As I’ve mentioned a time or two, I hate lunchtime. I hate figuring out what I want to eat. I hate figuring out what to feed my kids. I hate it when my husband comes home from work and tells me that at work, lunch was catered or they went to some fun restaurant. If I could have my own personal lunch chef and laundry put-er away-er, I totally would.
I discovered this salad after we did our pizza party giveaway last fall. I had all these pizza toppings, many of them my favorite foods in the world to eat, and I had to use them up quickly. That’s when I discovered that even though I cannot eat the same thing day in and day out, and even though I hate lunch, I could eat this salad every day for weeks and not get sick of it. And if I have everything washed, chopped, and ready to go, there’s zero prep and pretty much zero mess. Now if only I could find a similar solution to my laundry problems…
So what do I put in this magical salad?
Lettuce, baby spinach, grilled, chopped chicken, roasted red peppers, black or Kalamata olives, diced red onions, chopped marinated artichoke hearts, feta cheese (I used the Athenos feta with lemon, garlic, and oregano this time around and it was SO good!) and Italian dressing. You can use your favorite kind–while I tend to be an Italian dressing snob, I actually really love Kraft Light Italian on this salad, especially when I’m counting calories.
Take a decent-sized plastic food container with a lid and add your greens.
and your other toppings…
including the dressing. Place the lid on the container and give it a few good shakes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Or if you’re on the go (or if you hate doing dishes), eat it straight out of the container. Yum…
Really, it’s not a recipe so much as it is a concoction-y method using a handful of my favorite foods in the universe. But I love it so much that I had to spotlight it as its own recipe!Ingredients:Â
1 1/2 c. green leafy lettuce, chopped (like Romaine or Red Leaf)
1 1/2 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. chopped roasted red peppers
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onions
2-3 Tbsp. chopped black or Kalamata olives
1/4 c. marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 c. feta cheese, any flavor (I used Athenos lemon, garlic, and oregano)
1/2 c. chopped, grilled chicken
2 Tbsp. Italian salad dressing
Optional: 3-4 Tbsp. garbanzo beans
Instructions:
In a container with a lid, combine all the ingredients. Place the lid on the container and shake until the dressing and other ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve immediately. Makes 1 large meal-sized salad or 2 smaller salads.
Sounds kind of like the Greek Salad at Corner Bakery that I love – that one has Cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, red onions, and feta cheese with mixed greens and a white balsamic vinaigrette. I always end up picking out the tomatoes though, so roasted red peppers sound like a great addition. Don't know why I never tried to make a version at home though, especially since the salad is like $8 at Corner Bakery!!
This was amazing!!! I loved every last bite of it. Thanks for the great recipe, i will be making this one again… and again… and again!
I have to say your site is my favorite web site right now. I have tried so many of your recipes and am sending all my friends here too. I can't wait to try this salad.
That really sounds like the perfect salad, especially since it has artichoke hearts 🙂
yummmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy! i am definitely gonna try this!!!! i love your blog!!!
YUM! I just bought that same brand of Feta Cheese, (Traditional flava tho) & LOOOOVEDDD it!
Had lunch at a restaurant today and had that exact salad down to the garbanzo beans. It was huge but I ate every last yummy bite.
I could have totally written this post. I feel the exact same way about lunchtime. Today I just had a smoothie because nothing sounded good. I also just love hearing about my husband's yummy catered or business lunches(aka free lunches at delish restaurants) lunches. I can never think of anything that sounds good to me, and I am always asking my friends what they eat for lunch. Please…please post more ideas for Mommy lunches at home. Thanks so much!
Sounds delicious…will try this one for sure!
I will definitely make that delicious healthy salad..thanks for sharing your recipe as I am trying to shake off some pounds 😉
have a nice day/Dredd