to make for two people. This salad is quick and easy, and the fresh salsa is even better the next day!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

1/4 cup Walden Farms Zero Calorie BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup tomato, diced

1/4 cup avocado, diced

1/8 cup red onion, minced fine

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp cilantro, minced fine

1 tsp lime juice

4 cups romaine lettuce, torn, divided

1/2 reduced-fat mozzarella, divided

Cook chicken breasts with BBQ sauce and set aside.

Combine corn, black beans, tomato, avocado, red onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.

Arrange lettuce on two plates. Add 1/2 cup salsa mixture and 1 chicken breast to each plate. Top with 1/4 cup reduced-fat mozzarella. Serve with your favorite Ranch dressing.

Hannah