Summer Fruit Salad

Oh my word where have I been? Whatever, this salad is so delish you'll forgive and forget my absence!!

I'm forgiven already, aren't I??

Okay so I was wandering around Wegmans, which is oh so dangerous...I usually make my list in the app and it tells me exactly where to go and I (usually) don't allow myself to get anything that's not on the list. And I usually go on Sunday. But I skipped yesterday and was just going to wing it this week, but I decided I really wanted a salad with fruit in it. So here we are! I found this gem of a dressing: 

Then I picked up my favorite berry trio - straw, blue, and rasp. They went on the bottom of the pile, atop of the dressing of course. Next I packed in the spring mix, then some goat cheese and topped it all off with some candied pecans! Simple right?

I candied the pecans myself, but you can buy them already done if ya like. I just liked controlling what went in them. Mmmmmmmm :)

Enjoyyyy!

Asian Salmon Salad

I cheated...this is probably the easiest salad in a jar ever! It was so easy that I made tomorrow's dinner because I felt like I was slacking :-/

Alright so I started with this amazing dressing (well it smells amazing, so I hope it tastes amazing):

Then here comes the part where I cheated...I used chopped salad mix! I didn't use the dressing that came with it because it had literally 15 ingredients, so that went in the trash. But I just put about half a bag of salad in each jar, topped it with super yummy salmon I made (that I swore I've posted before, but apparently not, so that will come later), and then topped with the wonton noodles and almonds that came in the kit! So yummy!

Pasta Salad with Tuna!

Oh my gosh where have I been?? 

Ireland...that's where! I went to Ireland over spring break with my mom and sister and it was so much fun! I obviously had to kiss the Blarney stone so I could continue the gift of gab to keep up with you good people! You're welcome! I also got to see Michael Flatley in his new show Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games. It was amazing. It made my life! (Just in case you're judging, please know that I was a competitive Irish dancer growing up. If you still feel the need to judge, go ahead. Juuuuuuust as long as you have your all your facts). 

And then after I got back, I was busy planning a surprise 60th birthday party for my cute mom! 

Cake is clean...right?

So, now to this week's recipe! It was inspired by the food I made for my mom's party. I was actually planning to use the leftovers from the party but as it turns out, there weren't any and I had to make more. But that's okay! Here we go:

I used my favorite Weggies organic pasta. Call my crazy, but I think the shapes make it taste better! So I cooked the pasta and then rinsed it with cold water. Then I added tuna, 2 chopped bell peppers, olives, feta cheese, and a few squirts of Caesar dressing (I would say 2-3 TBSP if you made me give a measurement). Just mix it all up and you're ready to go!

I've been eating it at lunch this week at school (obviously...duh Kathryn) and my kiddos keep saying how good it looks!

Caprese Salad

I clearly got into the warm weather today. When I think Caprese salad, I think of tomatoes fresh off the vine and basil fresh from the herb garden. I don't have either of those right now, so I had to make do with these:

I did have to Goldilocks the mason jars. I thought one was going to be perfect, but I forgot when you add in the mozzarella, it was going to take up more space...oops. The next one would have been perfect, but the mouth wasn't wide enough to fit the tomato slices. The one I ended up using has a little extra room on the sides, but whatever, it'll do!

So I cored and sliced the tomatoes, bought pre-sliced mozzarella (don't judge - it was on sale), and chopped the basil. I use a glaze from Harris Teeter, which is totally delicious. Then I just layered them in the jar and BOOM! 

Cute right??

And there were no blueberries or raspberries at the store - how crazy is that? So I had to vary my berry parfait. But, please don't worry - I used blackberries and strawberries, so it is still a berry parfait.

Yum!

Prepping my meals for the week saves me so much time, energy, money AND calories. I highly recommend doing it. People ask me if I get sick of eating the same thing every day, and I really don't because every other meal I have varies that week. Give it a try!!

Chopped Chickpea Salad

I am pretty excited about this week's lunches! I had a request to do something vegetarian - that's right, I take requests AND someone requested something. Pretty cool, eh? I mean, it was my cousin but I'm still putting a check in the cool column. Thanks Rach!

So, I don't really have a recipe, but I can tell you what I put in this jar! It all starts with my friend Annie:

 ^Seriously one of the best salad dressings I've ever tasted. But I can only find it at Wegmans. I've looked for it at Target, Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter...but Weggies never lets me down. I made 5 salads, so after the dressing, the layers go like this in each jar:

1/2 cup chickpeas

1/8 cup dried cranberries

1.5 chopped peppers divided

1 chopped cucumber divided

2 oz goat cheese

Go crazy and swap out whatever you don't like with something you do! Some sort of nut would probably have been nice. Or maybe some sunflower seeds???? That could have been fun. Next time!

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!

Southwestern Pork Taco Salad

Woohooooo! It's that time of the week again...meal prep day!!! This week, I did an amazing taco salad in a jar (well, technically I don't know if its amazing because I haven't tried it yet). But, look how pretty:

Okay, so I started with cooking the pork in the oven. I rinsed them off, sprinkled cumin and onion powder, then added Wegmans Organic Barbecue Sauce. Even if you don't do the organic thing, I highly recommend their BBQ sauce. It is ahhhhmazing.

I always line the pan with foil - super easy cleanup!

While the pork was cooking, I chopped these delicious veggies:

Then all I had to do was layer everything! I used salsa and lime juice instead of dressing which I'm hoping is a great decision. 

Enjoy, friends! Have a fantastic, productive week :)

Make Ahead Lunches Volume 2

I am so excited for so many reasons this week:
1. I was stalking one of my favorite fitness instas (which happens to be run by one of my favorite people) and saw her weekly meal planner. I went straight out to the container store last night and bought one and I'm obsessed with it! Get one here...it will seriously make your life so much easier! Here's a peek at mine for this week:

This is amazing, right?!

2. I'm starting a new fitness program that involves some 2-a-days...hopefully this will be good! I'm feeling determined to become my best self, and the support that you all have given is insane! Like crazy insane! Thank YOU!

3. I am obsessed with Fitbit. I had an issue and their customer service is amazing. Something that could have been a setback just really turned around and I was so impressed with them! Yayyyyy Fitbit!

4. I discovered that Silk makes Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. Yes, it really is as good as it sounds. Go get some right now (well after you finish reading, because maybe you need some other ingredients, too. Don't be so hasty)!

5. The Bachelor is on tomorrow. Those girls...

Okay, but lets be serious. We are all here for the food. And this week does not disappoint! Look how cute it is:

Just stop!

You'll need: 2 avocados, 1 lb of pasta, 4 cans tuna in water, 1 bag of frozen green peas (thawed), celery.

I didn't end up using the tomatoes...sorry for misleading you!

Okay, prepare your pasta. I added about 1/4 cup of chopped onion when I threw my pasta in. It was a great spur of the moment decision. So, I guess add some chopped onion to the above list. I guess I could have just gone up and added it. But it's not in the picture. Whaaaaaaatever

While your pasta (and onions) are cooking, mash your avocados. After you've drained your pasta, mix in the avocado.

Then add in your tuna, chopped celery, and peas. That's it! It's ready! Soooo yummy :) Let me know if you make any changes!! Enjoy!

Ready for another week!

Want more? Check out @kathryncleansup on Instagram for more frequent updates :)