Greek Salad

Hi friends! I know a lot of people are on a healthy food kick at the beginning of the year, so I’ll be sharing a few of our favorite meals that are on the light side. Despite all the desserts I have posted on here, we don’t actually eat sweets everyday! (Though I wish I could!) 

In our house, we don’t follow diets like low-cal or low-carb, but instead when we’re trying to eat healthier, we aim toward a more paleo-Whole30 type of menu. 

My hubby and I both notice improvements when we’re eating a mainly veggie/fruit/meat diet. For me, cutting out most dairy and sugar makes a big difference in how I feel. 

Today I’m sharing our favorite greek salad recipe. This salad is so easy to put together, and with a homemade dressing, you control the amount of sugars and sodium! 

*If you’re doing Whole30, leave out the feta cheese and honey in the dressing (honey is fine for paleo!)*

Ingredients:

• fresh spinach leaves, or your favorite lettuce
• 2-3 chicken tenders, salmon or tilapia fillets (I use frozen)
• mushrooms, chopped and sauteed
• pecans, chopped and toasted
• black & kalamata olives
• feta cheese
• purple onion, thinly sliced
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• cucumber, thinly sliced
• dried cranberries

Dressing: 

• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1/2 tbsp honey 
• Dash of garlic powder & garlic salt, and greek seasoning (to taste) 

Directions:

1. If you’re using a frozen fish or chicken, go ahead and thaw. 
2. Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar, and give a good shake. Taste test, and adjust to your liking! I prefer a less sweet, more tangy type dressing, but play around with the ingredients and see what you come up with! 
3. In a large salad bowl, add your lettuce base. 
4. Chop your onion & cucumbers (I use my mandoline slicer for this-makes very quick work of the veggies!) and add to the salad.
5. Put the pecans in a skillet or in your oven on the broil setting. These will only take a few minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you get the lovely toasted smell. Remove them from heat quickly so they don’t burn (watch them closely!), and add to the salad bowl. 
6. Use the same skillet to saute mushrooms over medium heat with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper, and cook a few minutes until done, then add to the salad bowl. 
7. Next up, add the thawed meat topped with greek seasoning or salt & pepper, and cook over medium heat with olive oil until cooked through. 
8. Now that everything is done, we assemble the rest of the salad! Toss on the olives, cranberries, feta, tomatoes and the dressing. Give it a good stir and enjoy!