I may have a photo shoot coming up, so for the next two weeks, I’m doing my best to eat extra clean. The thing with cooking and dieting is that if the food tastes so good, you keep wanting more bites until you are overly stuffed (case study: Cheesecake Factory dessert). With my recipes, I try to use minimal ingredients, while maximizing the taste without adding calories. That being said, most of my recipes would taste better if you added cheese, sugar or oil. This I know, but I like the way they taste without. Would I like it better with more fat and calories? Probably. But when I “eat clean” without cheating, I know it is just a temporary thing. I will always indulge, just not when I have photo shoots coming up. Here is my lunch from yesterday while Tumblr was down.
Clean Balsamic Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 oz Chicken Breast (raw, sliced the long way intro strips)
- Handful of mushrooms
- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1-2 tbsp Balsamic Vinaigrette (Below 80 calories per serving)
- Cucumber
- Mixed Greens
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add balsamic vinegar, mushrooms, garlic and chicken. Boil for about 15 minutes or until the chicken can be pulled apart using 2 forks. Drain water once it’s done. Pull chicken apart, add mustard. Cut up some cucumber, and add to mixed greens on plate. Top with chicken mixture. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinaigrette. If you dressing has little fat, feel free to add a few slivered almonds.
