BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, by Diane

 

I was craving a BBQ chicken chopped salad, and decided to try my hand with some summer produce from my favorite stand and a high protein dressing- side note, I'm getting really good at my own dressings! This salad was SO SO good and honestly this dressing was maybe my best one yet. So crunchy and flavorful and definitely a filling lunch. YUM. 

Ingredients (3 big salads):

1 bag of sliced grilled chicken breast, chopped small (I just used this for ease)

2 cups yellow and orange cherry tomatoes, chopped

4 long sweet banana peppers in different colors, chopped

1/4 red onion, diced

1 bag chipotle cheddar salad mix by Dole

3 ears corn, grilled and charred then kernels cut off

1/2 avocado

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup smoky BBQ sauce

8 oz plain greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, tomatoes, peppers, onion, corn, and salad portion of the mix together and toss well. For meal prep I divided this mixture evenly in 3 containers.

2. Make the dressing by blending remaining ingredients avocado through yogurt and adjust to taste.

3. When ready to serve, top each salad with dressing and tortilla chips from the salad bag (the salad bag also comes with cheese and an alternate dressing you can use if you like but I don't like either!).

Smash Burgers, by Diane

 

This weekend we finally nailed the smash burger game!! We do love a good cheeseburger in my family, and between my amazing burger sauce and this new way to cook smash burgers, we were all super happy with this outcome! We got a cast iron griddle for the grill for this and it made a huge difference. The burgers had a slight crust, were super juicy, and the melted cheese and grilled onions combined with the sauce was *chefs kiss* Yum!

Ingredients:

1.5 lb hamburger meat (this makes about 4 double sliders), rolled into 8 balls

Salt and pepper

White onion, medium, sliced thin into rings

4 slices american cheese

4 slider potato rolls

Mayo

Burger sauce: 1/2 cup mayo, 4 tbsp ketchup, 1/4 cup choppped pickles, 1 tbsp pickle juice or white vinegar, 1 clove garlic minced, salt

Directions:

1. Make the burger sauce and set aside, adjust to taste.

2. Prep your rolls by spreading mayo on the inside of the top and bottom, close back up and set aside.

3. Preheat a grill to medium high heat, and add on a cast iron griddle until hot.

4. Place onions into 8 sets of rings spaced apart (each burger will go on top of this), and then follow with a burger.

5. Place parchment paper over the burgers, then using a wide flat spatula flatten the burgers until they are about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the parchment paper and generously salt and pepper the patties.

6. Cook for 2 min, then flip with the onions on top, cover with cheese, and cook another 2 minutes.

7. While the burgers are cooking, toast the buns mayo side down to get a golden crust and set aside.

8. Assemble the burgers: bottom bun, sauce, one patty, sauce, second patty, sauce, top bun. Eat immediately!

Protein Beef Taco Bowls, by Diane

I have been seeing high protein beef bowls all over my instagram, and they have really been helping lately in my diet. I saw this one from Chelsea's Messy Apron, and a sauce by Get On My Plate, and decided to combo them together! This was really really good, and I loved how healthy and filling these were! They were also super easy to prep for batch cooking and tasted great all week! (note- I ran out of avocado for this photo but it's in the recipe!)

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef, grass fed

Taco seasoning (I made my own with paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and I like mexican oregano and a dash of cinnamon here)

2 sweet potatoes, cubed

EVOO

3 ears corn, roasted and cut off cob

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped

1/2 avocado, sliced

Sauce: 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 chili in adobo, 1/2 lime juice, 2 tbsp cilantro, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Blend the sauce well and set aside in the fridge. 

2. Heat a large saucepan to medium, brown and drain the beef, and mix in taco seasoning to taste. Set aside.

3. While the beef is cooking, roast sweet potatoes tossed in EVOO and taco seasoning at 400 (I airfried them for 25 min) until soft.

4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Enjoy!