the salad that's going to get us through winter

I was going to write about this salad in the new year, but I was just thinking that in the midst of holiday eating this is a great one to have on hand. To compensate for all the cookies...

The day of Halloween Ivar was throwing a fit because he wanted to open "just one present before my birthday!" He was getting in trouble for throwing such a tantrum. That day at lunch I fed every person in my family and by the time I got to eat myself it was 1:45. And then I had a fit. I had been surviving on my mom's pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting for two days, and was exhausted and sugar crashing. I was so frustrated and after I told my family my woes of not ever getting to feed myself good food Ivar told me, "Mom, you're just like me. You're going to get in trouble with Grandpa Paul if you don't shape up."

Such a bright kid, that Ivar.

It was later that week that Rory's cousin Kerah brought us this salad as a ready-to-assemble baby meal. We ate it that night and I was in love. I told Rory while I ate it, "I actually feel nutrients flooding my body right now."

So now I eat it every day for lunch. Every. Single. Day. And it still rocks my world. I try to have it prepped and ready to eat at the beginning of the week. I call it Prepper Salad, not because it's going to feed us when the world falls apart but because I actually have to Prep at the beginning of the week if I'm going to have it ready for lunch each day. Also, a hearty salad, that is pretty much prepped each day, feels like good self care. Otherwise I am prone to eat all the handy carbs within reach.

The recipe comes from Iowa Girl Eats (this is exactly her recipe but I'm going to rewrite it here, because I have a few prep tips. But for more straight forward instructions, go to her site!)

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice blend
2 cups chicken broth
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt, pepper and garlic powder
4 cups chopped kale
1 apple, chopped
2oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds

For the dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, microplaned or finely minced
salt and pepper

So here's what I do. On Sunday night (or whenever I'm going to prep this thing) I cook up a package of chicken breasts in a skillet with some oil. Then I cube it into bite size pieces and put it in a tupperware. I also cook my wild rice blend in the rice cooker with the chicken broth. And I put that in a tupperware. (I have heard you can get wild rice in a can now, already cooked! Have to try that. And sometimes I omit the wild rice, because it's a fine salad without it.) Then I make 3 times the dressing and put it in a mason jar. Do not skimp on the salt! Salt is key and makes it taste so good. Make sure the dressing is sort of strong...there is a lot of kale and chicken and rice to cover. Make it zippy.

Then, for each lunch, I put 3-4 cups of kale (it cooks down a bit) in a big bowl (I buy the pre-chopped bag at Cub...I go through and take out any big stem parts I see...they are bitter.) And then I put it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. I think this really helps the kale. I feel less like a rabbit eating it because it wilts just a teeny bit.

Then I put some of the chicken cubes and rice in the microwave and add those to the kale. It wilts it a little more. Then I toss in the craisins and whatever chopped nuts I have, chop up half an apple to mix in and pour on the dressing. After it's tossed together, I crumble the goat cheese on top. DO NOT FORGET THE GOAT CHEESE! It is so good!

This salad has it all. It's a sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy...and as a mom, I feel like I took good care of myself by feeding myself such a hearty meal for lunch.  I've fed it to three other girl friends and they love it too! Kiss that pbj goodbye. Stop eating the left over macaroni and cheese. You'll love yourself for prepping this one!