Ultimate Chicken Salad & Your Photos!

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all enjoyed a safe but fun New Year's Eve! For the first time, the hubby and I stayed in. And literally did nothing. Seriously. I made mayonnaise and an artichoke. That's pretty much it. We had some fun plans, but were thwarted by a nasty stomach virus that has been making its way through our household. Oh well... I guess we saved a little money... Thankfully, I believe we are nearing the end of the tunnel!

I absolutely love January. I am always sad to see the holidays go, but there is something wonderful about starting a new year! It's great to see so many people taking an interest in their health and well-being. Yes, the gyms will be crowded and annoying, but in the grand scheme of the world, it is great to see it.

I am on Day 2 of my New Year's Whole 30! Click here to read about Whole 30. I made a delicious sausage and onion frittata (recipe courtesy of Everyday Paleo- click here for the recipe) for breakfast which will make for easy breakfasts this week. It's a big recipe, so there were a fair amount of leftovers.

Frittata + coffee fresh brewed from my new Keurig = delicious start to 2013!

I have a quick recipe to share with you today: my Ultimate Chicken Salad! This one is always a hit at parties and gatherings. If you like sandwiches, it is great on bread, but it is also great alone or stuffed into giant celery stalks or lettuce wraps. It is also Paleo and meets the Whole 30 guidelines.

Ultimate Chicken Salad

 

(Serves 2-3 people)


Ingredients:

• 1-2 chicken breasts (I used 1 1/4 cooked bone-in split chicken breasts), chopped
• 1/4-1/3 yellow onion, chopped (use more if you like more onion flavor)
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• Handful of raw almonds, chopped
• 1 small apple, chopped (any variety will work, but I like one with a red skin, for color)
• 1-2 Tbsp. Homemade Mayo (click here to find out how to make mayo- use as much as you like- more mayo will give you a creamier salad)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve! It's that simple!

A couple of notes: I use my Pampered Chef chopper to chop the almonds. It keeps them from flying all over the kitchen. This recipe would work with store-bought mayo, but that would not be Paleo or Whole 30 compliant. However, if you aren't following that kind of plan, that would work fine! I have also used grapes in place of the apples, and I have used cashews in place of the almonds. Play around and try it different ways!

 

And now... Your photos! I was hosting a post-holiday photo contest. I have one major winner for the category of "Most Unusual Gift!"

Congratulations, Helen! Your can of olives was the most unusual gift that we saw!

 

I also have 2 honorable mentions for Deb, Erica, and Toya- for sending in such cute holiday pet photos. That wasn't a category, but they begged to send in some pet pics!

 

Henry (Deb's fur baby)

 

Fisher (Erica's fur baby)

 

I didn't have entries for some of the other categories, so we will save those for another time!

 

Helen, Erica, and Toya, I will be sending you a cookbook soon! I will be in touch!

 

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