Pepper Roasted Cashews on a Turkey Garden Salad

Happy Memorial Day weekend, all! I am so excited because I am doing exactly what I want for the next three days - Getting my life back in shape AND relaxing. I can't ask for a better holiday break. Staycations are something to always consider because you don't have to put a lot of thought into them. You can explore around your state or pack up the car for a nice long hike around the mountains. Gotta love the Pacific Northwest.

Last weekend, I ended up at the wineries with one of my best gal pals and we had an amazing time just sitting and drinking a nice chilled rose. I love nothing more than 1:1 time with a great friend.

This weekend's salad is something I throw together a lot, especially for work. I generally make it in the spring/summer months because radishes hit the stores a lot more. It's super simple to make in advance and ensemble in the office. All you need is a microwave for the Turkey and you're set to go. I have had this salad when the Turkey is cold and it's honestly just as good but it's cold and rainy in the great city of Seattle so I chose to heat it up.

That Yoga Life Tho

Never in my life have I considered myself a Yogini. "That would just be crazy" was literally my mantra. Though, for the past 10 years I have taken yoga classes and am fairly more familiar with the practice than most. Over the past few months, something has seriously changed in my lifestyle to where I feel my mat calling me to it. Not literally, that would probably be defined as "crazy" but its a feeling I have been unfamiliar with.

Over the past few months, I found a new studio and started practicing regularly (3x a week). Since restarting my yoga lifestyle I've progressed more over this amount of time than ever in my yoga practice. I was finally able to not only get into Bakasana/Crow Pose (aka Crane Pose)  but held it for the first time ever. It's just as hard as you think it is but once you find out where your gaze should be and when you should brace your stomach your pride boosts like none other. It's definitely an arm workout but what has really surprised me in how much it has strengthened my abs! There's a physical difference in the inches around my waist. I don't know if I've felt this strong since high school.

Healthy Cilantro Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad

Good morning, for the PNW!

This salad is super easy to put together as long as you make the chicken in the oven the day before. I tend to do this a lot. I love making the protein portion on Sunday night as a part of my meal prep for the week. My other option is to put it in the oven right after I get home from Monday morning's yoga class.

You're probably asking how I have so much time in the morning to cook chicken. Well, I tend to under estimate on a few things but I know myself and I do take into consideration how big the chicken actually is. If I have two large chicken breasts then I know it'll take about 40 mins at 375*. One large breast may only take 20-25 minutes. Not so bad when you think about what you do in the mornings. Especially when its just throwing something in the oven.

Clean up, ah yes - another question. To be 100% honest, I use a disposable pie tin. That's right! I cover it in foil so it's fool proof. The moment the tin is cool, I remove the foil, toss it, cut my chicken, throw it in tupperware and run out the door.

This chicken salad recipe is super simple for someone who needs to throw something together for a healthy lunch. I always add fresh cracked pepper to simple recipes like this one because it's a little addition that gives it a lot of extra flavor. I also didn't really use a dressing for this one! It's a clean mixture of olive oil and lemon juice. As in, I literally squeezed 1/4 of a lemon on top and called it a day.

Honey Balsamic Shrimp on the Beets (with Avocado)

I'm really excited to share this first post! I haven't always had a love for salads. It was a hate relationship for a long time until I came acquainted with dressing! Ranch dressing, to be more specific. Then I had a surgery and learned that I became dairy intolerant so I had to find an alternative way to dress my salads.

After a lot of research, trial and error, I learned to make my own ranch and make creamy dressings alone! I started thinking about the restaurants I was visiting in downtown Seattle and, overtime, came to realize that I could possibly make a version at home without the dairy or the fried bits. I began experimenting and bringing in little tasters for co-workers and family members. Until one day, a co-worker and girlfriend of mine was talking about how I should upload one of my recipes to my blog.

A lot of thoughts went in and out of that suggestion, until I came to find a solution - a brand new blog, dedicated to my beloved practice! Thus, The Salad Trip was built out.