Healthified Chicken Salad

Does anyone else fall into this trap:

Pack a healthy lunch for work --> busy & stressful work morning --> by noon your healthy lunch doesn't seem as appealing as it did when you made it --> other co workers are going to the cafeteria --> you go along to see what's there --> since you're there you'll get a snack --> oh wait, but that mac and cheese and those cookies look AMAZING --> you leave with a pile of "bad" food, definitely not as nutritious as your packed lunch, but will satisfy all of your stress cravings.

You can't see my hand but it's waving way up high.  This is me, probably at least once a week especially on a night shift.  I love veggies, but I succumb to the stress eating of a resident... and I know I'm not alone.

One of my favorite parts of being a health coach is helping people find health recipes that they actually crave.  It is totally possible... I know this because last night I was seriously craving this chicken salad I made.  The original recipe is part of one of my 21 day meal plans but I tweaked it based on what ingredients I had on hand.

You'll need:

- 2 chicken breasts (I used thin sliced)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup red grapes sliced in half
- 1/3 cup chopped apple
- 1/4 cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
- 2 green onions, sliced thin
- 2 T chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt honey mustard dressing*

While the chicken was cooking I chopped up the rest of the salad and mixed up my dressing.

When chicken is cooked and cooled, chop or shred, mix all ingredients together, add a sprinkle of cracked black pepper, and serve on top of romaine lettuce or in a small wrap!

*The dressing recipe I used is from a cookbook and, for copyright purposes, I cannot repost; feel free to use Pinterest or Google to find a similar recipe!  If you would like access to the specific dressing recipe, please contact me about joining my 21 day fitness & nutrition group --> bit.ly/VeggieDocFitness