I'm Becca - mom to three cute kiddos, professional photographer, chocolate addict, in love with all thing wildflowers, and (most importantly) a sinner saved by grace through faith!
It’s confession time. I used to be the (*self declared*) queen of meal prep. Every Sunday I’d make my meal plan and grocery list, go shopping, then come home and prep my breakfasts, snacks and lunches for the week. I’ve talked about it quite a bit on the blog in the past, and love how easy it made my morning routine. However, this school year has been different. Between balancing my teaching job, photography side business and you know, growing a baby, my Sundays are no longer meal prep days. They’re either for catching up on sleep (#priorities), visiting family, going to photoshoots or editing pictures.
I rarely go shopping nowadays (thank you Amazon Fresh!), and my meal prep game is a joke recently. I just don’t have the time or the mental energy to tackle such a task like that. BUT last Sunday I decided to take an hour to get a little prep done. And I felt SO accomplished by the end of it! I made some delicious Kodiak Cakes muffins (that recipe’s coming next week!) and this easy chicken and greens salad.
I’ve been trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and now that the weather is warming up I’ve finally started craving me some salad! So when thinking about what to have for lunches this week, I thought a salad would be the perfect thing to make. Easy, healthy and filling!
I definitely took the easy route when it came to protein because 1. I didn’t feel like cooking any meat, and 2. I love chicken nuggets. I bought some gluten free, all natural chicken nuggets, and baked them before putting all my salads together. Yes, not the *healthiest* choice, but let’s be real… It’s easy and delicious. : )
I also took the salad I had at Magnolia Table for some inspo and added toasted pecans, shaved parmesan and cranberries to the salad for a little extra summin’ summin’. The result? A very delicious salad that I was able to fully prep for the week in less than 30 minutes. That’s a winner in my book!
As for dressing, I turned to my favorite Brianna’s dressing- the French Vinaigrette. It’s SO good, and paired perfectly with the flavors in the salad. I talked about the dressing in my roasted artichoke recipe, and my feelings still hold true. You can’t go wrong with some Brianna’s Dressing!
So for all those busy ladies out there looking for an easy recipe to hep your meal prep game, I gotchu girl! You’ll love this easy chicken and greens salad, I can guarantee it!
Preheat your oven to 350. Line a pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spread the chicken nuggets out. Bake according to package instructions.
In a small pan, heat the pecans up on medium heat and toss occasionally until toasted and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Spread the pecans out on some paper towels to cool.
While the nuggets are baking, separate the spinach and lettuce into four separate containers (1 cup spinach and 1/2 cup lettuce in each container).
Evenly distribute the cranberries and cooled pecans on top of the greens.
Using a vegetable peeler, grate some of the parmesan cheese on top of the greens and toppings.
When the nuggets are finished cooking and have cooled, cut them into pieces and place on top of the salads. There should be 4 nuggets on each salad!
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Drizzle your favorite dressing on top right before eating!
Notes
If you don’t like cold nuggets, you can store them separately from the rest of the salad and heat slightly in a microwave before eating.
Now it’s your turn to talk! Answer one of these questions in the comments below:
What are your easy, go-to recipes for meal prepping on a tight schedule?
Have you ever tried Amazon Fresh?
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