Tasty Tuesday: Southwest Chicken Kale Salad

Thank you Hungry Girl for another AMAZING recipe.  I never get tired of salad!

This is a refreshing compliment to summer’s hot dogs, hamburgers, and other BBQ fare.  This zesty recipe makes two huge and satisfying meals… but it can also double as a multi-serving side dish!

1/2 of recipe (about 7 cups): 307 calories, 3g total fat (0.5g sat fat), 827mg sodium, 39g carbs, 9g fiber, 12.5g sugars, 34.5g protein — PointsPlus® value 7* — SmartPoints® value 4*  MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Prep: 15 minutes     Chill: 1 – 2 hours

Ingredients:

Salad
8 cups chopped kale leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup seeded and chopped fresh jalapeño peppers
6 oz. cooked and chopped skinless chicken breast

Dressing
1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning mix

Directions:

• Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
• In a medium bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until uniform. Add dressing to salad, and toss to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours, to allow flavors to develop.

Whether you are taking your salad to work for lunch or eating it outside on your porch, the perfect thermal to keep your drinks cold is Thirty One’s Bring a Bottle Thermal.

Celebrate Thirty-One’s 15th anniversary year with this Customer-favorite bring-back style! Use this handy single-bottle thermal for school, work and travel. Our insulated drawstring cooler pouch keeps up to a 20-oz. bottle of water, milk or other drinks cold on the go. Includes a carabiner to clip on your gym bag, diaper bag, bike, golf bag or sports bag.

It will even hold a 750ml bottle of wine.

 

 

 

 

Add a strap from the Studio by Thirty One collection to make it hands free carrying when you are walking.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Healthy Eating AND Travel – Better Together

How many of you think “I’m on vacation, I will worry about eating healthy when I get home”?  The truth is, you can eat healthy and still enjoy your vacation.  For most of us, when we are traveling, nutrition is NOT on the top of our list.

Since dealing with health challenges, I am realizing that knowing what to eat when I travel will not only affect how I enjoy the trip, but it also affects my overall health. I have to be careful not to fall into the fast food trap of fast food, simply because it is convenient.

Here are some tips that help me when I am traveling:

5. Eat Like The Locals.  Watch and see what the locals are eating. Which restaurants have the longest lines? Be careful of street food because it’s not always the healthiest choice, and under-cooked street food can be dangerous to your health.

4. Foods to Fight Jet Lag.  Whether you are traveling to a foreign country or just across the country, food can contribute to common travel plights such as jet lag. Don’t shoot the messenger BUT you want to avoid anything with caffeine, because they can dehydrate you which is a common cause of jet lag.  Remember to drink plenty of water throughout your travel experience.

3. Don’t Over Eat.  Foods that are high in fat or salt, or foods that are rich can make travel harder.  Salt not only increase water retention during air travel, but it will make you feel sluggish and tired. Fatty foods are the same as well as any snacks that are high in fat or salt, such as chips or trail mixes. On a LONG flight, water retention can be even more of a problem and can result in swelling.

2. Bring Your Own Food.  I know who wants to bring their own food when they travel, right?  It is actually a good idea – an alternative to airplane food, or healthy snacks while you tour around. Maybe some fruit, peanut butter (or peanut butter sandwich), or a nutrition bar. Can’t bring your own food, plan your meals.

 

1. Never Forget Breakfast.  No matter what, make time for breakfast.  It is not only the most important meal of the day when you are home BUT also when you are traveling.  In a hurry, grab something quick like something high in fiber, or full of whole grains, like oatmeal or cold cereal.  The best option is a balanced breakfast, combining carbs with proteins and grains. Stay away from muffins, cookies, and doughnuts. Greasy on the go breakfast foods are a big no-no too.

What is YOUR best tip for eating healthy when you travel?  I have found that it is so much easier to eat healthy when it is a road trip versus flying but I would love to hear from you.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

Lunch Box 101

Happy Tuesday!  Here in the Northeast, the kids start back to school this week.  Many have started thinking about their fall season routines. One of  the most popular question at party or a vendor event this time of year is about our thermal totes.  Okay, so I may be late on the draw but trust me the conversation will come up again.  How much do they hold?  Which one is best for me?  Is there one for my hubby?  Just by chance there was an article in the paper about how to buy and how to fill them (probably needs a whole blog just for that).

I usually ask people what they typically take for lunch because the type of lunch box depends on the type of foods you pack, how you pack them as well as when and where you eat them.  J.M. Hirch who wrote “Beating the Lunch Box Blues” says that soft sided cooler bags are the way to go!  YEAH!  Thirty One actually has 11 different types of thermals.

There are four main options for lunches – Around the Clock thermal, the lunch break thermal, the picnic thermal (those long shifts) and the thermal tote. He even recommends an insulated drink bottle – add a Thirty One Bring-a-Bottle thermal and you are ready to go.

 The lunch box thermal is my go-to lunch bag.  It holds ALOT and has an outside pocket for utensils or items that you want to keep dry. The longer strap makes it easy to carry for the professional who is headed to work too.

  The Picnic Thermal is for those LONG days when you will leave the house early in the morning and work right through dinner.  It is a GREAT way to show your team or school spirit since it comes in only solid colors.

A double feature – it will hold two 6-packs of soda or 4 bottles of wine on the weekend.  This is my go to vendor event bag – it not only keeps my food cold but I can pack those tall bottles of water and know that everything I need will be right there.

 Talk about multiple uses for our thermal totes.  A local Scentsy rep found that this was a great way to store her “party 2 go”.  The thermal helps to keep her product safe during the hot summer months.  The thermal tote has been a staple in Thirty One‘s line for many years.  It is the perfect size for toddlers to take to pre-school with their snacks and have plenty of room for a few extras.  This works well for school-age children up to high school (just my opinion).  Once the kids get older, they start to carry larger bottles of water, more containers as well as more options.

The Around the Clock Thermal is the one that my hubby takes to work.  Working 2nd shift he has his dinner and snacks plus a few extras with him.

 The Bring-A-Bottle Thermal is the perfect size for sports bottles.  Place a cold or even a frozen bottle in the thermal and you are ready for a long day.  The clip allows you to fasten it on any of our thermals or bags.  Another use is to keep those bottle beers cold as you are tailgating this football season OR for that bottle of wine.  We do have a NEW tall bottle thermal but that is for another day.

Time to wrap things up…I know you thought lunch boxes were a basic decision but if you want one to last and meet your needs, it takes some thought.  While you are at it, why not have it serve several purposes to save some money in your budget for other things.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!