Competing with the pasta-for-every-occasion is the salad-for-every-occasion. Since I'm a full time college student with a part-time job, I don't have oodles of time to make elaborate meals; however, I am incapable of eating lean cuisines since I started cooking over the summer. This salad is my absolute favorite, and I make it at least twice a week until my supplies start to run out. You can make it with chicken, or without, but I am going to include chicken in the recipe because I think it makes the salad ten times more delicious.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1) boneless skinless chicken breasts

2) 1 egg

3) Italian breadcrumbs

4) Parmesan cheese

5) Olive oil

6) Baby spinach

7) Mixed baby greens

8) Fresh mozzarella (I recommend Ovoline)

9) Sliced almonds

10) Sliced cucumber

11) Grape tomatoes

12) Sun-dried cranberries

13) Shredded carrot

14) Annie's Naturals pomegranate vinaigrette dressing

PART 1: THE CHICKEN

Make sure the chicken is thawed (I usually take mine out a day before I plan on making it). Then, beat one egg in a medium-sized bowl. Coat the chicken with the egg (one egg works for about a pound of chicken, so if you are making more you might need two eggs) and then dredge the chicken in a mixture of parmesan and breadcrumbs. Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and put it on medium heat. Put the chicken in the pan and flip it when one side is golden brown. The thinner the chicken breast the better, because it cooks faster and you don't have to cut it in half to see if it's done. Keep in mind that salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon can all be added to spice things up a bit. Since I usually use the chicken for salad, I try to keep things simple.

PART 2: THE SALAD

Mix some baby spinach and baby greens in a big bowl. Slice the chicken and fresh mozzarella. Add chicken, mozzarella, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, sliced almonds, and sun-dried cranberries to the bowl. Add dressing (and I HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest using Annie's Naturals pomegranate vinaigrette, it's my favorite and creates a nice balance between flavors) and mix everything together. Enjoy :-)

My favorite thing about this salad is that it's versatile and well-balanced. You can eat it for breakfast or lunch, and it's substansive enough that you don't need to eat it with anything else. After coming back from the gym hungry as hell, this salad gives me exactly what I need. I never end up being full or hungry afterwards, but perfectly satisfied. Another cool thing about it is that you can make a bunch of chicken at once and can use the leftovers to make the salad for a week or two after. WIN-WIN situation. Like the pasta-for-every occasion, you get your protein, fats, carbs, vitamins, etc. Why make a three part meal to get everything you need when you can throw together a salad in five minutes? Well, if you have time, it might not matter. As for the busy lads and lasses, this salad can become an important part of your diet. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!