Curry Chicken Salad Wraps

One of the biggest MUSTS when living healthy for me is bringing my lunch to work. It is very important to me to know exactly what is going in my food, and how much I am eating. More often than not I have a simple salad for lunch with spring mix, dried cranberries, almonds and chicken with some lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. But that can get really old really fast, and sometimes I just have to change it up.

One of my favorite change-ups is my curry chicken salad, wrapped in lettuce instead of bread. You can also throw this on top of mixed greens, but eating them like tacos makes it feel even more different from a salad.... remember, this is my change-up meal from salads ;)

This lovely little lunch is packed with flavor, and almost feels like a cheat meal... but there really isn't anything bad in here.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts (depending on size)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 honeycrisp apple - chopped into little pieces
2 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp veganaise (you can use regular mayonnaise, this is just what i prefer)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 head butter lettuce

optional: Bell pepper, red onion (if you're looking for a little more flavor / veggies)

Chop the chicken and apples into bite sized bits and put in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together with a spoon. I suggest you let sit in a container overnight in the fridge to let the flavors meld together.

When lunchtime arrives, the rest is easy-peasy. Rinse off the butter lettuce and scoop the chicken salad into your little lettuce leaves and chomp away!!

Happy lunching!

Recipe: Black Bean Brownies

A few days ago I was browsing Instagram, and I stumbled upon this recipe for healthy black bean brownies, and instantly had to give it a try.

By some sort of luck, I happened to have all of the ingredients handy, so I ran into my kitchen and whipped up a batch of these babies.... I can't even remember the last time I had a brownie, and to be able to find something healthy?? I'm in.

Ok, so here's the recipe:

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

1 15oz can black beans (drained)
3 eggs
1/2 cup carob powder or cacao powder
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate chips (optional)

(I didn't use chocolate chips because I didn't have any, but if I ever feel like making these just a little "bad" I'd definitely add them in for a little more sweetness.)

Preheat oven to 350˚ and spray an 8 inch baking pan. Place beans (drained) in a blender and pulse until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend / pulse until smooth. If you are using chocolate chips, add them in now before adding the batter to the baking pan. Spread any remaining chocolate chips on top of the batter in the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ummmmm I know these are a distant relative to the original decadent pastries we call brownies, but oh-my-goodness are these yummy. They are a perfect little treat that you don't have to feel guilty about. Especially if you put delicious toppings like strawberries and a little bit of cool whip on top.

What toppings would you put on these little babies?