I absolutely love the abundance of fresh veggies and berries this time of year! I make a point of riding my pink cruiser bike with basket to the local farmers market and stroll through each booth, oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the beautiful displays! The colors and smells overwhelm me! Then ideas start popping up…
“Hmmm. I bet that would taste amazing with some fresh salmon.”
“I wonder if that would work well in my salad tonight?”
“I’ve never seen such a huge beautiful head of cabbage! I need that for my crunch salad and fish tacos!”
When I visit the farmers market, I make a point of bringing a backpack, because the basket on my bike is never big enough!
The joy of knowing that the produce, meats, and flowers that I am buying are local, and supporting those in my community warms my heart!
Visiting with the farmers, learning about their products, and trying new foods is all a part of my 80/20 Life in Balance plan.
As I stroll along, I find the ingredients for one of my favorite summertime salads! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I pick up a lovely head of red leaf lettuce, a bag of “spring mix” salad blend, a pint of blueberries, a pint of raspberries, pint of strawberries, goat cheese, 2 chicken breasts, and a fennel bulb. I know I have a jicama and some sliced almonds at home.
I cannot help but buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers! They just make me smile!
With my basket and my backpack full, I hop on my bubble gum pink cruiser bike and head home!
After washing and drying the produce (and tasting along the way), I combine all of the ingredients excluding the chicken breasts.
For the chicken, I clean and pat dry. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. On the grill, I cook each breast until no longer pink in the middle. I slice the breasts into ½ inch pieces and place on top of the beautiful salad!
For the dressing, mix 4 tbsp olive oil, juice from ½ lemon, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. Drizzle over the salad. Toss and enjoy!
In Good Health
Aly