I’m one of those rare, strange people who enjoy salads. Not tolerate them for dieting purposes, actually really and truly enjoy them.

But what I really and truly don’t enjoy is a boring salad.

This salad is anything but boring. In fact, it’s such an exciting salad that I take it (or some version of it) for lunch at work every single day. I even have a special bowl that I dump this salad into (because it’s too big and exciting to eat out of the Tupperware) that my coworkers call my “salad trough”.

I call this a “power” salad because it helps me power through my workday. I love that I can take my time eating it, which makes the day go by faster, and keeps me full longer! You can make it even more “powerful” by adding things like kale and beets!

The prep work for this salad is somewhat labor intensive, lots of chopping and such, but it’s worth every minute. It’s also easy to do all of your prep work for the week on Sunday, and have very little to do for the rest of the week. If you do it this way, I would suggest keeping each chopped ingredient in separate containers to avoid sogginess.

I got the idea for these toppings from Au Bon Pain’s Vegetarian Deluxe salad, which is delicious and healthy (and across the street from my office), but also ridiculously expensive. This version is even more delicious and healthy, not to mention fresher, cost-efficient, and completely customizable!

You’ll notice that I assemble this by putting all of the toppings on the bottom of the container — I do this to keep the lettuce from wilting, and because when you dump it into a bowl to eat it, the toppings will end up on the top! It seems weird but trust me, it works.

I like to start by roasting the bell pepper and getting the chicken in the oven, so they can be cooking while I’m chopping everything else. Preheat your oven to 350. Dice one bell pepper and put it in a small pan with just a touch of olive oil. Roast it in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until soft.

Put chicken in a foil-lined pan and season with your preferred chicken seasoning – I like Mrs. Dash, or salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. After the chicken is cooked, dice it into bite-sized pieces.

 

While your chicken and peppers are cooking, dice your cucumber, tomato, and olives and put those in the bottom of a large Tupperware container. Add chick peas and edamame.

Note: If you’ve cooked your chicken ahead of time and it’s already refrigerated, add it in the bottom of the Tupperware, too. If it’s still hot, put it in a separate container or zip bag to keep the lettuce from wilting.

Chop one full head of romaine lettuce and fill the rest of the Tupperware. I’ve also started adding other greens to this, like spinach, kale, and arugula. Darker, leafy greens have lots of great health benefits!

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the greens.

In a separate, small container, mix balsamic vinegar and a tiny splash of olive oil. Lemon juice is also a great addition to the dressing, especially if you’re using kale or arugula.

When you’re ready to eat, dump the salad into a large bowl (or trough), pour the dressing over the top, and enjoy!

What toppings do you put on your salads to jazz them up?

Grilled Chicken Power Salad
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 head romaine lettuce (and/or other leafy greens – spinach, kale, etc.)
• ¼ cucumber, diced
• ½ Roma tomato, diced
• ¼ c. bell pepper, diced and roasted
• 5 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced into 4 pieces
• ¼ c. chickpeas
• ¼ c. shelled edamame (I use frozen)
• 1 oz. feta cheese (or goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, etc.)
• 4-6 oz. chicken (about 3 tenders)
• salt and pepper

Dressing

• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• ½ t. olive oil
• splash of lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Dice one bell pepper and put it in a small pan with just a touch of olive oil. Roast it in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until soft.
2. Put chicken in a foil-lined pan and season with your preferred chicken seasoning – I like Mrs. Dash, or salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. After the chicken is cooked, dice it into bite-sized pieces.
3. While your chicken and peppers are cooking, dice your cucumber, tomato, and olives and put those in the bottom of a large Tupperware container. Add chick peas and edamame.
   Note: If you’ve cooked your chicken ahead of time and it’s already refrigerated, add it in the bottom of the Tupperware, too. If it’s still hot, put it in a separate container or zip bag to keep the lettuce from wilting!
4. Chop one full head of romaine lettuce (and/or other greens) and fill the rest of the Tupperware.
5. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the greens.
6. In a separate, small container, mix balsamic vinegar and a tiny splash of olive oil and lemon juice.
7. When you’re ready to eat, dump the salad into a large bowl (or trough), pour the dressing over the top, and enjoy!

 

Nutrition Info: 1 Salad (with 4 oz chicken)

Calories: 354
Fat: 17.1g
Sodium: 681.2mg
Carbs: 14.6g
Sugar: 0g
Protein: 36.7g