Summer dinners are quite often a big hearty salad around here. This bacon avocado strawberry summer salad has been our favorite these last few months and I have no plans of slowing down with it.
This salad is light and refreshing but jam-packed and fulfilling. It’s absolutely full of flavors, textures, and lots of nutrients.
A bed of greens is the first step, and we love a spring mix but spinach or romaine would work as well. For protein, chicken is the next main ingredient. Any seasoning will do for this. Cook the bacon to a crisp for a nice crunch in the salad. I prefer to microwave mine, cooking for about 1 minute per slice.
The chicken and bacon are optional if you are interested in a vegetarian option.
For toppings, we have a lot but they are all equally important. Crunchy cucumbers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, avocado, and chopped walnuts all combine to create this masterpiece. Feta cheese is the most neutral, and crowd favorite, so I recommend that. Blue cheese is also a great option if your palette is willing.
The final touch for this bacon avocado strawberry summer salad is the dressing. After MANY times of eating this at home, our favorite options are either a poppyseed or strawberry vinaigrette. Both of these are found at Aldi as well as your local grocer.
Our favorite way to serve this salad is with a side of a baked sweet potato and a tall glass of iced tea. Happy summer eating!
In a bowl, start with the bed of fresh greens. Add on top the cooked chicken and bacon, red onion, strawberries, tomatoes, avocado, walnuts, feta, and cucumber. Drizzle with either a berry viniagrette or poppyseed salad dressing
Italian zucchini boats are an easy dinner to the rescue that avoids both chicken and pasta. Both chicken and pasta can be made into fabulous recipes, but sometimes you just need a break! And if you’re like us, sometimes you just don’t know what to use ground beef for if you’re not making burgers or tacos. Don’t worry, we’ve got you!
Stuffed zucchinis are as easy as stuffed peppers, and require just as much work- which is not a lot. They cook easily and are easily reheated, which makes them perfect for meal prep for the week.
You can use ground turkey as well as beef for this recipe, or a meat substitute. I know meat usually comes sectioned by the pound, so feel free to either just use half or double the recipe if you want to just cook it all up at once. I originally made this with a full pound of beef, but it made way too much filling and I can’t get through 6 stuffed zucchini before they go bad.
As far as the marinara sauce, you can use your favorite brand, but if you’re interested in a homemade version check out my essential Italian herb pasta sauce. Add as much sauce to make the filling as saucy as you like.
Keep these Italian zucchini boats in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and enjoy!
For other veggie and flavor packed meal prep, check out my Italian veggie stew which is all time favorite.
1cItalian cheese of choicemozzarella, parmesan, blended cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the ends off of the zucchini and slice them in half, longways. Using a spoon, remove the seeds from each half. Lightly coat the inside half of the zucchini with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes
Cook the quinona according to directions
In a skillet, add the chopped onion and ground beef, garlic, and spices. Cook until the beef is cooked through and drain any excess fat. Stir in the cooked quinoa, 1/2 C of cheese, and the marinara until it is as saucy as you like
Remove the zucchini from the oven and fill the cavities with the meat filling. Use the remaining cheese to sprinkle on top. Bake for another 15 minutes
Chicken by itself can get so old and boring, right? With the right components, it can easily be made fresh and exciting in so many ways- just like this fresh herb chicken salad!
Chicken salad is something I have always loved, especially on a freshly made flaky croissant with an iced tea? Lunchtime perfection. While we all, unfortunately, can’t be enjoying it on a warm sunny patio, we can make a version ourselves at home for very little cost and time.
For starters, I do not make a mayo-based chicken salad. I use greek yogurt as a base and it is light and refreshing without skimping on any flavor. Also, I almost always use a rotisserie chicken when I make this recipe. I find it so much easier to not have to cook and shred my own chicken breasts, and a rotisserie chicken at Costco or almost any other grocery store is around $5.
I like to meal prep for work, and I find that this fresh herb chicken salad is super easy to have on hand throughout the week. It doesn’t need to be reheated, which makes it an immediate win, and you can eat it in a variety of ways. Have it on a sandwich, scoop it with celery stalks, or enjoy it with crackers- my all-time favorite being the olive oil & rosemary crackers from Aldi.
Easy no mayo chicken salad with fresh herbs and packed with flavor- enjoy on a sandwich, with crackers, or on the side!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken salad, no mayo chicken salad
Servings: 5people
Equipment
large bowl
Ingredients
2 cshredded chicken
1 1/2c plain greek yogurt
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2apple, chopped
1/2 c craisins
1/2cgrapes, quartered can use either grapes or craisins, or both
1/2 cchopped walnuts
1 1/2tspblack pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dill
1 1/2tsprosemary
1tsp thyme
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix yogurt with all seasonings. Add in craisins/craisins, celery, apple, walnuts, and shredded chicken, ensuring everything is evenly coated
Serve chilled
Notes
*I love to use a rotisserie chicken for my chicken salad. It is moist and flavorful and above all else, EASY. I think it provides great flavor for the chicken salad
Store this chicken salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
One pot meals are the dish that keeps this house alive. Versatile, easy, and full of flavor, this Italian veggie stew is a staple month after month.
I’m not even really sure that this name does it justice actually. It’s just vegetables simmered down in a large pot with tomatoes, heavily seasoned with Italian spices, and has garbanzo beans added for protein. I use zucchini and yellow squash, peppers, and canned tomatoes. Feel free, however, to use any other vegetables you might have on hand like mushrooms, celery, or carrots.
You sauté onion and then dump chopped vegetables and seasonings in and leave it for about 30 minutes. That’s it. It’s so easy. And not only does it use up odds and ends in the fridge and keeps you full, but it also makes your whole house smell like you’ve made a very decadent dish.
I serve this over ravioli, but you can also just eat it plain. I prefer a plain cheese ravioli or just fell in love with the Cacio e Pepe ravioli from Trader Joe’s.
Zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and tomatoes simmered down with a heavy helping of Italian spices with garbanzo beans for protien.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time35 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: garbanzo beans, italian herb, italian stew, roasted vegetables, vegan, vegetable stew, vegetarian
Equipment
Large pot
Ingredients
1 onionchopped
2tspminced garlic
2tbspolive oil
28ozchopped tomatoes
15 oz garbanzo beansrinsed
2zucchini *chopped
1 yellow squash*chopped
1bell pepperchopped
1-2ckalechopped
1pinchsalt
2tspblack pepper
1tbspbasil
1tbsporegano
2tsprosemary
2 tspthyme
parmesan cheeseto top, optional
raviolioptional
Instructions
In a large pot, satué the onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until the onions become translucent
Add in the chopped zucchini, squash, and peppers. Sauté for just another couple of minutes. Add in all of the seasonings and the can of tomatoes and garbanzo beans and mix. Place the kale on top of the mixed vegetables
Put the lid on the pot and let it sit on low heat for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables become a crisp tender
Serve by itself or over ravioli, with parmesan cheese on top
Notes
For the zucchini and yellow squash, the best way to chop them is in 1/2″ rounds, and then either quarter or half each of those, depending on the size.
Serve this Italian veggie stew immediately or store in a refrigerator for up to a week. It can also be stored frozen for up to 3 months.
Looking for more easy meal prep? Check out my all time favorite, my creamy tortellini soup.
Recently I discovered the joys of making my own gnocchi, and it is GOOD. Each time I’ve gravitated to making it with a rich base, and so this creamy Tuscan gnocchi has been created. And I am OBSESSED.
What could be better than making a 5-star quality meal in your own home? Especially when it’s bitterly cold out and there’s nothing better than a hot comfort meal. And it’s 10x better when you’ve created it yourself.
I think there’s a huge correlation between enjoying a meal when you also have the satisfaction of making it from scratch. Like you did this! You made it and created it and can enjoy it!
If you choose to make my easy 3 ingredient potato gnocchi, which I recommend, it will add about 30 minutes to your dinner prep. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy the process why dontcha. If you use store-bought (Trader Joe’s has a great selection), your dinner should be ready in about 15 minutes.
I have made this creamy Tuscan gnocchi two ways: once with spicy Italian sausage, and once with crispy salmon (see above). Both were phenomenal. Add either one, not use any meat at all, or even use chicken if you like. There’s no wrong way to create this baby.
Boil gnocchi if necessary according to recipe or instructions
If using Italian sausage, cook that completely on the stovetop. Drain excess fat
In a deep skillet or a pot, sauté the chopped onion in olive oil* and garlic until it is translucent. Add in the gnocchi and sauté for another 5 minutes
Pour in chicken stock and half n half, pepper, salt (no salt is needed if you're adding in sausage), and red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes
If the sauce is thin, remove 2-3 tbsp of sauce into a small bowl and mix it with the flour to create a thick paste. Mix it back in with the skillet to thicken the sauce
Add meat** back into the sauce if desired. Stir in parmesan
Serve hot with extra parmesan on top
Notes
If cooking with Italian sausage, you can sauté the garlic and onions in the same skillet. The remaining fat from the sausage will add a lot of flavor to the onions and therefore the entire dish. You may only need a little bit or no olive oil at all if using the sausage drippings. Once the onions and gnocchi are satuéd they can be transferred to a deeper skillet or pot to continue cooking the meal. I have also skipped adding Italian sausage and added cooked and crispy salmon in at the very end before serving.
Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The gnocchi and sausage should be good for up to 5 days. If you chose to use salmon, I recommend only saving that for a day.
Almost everything is better homemade, and gnocchi is no exception. This easy 3 ingredient gnocchi is satisfying to create and eat! In 30 minutes you can have your own restaurant quality gnocchi to serve a 5 star meal.
Gnocchi is a cousin of traditional pasta noodles and can be made using a variety of ingredients. Flour or potato are of the most common kinds, but stores like Trader Joe’s are making new varieties, like sweet potato, super easy to obtain.
I have made my grandma’s flour gnocchi before but prefer to use potato dough. I think it’s easier and quicker to make the gnocchi with potatoes and they cook more evenly. And so, I have made these multiple times in the last few weeks and just can’t seem to get enough of them.
While I’m sauteing these babies up, I keep going back to a Tuscan style sauce. A creamy garlicky base with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and these perfect pillowy gnocchi… I mean c’mon.
First step to creating these babies is to make sure they have no lumps. Use a potato ricer, potato masher, stand or hand mixer to make them as smooth and airy as possible. Once that’s complete you can mix them with the egg and flour to create your dough.
The dough gets rolled into a long skinny log just by using your hands. Cut it into about 1″ segments and then they are ready to be rolled. If you don’t have a gnocchi board handy, because if you’re not a professional why would you, use can just use a fork. Gently roll each piece of dough down the back of the tines to create the grooves. If they’re sticky, just dust them with a little more flour.
The first time I made these I cooked down spicy Italian sausage to go into the sauce and it was pretty phenomenal. This last time though I air fried salmon and tossed it on in.
Feel free to make these easy 3 ingredient gnocchi with marinara, like my homemade Italian herb pasta sauce, my creamy Tuscan sauce, or tossed in a little butter. The sky’s the limit!
Poke the potatoes with a fork all over to create steam holes, and microwave for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked. Let it sit for several minutes to cool, and then remove the skin and discard it
Either push the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl or mix them completely with a stand mixer, hand mixer, or potato masher. You should not be able to feel any lumps at all in the potatoes
Make a well in the center of the potatoes and add the egg and whisk it. Add 1 cup of flour, and salt if desired, to the mixture. Using your hands, mix the potato, egg, and flour until they are well combined and have created a thick but soft dough ball
Cut the dough ball into fourths and sprinkle flour over the top of the ball. On a clean surface take a quarter of the dough and roll it out into a log with your hands, about 1" tall. Use a knife or dough cutter to slice the log into small pieces, about 1" long each
Using the back of a large fork (the longer the tines the better), gently roll each gnocchi across the tines to create the grooves. If the dough becomes sticky, dust them with more flour
Boil a pot of water and drop the gnocchi in, about 15-20 at a time- depending on the size of the pot. You don't want them to be overly crowded while they cook. Once they rise to the top of the water, let them cook another 2-3 minutes
Bring a skillet with olive oil and garlic to medium heat, and sauté the gnocchi until they start to develop a golden crust
Store the gnocchi in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They are best reheated in a skillet, to give a little crisp coating to them!
Welcome, I’m Libby!
I love to eat GOOD food, and want to help others realize they can make balanced and delicious meals themselves too. From breakfast to dessert, and everything in between, let’s make something delicious together!
