Meal Prepped Salads

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School lunches can be depressing. Mind you, the wonderful lunch ladies (and men) do try their best. They're pretty much handed a few bags of frozen mush and instructed to make something edible. But it's impossible to deny that the "turkey," resembling a dirty brown shmatte, and the canned peaches are a bit disheartening. Especially before a crazy hard quadratics test. Brown bag lunches can be a hassle, too. I'll watch my friends pull out some seasonal Pop Tarts, microwavable mac n' cheese cups, or squeezable applesauces from their lunch boxes, eating them quickly. They're hungry again before the school day is out, due to the carbohydrate crashes they experience. I have nothing against Pop Tarts; when I was little, my mom bought a pumpkin pie flavour, and I devoured them like the world was about to end. But, as I aspire to be the best, healthiest version of Maya I can be, pumpkin pie Pop Tarts (unfortunately) do not make the cut. To be honest, though, I don't really mind. I've got my crazy awesome salads to look forward to instead.
Now, we only have about fifteen minutes to eat lunch, so I've got to eat FAST, because these salads are huge. Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple would call them Big Ass Salads (pardon my profanity). The name is perfect. Loaded with fresh produce and lean protein, and topped with generous amount of yogurt based dressing, these salads are definitely responsible for my 100% in Algebra. Well, I like to think that they are, but probably not. The brain power they give me seems to be tremendous, so they surely contribute, right?

Makes two salads
Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 tub of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 zucchini
  • Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing (no canola oil here, folks! But honestly, any dressing will do.)
  • A few handfuls of arugula
  • Avocado oil
  • Seasoning of choice 
This recipe is great to make on a Saturday or Sunday so that you have delicious salads ready to go for the week. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your chicken breast on a sheet of parchment paper, and douse it in avocado oil and a seasoning of your choice. Right now, I'm really digging herbs de provence. Next, form a sort of package around your chicken with the parchment paper, folding it around the breast. Place your package on a sheet pan, and roast in the oven until the chicken is cooked, or the juice runs clear. For me, this tends to be between 22 to 30 minutes. While the chicken is roasting, dice your bell pepper and zucchini into bite size pieces, and divide among two tupperwares. Wash the cherry tomatoes, and distribute them among the tupperwares. Top with a few handfuls of arugula. Once the chicken is done cooking, slice it and allow it to cool. Divide the breast between the tupperwares (Division! Math!). Place your salads in the fridge. The day you plan to indulge in one, pour a generous amount of dressing on the salad, and 1/2 of an avocado per meal. Enjoy! 

Note: You can you any veggies you would like for this salad, and any protein. When I'm not in the mood to roast chicken (because let's face it, sometimes I'm lazy), I use some wild caught lox. Mmm!

Guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow, everyone? Definitely Pop Tarts.

Carpe Diem,
Maya

Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

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