Avocado and Mango Chicken Salad

Feeding a 12 month old solids has been an adventure!  I have introduced Jadon to a lot of different fruits and vegetables.  He has liked everything but definitely has his favorites.  The hardest part has been trying to guess what he wants to eat when.  He will kill daddy's eggs on Sunday but when I try to give him eggs again on Wednesday, he won't even take a bite!

I had been feeding him whatever we have been eating and it has worked well for dinner, but breakfast and lunch has been difficult.  I typically drink a smoothie for breakfast and eat some type of salad for lunch.  He will have a few sips of my smoothie, but not enough for a meal and he isn't ready for salads yet.  So, I went  searching on the internet for fruit and veggie combinations.  I have been making chunky mixtures and freezing them in my Baby Bullet containers.  After they freeze I put them in a labeled freezer bag; I take out what I need the day before and defrost in fridge or on the counter.

I have found some interesting combinations that have led me to creating this recipe (well, I haven't seen it before so for me it is new).  I had planed on making chicken salad for lunch and I had a ripe mango and avocado that I needed to use.  I figured the avocado will give me the same creamy consistency as mayonnaise would but with more beneficial nutrients.

Servings : 1


Ingredients:

• 1 Ripe Avocado 
• 1/2 Mango
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro 
• Ground Cayenne Pepper to Taste
• 1 Chicken Breast or 3 Chicken Tenderloins
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Your Choice Leafy Greens (Romaine, Spring Mix, or Baby Spinach)

Directions:

1. Cut avocado in half, remove seed, score each half, turn skins inside out, put pieces in a medium glass bowl, and mash with fork or potato masher.
2. Peel and remove seed from a mango.  Cut up half the mango into small pieces and stir into avocado mash.
3. Add cilantro and ground cayenne pepper to avocado and mango mixture.  (Add small amount of cayenne and taste, add more if not spicy enough.)
4. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill.
5. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in oven, grill, or toaster oven.
6. Remove chicken and let cool for 10 minutes.
7. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
8. Add chicken to avocado/mango mixture.  (You can put mixture back in the fridge to chill some more or use it as is.)
9. On a large plate, put salad greens of your choice and top with chicken salad. Garnish with more cilantro.   Enjoy!

Update

It has been about 7 months since my last post.  Wow - that is a long time.  Here is what has been going on.

1) I am no longer coaching volleyball.

2) I am not running - I would like to, but I just haven't gotten back into it.  I have been using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to count my calories and been doing as many Insanity workouts as I can.  Go to http://www.beachbody.com/ for Insanity and other workouts.  My coach is Lea Fanelli - she has been a great source of encouragement and information. 

3) We moved out of our apartment and started renting a house.

4) I started seedlings for a garden.

5) I bought Vibrant Health from http://www.getpurevitality.com/ to learn about eating whole, raw foods that provide the body with the nutrients it needs.  It has great recipes - even deserts! I love that my shopping cart is 85 - 90% fruits and veggies.  I took a break from working out to begin to eat this way to allow my body time to "build itself up" with all the nutrients it had been missing.  It has made working out easier is terms of having the proper nutrition my body needs to keep up with the demands of working out.

6) I am still nursing Jadon - almost 12 months now!  I am super proud of this and enjoy the time and special bond with my son.  Jadon will be a year on Easter! How fast time flies. He is crawling and cruising all over the place. He loves playing in his playroom and watching his movies.

7) We paid off almost all of our debt - we only have my car payment left and that will be paid off in October of this year! Praise Jesus!

8) We bought a new living room and dining room set - first time my husband and I have bought furniture together since we have been married.  Oh, and we paid for it all in CASH!  I am saving up for the hutch.

9) I linked up with West Cobb Moms on Meetup and I am the Baby Young Toddler Event Coordinator.  I host a play group at my house biweekly and find other activities to do. 

10) I am praying about my area of ministry.  I am thinking about getting back into Youth Ministry.  Not sure of where this will go - call me crazy, but I miss interacting with high school kids (missing my teaching days, but not the teaching!)

That is about it in a nutshell.  More blogs to come!