Chicken Fajita Salad

Chicken Fajita Salad

If you have been dreaming of getting on a plane and heading somewhere warmer like I have, it is perfectly normal. After all, we have been living in a deep freeze for the last four months and it's not looking as though it's going away anytime soon. The winter is getting to all of us.

There are a few things that I do to brighten my spirits other than drinking copious amounts of red wine. I try socializing more with friends and family and spending time around the people in my life that I enjoy being around. This is not the time to come home from work and get into your pajamas and curl up day after day until the cold goes away.

Call your friends and go out for a casual dinner. Go to a resturant that you have been dying to get to but there is never a reservation available. Chances are that you will get a table because everyone else has not braved the freezing cold.  Eat the healthiest comfort food on the menu that does not have a bun wrapped around it. A good friend and I went to Una, a funky pizza place on 17th, and we had a heaping plate of meat balls with the freshest tomato sauce and sauteed brocollini with a big glass of red wine. That is my idea of clean comfort food. Now I am not saying drink every night, but if a glass of wine is going to brighten your spirits and help you make it through an ugly winter then go for it.

What you do not want to do is order the macaroni and cheese. Don't even think about grains. Consuming them is not going to make you feel better but actually worse.  No burgers and fries. Stay on the path of clean eating. Feeling good comes from the inside.

Here is a Mexican inspired salad to help you kick those winter blues. 

Chicken Fajita Salad

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• sea salt
• ground pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• fresh cilantro
• 4 scallions, chopped
• avocado, sliced
• salad greens

1. Heat a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat and add your oil and onions. Let the onions soften and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sliced peppers and continue to cook another minute.
2. Season chicken with spices and add to the onions and peppers. Let the chicken cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside. Squeeze in the lime juice. Add in fresh cilantro.
3. Arrange a handful of salad greens on each plate and top with chicken fajita mixture. Top this with avocado slices and a little more cilantro and green onions. Add a lime wedge on the side. Serves four.