Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

Rotisserie chicken, apples, celery, and pecans are tossed in a creamy yogurt dressing 

to make this light and delicious Apple Pecan Chicken Salad!

One thing you can always find in my refrigerator is a rotisserie chicken. They are so versatile and can be used in so many different dishes, from wraps to quesadillas to topping a pizza. Chicken salad is a favorite around here but I never seem to make it that often. I decided to jazz up my typical chicken salad recipe with some apples, pecans, and a light and delicious yogurt dressing. I can honestly say that I am obsessed with this salad and have made it several times already since creating this recipe. It's perfect for lunch, a light dinner, and even as a snack!

Grilled Pork and Pineapple Salad with Simple Vinaigrette

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork. 

The opinions and text are all mine.

#RealFlavorRealFast @SmithfieldBrand

Juicy and flavorful pork, fresh pineapple and heirloom tomatoes are topped with a simple 

vinaigrette to create a hearty summer salad that the whole family will love! 

Summer has finally arrived and you know what that means...it's grilling season! Most summer evenings you can find me on my back deck, cooking on the grill, enjoying an icy beverage, and eating my dinner at my outdoor table. Since warm weather season isn't around too long in Michigan I try to enjoy every single moment that I can outside. Grilling just happens to be one of my favorite activities and I can proudly say that, after years of practice, I am Queen of the Grill!  

One reason I love to grill is that there is less mess in the kitchen. If I can throw my meats and veggies on the grill, there is no need for extra pots and pans in the house! Another plus is that it's quick, and you don't need to think too hard about what's for dinner. I try to keep a lot of meats and fresh veggies on hand so that I can pull together a quick grilled meal in no time.

Sesame Chopped Chicken Salad

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Conagra Brands. 

All opinions are mine alone. #SimpleSecret #CollectiveBias

This flavor packed Sesame Chopped Chicken Salad is a perfect dish for summer BBQ's,

potlucks, or just for family dinner!

Even though my son graduated last week, we are still busy as ever. We have several graduation parties to attend over the next several weeks, plus we are planning his graduation party at the same time. There is still so much to do! Landscaping to do, food to buy, picture boards to be made...there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done! No matter how busy we are, I still like to make home cooked meals for dinner. Now that the weather is nice I've been turning to my grill almost nightly. Grilling is so simple and there's less clean up, too. 

Apple & Grape Breakfast Salad #BrunchWeek

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BrunchWeek. I received product samples from sponsor 

companies to aid in the creation of the #Brunchweek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Lighten up your brunch menu with this creamy Apple & Grape Breakfast Salad! Fresh fruit
 is tossed in a flavorful lemony yogurt sauce that's not only delicious, but healthy too!

Happy Thursday, friends! I hope you've been enjoying #BrunchWeek so far. You didn't get a new brunch recipe from me yesterday but don't fret, I've still got two new ones coming your way this week. This Apple & Grape Breakfast Salad is one of my new favorite dishes. It's so simple, yet it's light and creamy and packed with flavor. It's perfect to serve at brunch, but also great for busy weekday mornings. You can make the dish ahead of time and eat it for the next few days. It gives me a great boost of energy and brightens my mood too!

Greek Hummus Chicken Salad

This Greek Hummus Chicken Salad is packed full of flavor with chicken, garlic herb hummus, 

cucumbers, tomatoes and olives. It's sure to be your new favorite go-to lunch!

It's been rainy and chilly here in Michigan the last few days. When I say "chilly" I mean like 60 degrees. I know 60 isn't really cold, but with the dampness and rain it just feels kind of gross. At least it's been a good excuse to pull out my sweaters! With weather like this I've been in the mood for comfort food and baking. I've made chili, a big pot of pasta, cookies and bread. There is nothing quite like baking when it's chilly outside!

BLT Bread Salad #SundaySupper

This delicious and hearty salad is a deconstructed version of the classic BLT sandwich. The good news is 

that this is a healthier version, so you can feel good about it feeding it to your family!

I ate a lot of BLT's growing up and it's still one of my favorite sandwiches today. What could be better than toasted bread, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes and soft lettuce? In my mind, not much! To be honest, everything is just better with bacon, am I right? My family eats bacon often, whether it's served with pancakes for breakfast, on a sandwich, or in this salad. I can't seem to get enough of it!

White Bean and Tuna Salad

This White Bean and Tuna Salad comes together quickly since there is no cooking involved! 
It makes a great lunch but is hearty enough for a weeknight dinner. 

Genova provided me with product for the purpose of this post, as well as compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are mine.

I love a fresh, delicious salad just about any day of the week. My family actually eats a lot of tossed salads with our dinner each day, but I enjoy mixing things up and trying new things. I also really like to make main dish salads, especially during the spring and summer. There is just something so very refreshing about having a bright green salad filled with tons of veggies and a drizzle of dressing when the weather is warm.

Blueberry & Toasted Pecan Mixed Greens Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Fresh blueberries, toasted pecans, and salty feta cheese are the perfect mix of ingredients to top this mixed greens salad. 

The light and lively orange vinaigrette is like the icing on the cake!

I love a good salad, especially this time of year when fresh fruits and veggies are becoming abundant. Blueberries are a favorite around my house, whether baked into a dessert, on top of a yogurt parfait, or just eaten by the handful, the kids and I sure do go through a lot of them! 

I eat salads often but am always trying to change things up a bit so they don't get boring. Adding fresh fruit is a great way to perk up your salad and give it tons of flavor. This Blueberry & Toasted Pecan Mixed Greens Salad with Orange Vinaigrette has quickly become one of my new favorite salads, and I'm pretty sure I ate it 5 days in a row for lunch! You get a crunch from the toasted pecans, a little salty bite from the feta, a sweetness from the blueberries, and then there's the vinaigrette. Oh yes, this orange vinaigrette is amazing! I can see it being a staple in my frig all year long.

Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella Salad #SundaySupper

This classic bread salad gets a makeover with the addition of delicious roasted root vegetables. 
Packed with nutrients and full of amazing flavors, it's the perfect hearty winter salad!

One of my favorite things to do in the fall and winter is to roast vegetables. I absolutely love the amazing flavor that comes from roasting - the vegetables get tender, sweet, and practically melt in your mouth. I typically roast different types of squash, potatoes and Brussels sprouts, but I recently decided to try parsnips as it's something I don't cook with very often. Once roasted, they reminded me of carrots in flavor. I wish I would have tried them a long time ago, because I really do love them!

Panzanella salad is probably my favorite salad to make during the summer. The fresh veggies combined with the crunchy bread cubes are an amazing combination. When I found out the Sunday Supper group was dedicating a weekend to root vegetables, I knew I had to take my favorite summer salad and give it a winter makeover!

Quinoa Salad with Apples, Pecans and Dried Cranberries #SundaySupper

This easy, delicious and healthy quinoa salad is full of flavor and makes a great side dish or main dish meal!

Since the start of the new year I've really been focusing on my healthy habit goals. One of those goals was to eat more fruits and vegetables, and another was to eat more whole grains. An easy way for me to fulfill the veggie goal has been eating salads. I LOVE salads, and more often than not I have a side salad with my dinner. Luckily, my kids like salad too, so it's been a great way for us all to up our veggie intake.

I've recently been experimenting with quinoa and recipes to make with it. Quinoa is a wholesome grain that's a great source of fiber and protein. It has a mild taste and a bit of crunch, so it's perfect in many dishes. This Quinoa Salad with Apples, Pecans and Dried Cranberries also has spicy arugula and super flavorful and nutty Gouda cheese in it, and it's quickly become my favorite winter salad.

Kale, Walnut & Pomegranate Salad and Chicken Pot Pie

Hearty kale, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and Feta cheese come together to make a light and healthy salad, 

which pairs perfectly with a comforting pot pie!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. 

#PotPiePlease #CollectiveBias

The holidays are quickly approaching and as each day passes I grow more and more excited! Next week is already Thanksgiving and before we know it Christmas is going to be here. I love this time of year because it means I get to spend more time with my family and friends. It seems as if we are all so busy during the rest of the year that we don't get together as often. But as soon as the holidays arrive, there are parties and get together's just about every weekend.

One of my favorite events is the get together I throw at my house for my closest girlfriends, my BFF's. I've been hosting this party for a few years now, and it's always so much fun to get together and eat, drink, talk, laugh and just be crazy girls. Lord knows we don't see each other often enough! I insist on making all of the food myself (after all, I am the food blogger of the group!), and the girls usually bring delicious beverages. You know, like wine and Rumchata. The good stuff.

Chickpea & Pasta Salad with Lemon-Chutney Dressing #Pastapalooza

Chickpeas and toasted pine nuts add the perfect crunch to this fresh, delicious pasta salad! 

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that aside from sweets, pasta is by far one of my favorite foods. Whether it's a main pasta dish for dinner, or a cold pasta salad for a picnic, I truly love my pasta. Lately I've been trying really hard to eat healthy as often as possible and make better food choices. To help with that, I've been eating a lot of Dreamfields Pasta and let me say it's quickly become my favorite! With 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein per serving, it's a simple way to add nutrition to your diet. And it tastes delicious, too! 

Dreamfields is celebrating their 5th Anniversary of their #Pastapalooza event. To celebrate this milestone, they’re having a #Pastapalooza Market Basket Challenge! Food bloggers are creating recipes around different themes using five required ingredients. Readers have the opportunity to vote for their favorite recipe from each market basket category, with the winning blogger receiving a $1,000 donation to their local food bank/pantry; a $200 donation will go to the food bank of choice of the remaining bloggers. One randomly drawn reader who votes will win a family pack of Dreamfields Pasta plus a $1,000 donation to the local food bank/pantry of their choice.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

A salty pretzel crust followed by a layer of sweet cream cheese, then topped with a luscious strawberry topping, 

is the perfect side dish or dessert all summer long! 

I have a very small family, I'm an only child, so growing up our holiday gatherings always included extended family like my cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents. With my mom's family living down South, and just my dad's family here in Michigan, our gatherings still weren't very big. But whether it was for Christmas or Easter, or even 4th of July, we always got together to celebrate.

It seems like each of the ladies in the family had a special dish they made. During the summer months it was my mom's famous potato salad; my aunt's delicious cheesy potatoes; and my grandma's strawberry rhubarb pie with rhubarb fresh from her garden. One of the other favorites was my mom's strawberry pretzel salad, and she still continues to make it to this day. Well, she still makes her amazing potato salad too, but this strawberry pretzel salad happens to be one of my kids favorites. You will find it on the table for any picnic, any potluck, any BBQ we are having. It's always there.

Roasted Tomato and Sweet Pepper Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

Colorful, nutritious, and delicious, this pasta salad will quickly become your new favorite potluck party dish!

Did you know that June is National Dairy Month? Well if you didn't, you do now! Here in Michigan this is an important thing to celebrate, since more than 98% of Michigan dairy farms are family owned and operated. Dairy farming is a true Michigan tradition! Michigan’s 2,030 dairy farms produce more than enough milk to supply our state, so we are fortunate our milk is local.

We eat and drink a lot of dairy products in our house. We consume milk, ice cream and cheese on a daily basis. I cook and bake with cream, butter and cream cheese quite often. Like I said, I love my dairy!

Tomato Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad + Produce for Kids Campaign

Four simple ingredients are all you need to make this deliciously creamy, fresh and healthy pasta salad 

your whole family will love!

Being a mom to two active, growing teenage boys, I'm always trying to incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies into their diets. Sometimes I have to be sneaky, but most of the time I don't. I'm lucky that they aren't too picky, and love a wide variety of foods. My oldest especially, will eat just about everything I serve him. From spinach to arugula to asparagus, there isn't much he doesn't like.

When I was recently asked to help promote the 13th Annual Produce for Kids campaign, I was thrilled! This healthy eating-focused campaign with Meijer launched May 31st and will raise funds to bring the nutrition education program, Jump with Jill, to local schools in the Meijer area. The Produce for Kids campaign offers Meijer shoppers in-store and online meal solutions, recipes, and tips to families looking to embrace healthier eating habits.

Simple Berry Salad

Bright and beautiful berries tossed in a simple dressing make a perfect breakfast or afternoon snack!

Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious. Like fresh fruit and vegetables. They don't need much to taste good.

These gorgeous strawberries and blackberries are the perfect example. Tossed with a little honey and lime juice and garnished with fresh mint, they are a versatile dish. I love to eat them as a side dish, put them over my morning yogurt, and even over vanilla ice cream. They would be the perfect topping for homemade waffles or pancakes, too.

Asian Noodle Salad

This healthy and nutritious noodle salad is packed with vegetables and full of flavor!! 

It's March, it's March! Spring is almost here! You have no idea how excited I am that spring is just around the corner. I really shouldn't complain to much...here in Michigan we've only had one huge, major snowstorm. But it's been so, so cold. Bitter cold. And I know we aren't the only ones dealing with this weather. The whole country has turned into a frozen tundra!

Anyway, with spring being close it makes me want to start cooking for the season. Loads of fresh veggies, grilled meats and simple, delicious desserts. Get away from the heavy comfort foods and eat more light and healthy meals. That's exactly where I got the inspiration for this Asian Noodle Salad. I wanted a delicious, hearty and healthy meal that didn't skimp on flavor. This salad does not disappoint!

Creamy Turkey Salad Pita Sandwiches

This quick and healthy creamy turkey salad uses your leftovers and makes a fabulous lunch!

Do you still have Thanksgiving leftovers in the frig? Specifically turkey? I do, and I'm always looking for new ways to use it up! I'm a big fan of doing the traditional thing and making open faced hot turkey and mashed potato sandwiches, but it's nice to come up with new recipes every so often.

I decided this year to make a delicious and creamy turkey salad, filled with fresh fruits, and put my salad into a pita. This would be great on top of lettuce to make lettuce cups, as well as on toasted bread. I love pita bread and it made an awesome vessel for my creamy turkey salad.

Arugula, Pear and Raspberry Salad

This fresh summer salad is sweet, salty and spicy. It's like a party for your palate!

My Spoonful of Foodies friends and I are doing something so fun this week!! We all pitched in to put together a special date night menu for you all. On Monday we shared cocktail and bread recipes, and on Tuesday we shared an appetizer and a first course soup. I'm sharing my recipe today, then the rest of the menu will be published later this week! 

Here are the recipes we've shared so far:

Jennifer at Milk and Honey started us of with cocktails and made delicious Palomas
Derik at House of Bakes baked up some amazing Garlic Bread Rolls
Janelle at Bakesinslippers shared amazing Roasted Spicy Chickpeas with Lemon Aioli 
Michelle at The Complete Savorist made a cool and creamy Apricot Gazpacho

Chopped Greek Salad

A light, refreshing and healthy twist on a classic salad!

Looking for a fresh new salad for your summer dinner table? This Chopped Greek Salad is just the right thing! Lots of delicious chopped veggies tossed with an easy homemade dressing make the perfect combination. The best part is it's super easy to throw together, even if you are short on time.

This salad is a great addition to your side dish repertoire. It pairs well with burgers, chicken, pulled pork, you name it. We will definitely be enjoying it as part of our 4th of July meal!