A protein packed salad with chargrilled chicken, goats cheese, cous cous, avocado & spinach.
Thanks to a baby who has decided it's fun to wake 4 or 5 times a night for a feed or a cuddle I've been feeling a bit tired and run down lately. There's not much I can do about lack of sleep but I thought improving my diet and being more conscious about what I eat might help to put a little perk in my step during the day (and maybe help me shift some of this baby weight. Maternity jeans at 13 weeks postpartum is a little shameful!) So rather than just pick at food straight from the fridge (anyone else guilty of that?) I'm trying to sit down and eat a proper lunch during the week.
I made this protein packed salad earlier this week with some random ingredients I had at home. It was definitely worth spending a few spare minutes between feeding, burping and nappy changing to throw it together. The ingredients can easily be varied to include other some other veg or salad bits that you like and the goats cheese could be swapped for cheddar or feta. It will also keep well in the fridge for a few hours if you wanted to make it ahead of time.
I don't know whether it was the salad or the extra strong cup of coffee I had afterwards, but I certainly felt perkier for the rest of the afternoon and for once I didn't reach for the chocolate biscuits to ease the afternoon slump. Result!
Protein Packed Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: European
Description
A protein packed salad with chargrilled chicken, goats cheese, cous cous, avocado & spinach.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- ½ packet fresh spinach
- 100g giant cous cous
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 50g goats cheese, crumbled
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 10 black olives
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 lime
- fresh herbs to garnish
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast between two sheets of cling film and flatten with a rolling pin. Season the chicken either side with salt and pepper and the juice of ½ a lime.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken on a medium heat until it's cooked through, then cut into strips.
- Meanwhile cook the cous cous according to the packet instructions. I cooked mine in boiling water on the hob for 8 minutes. When cooked, drain and mix in the dried oregano.
- Place the spinach in a bowl and add the chicken, cous cous, goats cheese, cherry tomatoes, black olives, red pepper and avocado. Garnish with fresh herbs.
- Make a simple dressing with 1tbsp olive oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Finish with lime juice to taste.
Darcy says
I really enjoyed this salad. Didn't require any fussy ingredients and kept me full up until dinner time which meant I avoided my usual trip to the snack cupboard. Yay!!!