What's in the BIG salad?

"Big lettuce, big carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs..."


One of the chunky hunk's and my favorite meals, whether we're dieting or not is the BIG SALAD. It's a great way to get in 2 or more servings of veggies, a serving of lean protein, and even a serving of dairy.

Since there's a blizzard bit of snow on the ground, I won't be taking the monsters to the gym today, instead I'll be trying out some fun home workouts. Stay tuned for the workout later in the week.

There are so many different varieties and ways to make a big salad, it's so much fun to get creative with your meal. So, with no further adieu-here's your big salad.



BIG Chicken Salad
Makes 2 servings
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped red leaf lettuce
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 snap peas
1/2 cup brocoli
1/2 cup cauliflower
1 cup shredded cabbage

garnish:
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fat free croutons

Place chicken breasts in a medium stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes, turn heat down to simmer and cook 15 minutes or until done. Drain and let cool. Dice chicken and marinate in balsamic vinegar at least 2 hours.

Place lettuce and all the ingredients but the garnish in a large bowl and mix well. Serve on two plates, top with garnish, marinated chicken, and dressing of your choice.

Without dressing: 406 calories/serving


And just because I can't resist showing off my monsters, this is Big Monster, holding my new favorite salad dressing. 90 calories per serving, so even if I use this, the entire salad is still under 500 calories. Yahoo!

Enjoy your snow day!

White Bean Chicken Chili

I'm always on the hunt to find delicious yet healthy recipes. Since my husband and I are both currently trying to eat healthier and drop some weight, our dinner menu has become depressing bland horrible a tiny bit boring. In talking about our dinner menu for the week, I had suggested turkey chili. Since we're both a bit tired of traditional chili and I have quite a few cans of white beans in my pantry, my chunky hunk suggested that we try out a white bean chili. And really, what's more filling and wonderful than a big bowl of steaming hot chili during all the snow the East coast has been hammered with lately? And the best part? It's under 500 calories a serving!



White Bean Chicken Chili

1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
2 large chicken breasts
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can navy beans
1 can cannelini beans
1 hot pepper of your choice
1 large bell pepper
2 tbsp. chili powder
dash S&P
2 tsp. hot sauce (or more, we used 4 tsp.)

Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, turn down to low, and let simmer for 15 minutes or til done. While chicken is cooling, pour the beans into a crock pot, slice both peppers into small sections and add to crock pot. When chicken is cool, discard broth and shred or dice into bite-size pieces, add to crock pot. Season with the chili powder, S&P and the hot sauce. Stir well and let cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 on low.

Makes 4 servings.
405.6 calories per serving