Reducing plastic and chicken meals

Last week I went through a chicken salad phase.

The curry one on the left is from Selland’s and the fuji apple cranberry one on the right is from Nugget.

They lasted a couple of day with carrots for lunch.

And then I missed them so much over the next few days that I decided to make my own.

First up, let’s talk about this 9 month aged Clarina Sheep Gouda that I got at WF.

I never It’s been a few weeks since I got it, but I wanted to share it anyway.  Ooooh baby carrots!  I forgot about you guys!  It’s only been 2 weeks since I committed to buying unpackaged carrots and chopping them on my own (reducing my plastic waste), but it already seems so far in my rearview mirror!  I have been doing a lot of research on steps to de-plastic our lives and produce less waste and it’s definitely A LOT of work in some cases.  But in other cases, it’s not, and so I’m trying to find the balance…so I don’t go crazy, but still do the best I can without sacrificing time that I’d otherwise be spending with my fam and kids, of course.

Like chocolate.  Yes, you can buy bulk bin treats, but I’m not going to deprive myself of a bar if I want a bar.  Although, truth be told, Kyle got this for me as a surprise.  So now I just have to learn how to bring my mason jars to the store and zero the scales so I don’t have to waste plastic bags as the intermediary transporting them home.

This firecracker bar is BOOMSHACKALACKA good.

Ok, so back to the chicken salad

I had a salad planned for dinner that included chicken, so I just made a ton at once so that I could have leftovers.

I used the instant pot to make it super easy – I added olive oil and sautéed the breasts on both sides and then sealed it for a quick pressure cook and natural release…followed by a one minute fork shredding.

Here’s the chicken salad I made with it.

And here was the dinner salad I made with it.

Both delish!

I’m experimenting with fodmaps and journaling to track exact reactions….hence the green apples.

Sometimes I have strong reactions to wheat and gluten and sometimes I have no reaction.  And while I definitely think the fodmaps load (as in the amount I have in a short period) is the main factor, I am starting to wonder if where I am in my cycle has to do with it too.  Hormonally, my body has always been a little wonky, and for some reason I never thought about those two systems interacting.  But obviously the GI system is affected by hormones, so maybe it would be nice to know if there are times when I can get away with pushing my dietary limits further vs. times that I need to keep things strict.  All in the name of information!

This chicken salad had celery, granny smith apples, mayo and pecans, and man was it good.

It lasted three lunches (paired with carrots and crackers) and I think I’ll be making it again soon because it kept me full and satisfied for HOURS.

It’s fresh and crunchy thanks to the apples and nuts, and comforting and nutrient packed since I used high quality mayo (Sir Kensington).

I think poppyseeds would be good in it too.

Fall Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups mayo
  • 1 small green apple, diced
  • 3 large celery stalked, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups pecans
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook chicken and shred it.  Toss in mayo and then stir in chopped celery and apples until fully combined.  Fold in pecans and salt and pepper to your preference.

Yum!!

Sure made lunch time easy. 🙂

At least for me.  Although I have an air tight system for when I forget to prep the kiddos lunches too.

Need to eat in 4 minutes?  No problem!  Beans and nooch it is!  Ha.  I swear I’m usually more on top of it, but by Friday of last week I was just hanging on for dear life.  But guess what?!?  The rummage sale is over and life can go on again now!!!!  Weee!!  Back to all the things I neglected thus far in October.  Oh my gosh, it is October!  My favorite month!!

So now back to that other salad…

First I made a tahini dressing (which of course was not measured because it’s not like I have a food blog or anything where people want to follow my recipes).  Doh!

Tahini, hot water, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper.

That’s the gist.

Massaged two kinds of kale in it, and then added sun dried tomatoes and some of the shredded chicken.

Topped with pine nuts and walnuts that I toasted in the oven.

Served over rice!

So now you have two different chicken options to make.  Enjoy!

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Comments (7)

  1. Ttrockwood

    I’m impressed you swapped from baby carrots, i swear the big carrots don’t taste quite the same… maybe that center part is just bigger and tougher? I’ve been doing what i can to reduce plastic and overall waste which can feel like an uphill battle in nyc (note street vendors still use styrofoam containers) and got reusable silicone bags a while back that are easy to clean. I used to go through a lot of plastic baggies (which i would reuse) but still this has been a good solve.
    Obviously you have to make the chicken salad lunch again! Sounds like a tasty combo, i’ll have to give it a go with the beyond meat chicken strips which are surprisingly good without funky junk in them.
    And ugh, something seriously whacko happens to hormones after 35 and i have not been amused.

  2. Hillary

    I definitely find my IBS is affected by my cycle. I was on continuous birth control for a while just so I wouldn’t have to deal with so many fluctuations screwing up my gut! Hopefully this month I will get more information about a test phase hypnotherapy program for IBS that I signed up for. There’s been some good research and I am so frustrated. Chronic pain is exhausting! Also, that chicken salad looks so good. One of my favorite meals used to be salads with nuts, cheese and fruit.

  3. Elli

    I’m so glad that you are moving towards less plastic. There are a lot of easy switches and taking jars to the store to get the tare weight is a great start! I also use reusable cotton bulk bags and produce bags (they already have the tare weight marked on them) and I only by chocolate or candy packaged in paper and/or foil. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey towards less plastic!

  4. Elise (Post author)

    Yes! I only have four of those but I’ve been using them exclusively for the past couple of weeks and just putting them in glass containers once I get home. It’s annoying because I don’t have very many now, but I am making it work…any other tips you have I’d LOVE to hear about…

  5. Elise (Post author)

    I looked into hypnotherapy years and years ago but never found someone who would work with insurance and it was too $$$ for something I didn’t know if it would work or not. I’m so curious to hear how it goes for you though. Will you write back and let me know!!?!?!?

  6. Elise (Post author)

    Those beyond meat chicken strips are LEGIT delish.

  7. Hillary

    Yes, I will let you know! I have such a hard time spending money on gut stuff anymore because I’ve had every test and spent so much money, but this was free so I figured, why not!

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