Curry Chicken Salad with Avocado

I have a paper due at 7 p.m. so what better time to write a blog post than right this second?! I will do almost anything to avoid writing papers...I mean it...after this I'll probably go clean the snow off my car. After doing laundry, and then the dishes. Yikes!

Okay, so curry chicken salad! So good (well if you like curry it's so good. If you're not a curry fan, don't put curry in, silly)!

I didn't split it into individual servings in the hope that we are out of school all week..a girl can dream!

First you have to bake your chicken. You know I like to spray mine with a little cooking spray and then with onion, garlic, cumin, and pepper. I bake at 425 for 30ish minutes. Then, while they're still warm, throw the chicken breasts in your stand mixer to shred! My super smart friend Amanda showed me that trick and it has saved my life. Thanks :-*

Okay so after you've shredded your chicken, throw your avocado in there and it kind of melts into the chicken which will help hold everything together in a chicken salad-y way (and no mayo, which is a huge plus). Mix in the curry powder.

Not the cutest pic, but since avocados are pricey and not always ripe, I buy a bunch from Costco, wait for them to ripen, then quarter them and keep them in the freezer until I need them!

After that, fold in your favorite chicken salad enhancers (fold is my fancy way of telling you not to use the mixer anymore. Don't want to squish the grapes). I enjoy celery and grapes. Sometimes I'll throw almonds in there, but I was not in an almond mood today. Other suggestions: raisins, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions. Go crazy - today is your day! 

I know I've mentioned it before, but the OXO Good Grips Grape Cutter is my best friend! Get one now!!!

I even got all fancy and wrote up a recipe! Thanks Microsoft Word templates!

Test it out! Let me know if you make any changes: kathryncleansup@gmail.com or @kathryncleansup on Instagram!

Caprese Quinoa Salad with Chicken

Okay so by popular demand (aka someone mentioned in passing that I should blog), I'm restarting this thing! I'm a TERRIBLE blogger as proven by my 5 month absence, so don't expect much! And since I'm writing this and watching the Bachelor instead of getting ready for work, we best get a snow day tomorrow...

So I've recently become obsessed with Wegmans. It used to overwhelm me, but since discovering their iPhone app (what??! you don't know about it?! DOWNLOAD NOW), I feel much less stressed! You build your grocery list online and it sorts it by aisle - ahhhhmazing!!

So I think that the best way to eat clean and be successful in whatever plan you're on, preparation is key! So, I like to do a bunch of prep at one time. And lately that prep has been school lunches for the week, which brings us to today's post...Caprese Quinoa Salad with Chicken. Here we go!

So I grabbed all the ingredients you need for caprese salad. Obviously the Harris Teeter glaze is not clean, but I'll use it until it runs out. And since it doesn't expire until March of 2020 (gross), I have some time to find a replacement...

Okay, along we go. I seasoned the chicken - just dusted it with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper (NO SALT FRIENDS). Bake it at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

While the chicken was baking, I made my quinoa - 1:2 dry to wet ratio. I just cooked it in water, nothing fancy today. But so fluffy!

Then I let both the chicken and the quinoa cool and started chopping. Let me just show you one of the best kitchen tools...

This thing is AMAZING! Buy it here!! You just put the tomato (or grape if that's what you're into) in the slot and it quarters it for you! Saves sooooo much time!! And it's super convenient! Sorry for all the exclamation points! Including that one...but seriously I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets. You'll see (if I keep blogging) :-/

Okay, back to chopping. Chopped the chicken, mozzarella, and basil.

Then, I just layered them into the jars and squirted some glaze on the top. Voila!

So there's a shelf in the fridge that I dedicate to lunch stuff. The past few weeks its been the main dish and then berry parfaits and yogurts.

And then I clean, chop, and divide all the other fruits and veggies that find their way into my cart and put them in the crisper. That way when I get home, I can just grab and snack. Its mostly about convenience my friends...

Yay! Next week, I'm thinking of a tuna avocado pasta salad, so that should be a good time :)