Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Google Adsense

  • HOME
  • SHOP
    • SHOP MY INSTAGRAM
    • Weekly Window Shop
    • PROMOS & CODES
  • ABOUT
    • about me
    • policies
    • contact
  • BEAUTY
    • hair
    • makeup
    • nails
    • skincare
  • FOOD
    • breakfast
    • lunch
    • dinner
    • apps & sides
    • healthy options
    • kid friendly
    • sweet
  • HOME DECOR
    • spaces
      • living
      • dining
      • kitchen
      • master
      • kids
    • entertaining
      • table scapes
      • bar carts
      • parties
    • holiday
    • organization
    • rental solutions
    • seasonal
      • spring | summer
      • fall | winter
  • LIFE
    • about
    • wellness
    • kids
    • travel
  • STYLE
    • casual
    • seasonal
      • spring | summer
      • fall | winter
      • holiday
    • kids
    • events & occasions
    • vacation
    • wear to work
  • SUBSCRIBE

Shopstyle Collective Tag

Mess Marvelous
Dinner  /  January 15, 2019

Power Chicken Salad

This blog may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my coffee habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep this mama going. I love these products already and just want to share...it’s a win for everyone, really!

So now that it is the beginning of 2019 and everyone is in full on “get all of the carbs out of my sight” mode, I’m over here balancing my mini snickers with some healthier choices at meal times.

Enter the Power Chicken Salad

Tonight for dinner I came up with this Power Chicken Salad. Doesn’t that sounds healthy and fancy? I know, I know, I can feel the strength coursing through my veins as I write this post. Ok, maybe not really, BUT it was pretty delicious and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt eating it. Its got veggies and grains, its full of protein and tastes absolutely amazing!!!

Mess Marvelous Blog

This salad would make an EXCELLENT meal prep option and you could even mix up the proteins for different variations and cuisine styles. More on that below. For my salad, I used a butter lettuce salad greens mix from Aldi, but any style of lettuce you prefer would do just fine. Then I layered on some fresh baby spinach to channel my inner Popeye and amp up the vitamin factor just a smidge. I diced some tomatoes and threw in for good measure, because well, salad… Next up is component number 1 to making this “Power Salad” actually powerful. Quinoa! My hubby won’t eat rice unless its in very specific unhealthily cooked manners, so we eat quinoa in its place. I should thank him for making me substitute the starchy filler with something far more nutritious, but let’s not get carried away now.

Top it Off

To make my quinoa, I always buy the pre-rinsed kind. First I add however much I’m cooking to a dry sauce pan. Then swirl it around every minute or so to prevent sticking, and after a couple of minutes I add the required amount of liquid. Be careful here, it might splatter in the hot pan! I usually use water and add some chicken base to the pot for flavor, but if you have stock on hand, by all means use it. It is a flavor BOMB in rices and grains instead of just plain old water. After the quinoa was finished cooking I set it aside to cool while I finished prepping the rest of the ingredients. I topped my salad with maybe a 1/4 – 1/3 cup of the cooked quinoa.

For my protein, I used basic shredded chicken that I made in my Instant Pot (another post on that to follow). It was seasoned simply with just salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Man oh man was it ever tasty!!! You could use whatever protein you like however, or none at all if you want to keep this a vegetarian dish.

Mess Marvelous Blog

The last step to my Power Chicken Salad was the Creamy Garlic Dressing (again, another post to follow, we’ll get there, just hold your horses). You could use any dressing you wish, but I feel like this is what really took this salad to the next level. It was almost like a cross between ranch and caesar if that makes any sense. If you’re not a garlic fan, I would recommend ranch as my next go-to option for sure, but then again, I could eat ranch on a shoe and love it, so there’s that.

Variety and Ease

All in all, I think this will be one of my go-to weeknight meals. I was so excited that I had enough left over for lunch the next day, so that is saying something. I mentioned how easy it would be to meal prep earlier. You could make a big batch of salad and quinoa to portion out ahead of time. For the chicken (or your desired protein) you could cook it fresh, or make a large batch, and you’re good to go! I could eat this salad cold straight from the fridge or with the chicken and quinoa warm, like I did here.

As promised, here is a list of some ways you could mix up the salad while keeping the base of greens and quinoa the same.

  • Taco: Taco seasoned ground turkey, fresh bell pepper and tortilla strips with southwest ranch dressing
  • Asian: Teriyaki Salmon, shelled edamame, wonton strips, creamy wasabi dressing and sesame seeds
  • Italian: Lemon Pepper chicken with pesto vinaigrette and chunks of mozzarella

Spam me with your pics if you recreate this Power Salad. You can find me on Instagram @Mess.Marvelous or post it to my Facebook Page! Thanks for stopping by friends!!!

As always XOXO

-Emily

Tags:

  • Healthy
  • ,
  • Meal Prep

Share this:

  • Share
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Print

Post navigation

Holiday Gift Guide: Classic Hostess Gifts
How To: Prevent Razor Burn on Legs

Let’s Be Friends!

  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

HELLO THERE!

Don't miss out on new content, get updates from Home, Style, Beauty & more sent straight to your Inbox!

ABOUT

Hi friends! I’m Emily…welcome to my little corner of the Blogosphere. Take a look around, and don’t be shy if you would like to reach out.

You’ll mostly find ideas and suggestions to help you stay within your budget when it comes to things like personal style and home decor. From time to time I’ll include other topics ranging from food to parenting & family life.

I’m just here to help my fellow human try to make sense out of this messy life and hopefully help you turn it into something marvelous.

Follow me on Instagram @Mess.Marvelous

  • Do you ever rediscover something in your wardrobe and wonder why you stopped wearing it? That’s me and these shoes. I have had them for several years now, and have always loved them, but I kind of forgot they were in there.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#30plusstyle #momlife #effortlessstyle #athleisure #neutralstyle #realoutfitgram #everydaystyle #midsizefashion #orlandobloggers #outfitoftheday #mixandmatch #capsulewardrobe #lookoftheday #currentlywearing #stylishmom #over30fashion #over30style #momstyle #styleover30 #momuniform #casualstyle #comfystyle #floridastyle⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
http://liketk.it/36nyX #liketkit @liketoknow.it #LTKshoecrush #LTKcurves #LTKstyletip
  • I shared this in stories today, but she’s too cute to not get a permanent spot. Every single time we make a #targetrun she MUST take a picture with bullseye lol. Then I immediately douse her with hand sanitizer and put her right back in the cart 😆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#targetdog #momlife #Lifestyleblog #Momblog #momswhoblog #orlandobloggers #funnymoms #target #targetlife #targettag #bullseyesplayground #ltkfamily #girlmom #lifewithlittles #kidstyle #girlstyle #littlegirlstyle #littlegirlfashion #mommyandme #candidchildhood  #momswithcameras  #motherhoodthroughinstagram  #orlandomom  #orlandomoms  #livelikeyoulivehere  #bestmoments  #cameramama
  • “ Oh darlin’ ‘cause you’ll always be my babyyyyyy....do do doop dum...” Who loves jeans?!? I know I wear leggings near daily, but I can also be truly comfortable in jeans ALL DAY LONG!!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve always really enjoyed Universal Thread since Target launched it, but I’ve recently discovered Madewell, and it might be true love at long last. They’re just SO DAMN GOOD!!! What are some of your fave brands?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Follow me in the @LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#liketkit #LTKcurves #LTKstyletip #LTKunder50⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
@liketoknow.it⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
http://liketk.it/35f53⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#30plusstyle #momlife #effortlessstyle #curvyfashion #neutralstyle #averagesizegirl #midsizefashion #everydaystyle #orlandobloggers #tallstyle #styleonabudget #affordablefashion #budgetstyle #mixandmatch #flatlay #reallifeandstyle #capsulewardrobe #styleinfluencer #styleinspo #tallgirlstyle #midsizegals #midsizestyle #momstyle #stylishmom
  • Heading into 2021 sharing my No. 1 post from 2020! Just pure joy and freedom, living my best mask-free life at Disney Springs for the Trail of Trees!!! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m not going to go into a long reflection of this past year. We all lived it together, we know how it feels and what it looked like. I miss my friends and spending extra time with my family, hopefully that’s on the horizon sooner rather than later. Other than that... I’m just trying to bring big Disney-style energy back into my life in 2021, and I wish the same for you!!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Happy New Year my loves!!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Follow me on the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to get the product details for this look and others like fit tips and beauty details from my looks!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#LTKunder50 #LTKfamily #LTKcurves http://liketk.it/34RqB #liketkit @liketoknow.it⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#30plusstyle #momlife #realoutfitgram #outfitideas #budgetstyle #everydaystyle #effortlessstyle #midsizefashion #reallifeandstyle #averagesizegirl #orlandobloggers #affordablefashion #styleonabudget #styleinspiration #outfitoftheday #ontrend #casualme #whatimwearing #happynewyear #lookoftheday #theeverygirl #midsizestyle #disneyoutfit #disneygram #disneyfashion
  • Loving my new budget friendly, but doesn’t look it bag. When I opened it, hubby said “that looks expensive” lol...it’s already a great price, and I got it on sale for under $50 so definitely a great find! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This particular studded version is sold out, but I’ve linked this exact bag in other color and pattern options including a studded wine color like mine and a classic black quilted option.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Follow me in the @LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only contents like fit tips and beauty details from my looks (Link in Bio)!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you like this look and want to see more, check out Week 18 of #chicfashionstyles! Each week we share our favorite outfits, looks and styles. We’d love to see yours too! If you want to join, DM one of our hosts @shoppingwith.hannah or @emma_grace_blog to get the details!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#chicfashionstylesweek18⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#liketkit #LTKNewYear #LTKcurves #LTKitbag⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
@liketoknow.it⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
http://liketk.it/34SPl⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#30plusstyle #neutralstyle #effortlessstyle #budgetstyle #everydaystyle #midsizefashion #outfitideas #curvyfashion #affordablefashionista #affordablefashion #styleonabudget #lookforless #budgetbabe #affordableluxury #midsizestyle #midsizeblogger #LTKunder100 #LTKunder50 #momlife #stylishmom #outfitinspo #outfitoftheday #mixandmatch
  • Have you seen this tip yet?! I posted about it over on REELS a couple times back...if you ever find your hair frizzy right out of a towel after your shower check it out!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I love a good microfiber hair towel, but sometimes they’re all waiting to be washed and I reach for an old t-shirt instead. If hair towels aren’t in your budget right now, I can almost guarantee you have an old shirt laying around. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ll link my fave hair towels over on the LTK app though if you’re on the hunt for some that are super absorbent, don’t anger the frizz, and are large enough to hold long/thick hair!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Follow me in the @LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only contents like fit tips and beauty details from my looks!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#liketkit #LTKunder50 #LTKbeauty #LTKfamily⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
@liketoknow.it⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
http://liketk.it/34MeG⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#momlife #30plusstyle #Lifestyleblog #reallifeandstyle #averagesizegirl #midsizecollective #orlandobloggers #midsizestyle #midsizeblogger #size14 #midsizegals #momswhoblog #amazonfinds #hairproducts #affordablebeauty #balayage #ultabeauty #budgetbeauty #sephora #hairstylisttips #haircare #hairtips #moroccanoil #beautyjunkie #brunettebalayage⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
TAGS: basic haircare products and tools to help prevent frizz, hydrating sulfate free shampoo and conditioner, keratin treatment safe hair products, microfiber hair towel (great for kids too), self care, waffle lounge spa style robe

A R C H I V E S

  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • June 2018
© Copyright Mess Marvelous 2020
Cressida Pro by LyraThemes.com