Here is a healthy, tasty, time and money saving recipe that will help you stay right on track with your new year resolution. It is made with baked chicken, romaine lettuce, kale, haricot verts, mango, grapes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Now, you may be asking, how is this easy and time saving if you need a baked chicken. Well, I made the chicken the day before and used the left over chicken for the salad. If you are really pressed for time, you can purchase a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and use that instead. I also added some fresh fruit to sweeten up the salad and to add valuable vitamins. I then drizzled some  extra virgin olive oil instead of salad dressing to make it heart healthy.

I am sure that by now you have all heard of the wonderful benefits of kale. But if you haven’t, well let me tell you. One cup of raw kale contains only 33 calories, 2.5 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. Great for your lean muscles. It also contains vitamins A, C and K, and the B vitamin folate. Great for pregnant women. Although it has a slight bitter taste, adding  the fresh, sweet fruit  counterbalances that. I also added French green beans, haricots Verts, because of their crunch and also great nutritional value. They are not only an excellent source of cholesterol lowering dietary fiber; additionally they offer the anti-oxidant vitamins A and C that really help to avoid oxidation of cholesterol. Green beans are also an excellent source of potassium as well as magnesium to stabilize blood pressure level.

To sweeten up the salad I added fresh grapes and mango. I love the color and taste this gives to the greens. The fruit is loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C, something we really need during the winter.

So next time you are in a hurry, toss up a healthy and colorful salad and as always, enjoy!

Healthy Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kale
• 1 cup Romaine lettuce
• 4 ounces baked chicken, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup haricots verts, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh mango, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh grapes, sliced in half
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and toss to coat with the extra virgin olive oil. Place onto a plate and enjoy!