At the beginning of this new year I started a goal of Just trying to be more healthy. After finding out I was pregnant with my 4th baby, and realizing I didn’t make the time to loose all that “baby weight” I decided I was going to try my best to be healthy for me and my baby. Not only has it helped me to feel good about myself but having the extra motivation of a baby in my body that I am taking care of has helped me to say no to a few extra treats that I have been craving.
The key to being healthy is not depriving yourself of things that you want but replacing them with healthier just as exciting options. Treat yourself too with healthy snacks that you are excited to eat. I LOVE guacamole and avocados and they are good for you (in moderation of course) so I don’t mind adding them to my shopping list when I am needing an extra treat for myself. I am a sucker for Chinese food and I have a hard time saying no to going out to eat some Chinese after it has been a long day of shopping or taking care of my kids. So i decided to come up with a healthier alternative. This recipe is very versatile too you can swap out a lot of the veggies for what you happen to have in your fridge at the time. I often use rotisserie chicken but you can use any chicken or turkey that you have in your fridge or freezer. Try it out and let me know what you think!
Wild Rice Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries
1 package of long grain and wild rice Uncle Ben’s (6 oz
Cook according to direction.
1 c of uncooked white rice (cooked)
Mix 2 TBS. Lemon juice when it is done
1lg. Chicken breasts cooked and cubed
4 green onions chopped
½ red pepper diced
1 cup frozen peas thawed heaping
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted slivered almonds, walnuts, or pecans
1 cup. Shredded carrots
1 cup of celery
Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil, veggie oil, or olive oil
3 TBS. seasoned rice vinegar
1 TBS.mustard
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder or 1 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbs. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Celery Salt
1/4 tsp. Salt
Dash Paprika
Big Dash Black Pepper
Cook rice add lemon juice and cool immediately. Add chicken, onions, bell
pepper, peas, and cranberries. Toss with dressing it doesn’t take quite all
of it. Just before serving, add almonds. Yields 9 cups
This is a perfect salad for a holiday buffet. It tastes great chilled or at
room temperature.
