Sweet potato chicken salad
For having a husband who flies planes for a living, I donโt really love flying. I see it as a necessary evil, and while I donโt have full-blown panic attacks or anything like that, itโs not my favorite thing. With every sound Iโm convinced that something will happen, and each flight usually involves at least 1800 โHail, Maryโ prayers. When I flew back from LA a month or so ago, the woman next to me was chatting about her Disney conference, the turbulence was awful, and the entire time I was white-knuckling the arm rest hoping we wouldnโt go down.
Flying internationally is a liiiiiitle different than domestic. We flew Lufthansa, and the longest flight (Atlanta to Germany) was as comfortable as they could possibly make it. Free movies and TV, Wi-Fi access, hot meals (which were surprisingly delicious) and complimentary cocktails/wine.
At one point, a flight attendant was walking down the aisle with two bottles of wine saying โWhite or red? White or red?โ It was pretty glorious. While our flights to Italy were awesome, the flights back were all very turbulent with the storms. The Pilot was trying to sleep so I couldnโt keep asking him what was happening, so my Zen mantra was just thinking about how excited I was to see Livi. It definitely workedโฆ and seeing her after our trip was the best thing ever.
This morning, sheโs been full of energy, dancing and singing, full of snuggles, and we hopped back into our routine of story time at the library, followed by a green juice. Iโm also pretty sure sheโs grown 4 inches since weโve been gone!
For me, her nap time consisted of starting to tackle laundry mountain, Googling โItalian espresso makerโ (not gonna happen haha) and my first foray back in the kitchen.
A salad. Iโm ready for your surprised face ๐
This combo has always been one of my favorites: rotisserie chicken, greens, balsamic, goat cheese and boiled sweet potato.
Veggie friends: this is also fantastic with crumbled seasoned tempeh!
I used the โI heart kaleโ salad mix, along with some lemon-herb rotisserie chicken:
Topped with chopped, boiled sweet potato (boiled for 7-10 minutes, until you can piece with a fork but isnโt mushy)
A crumble of goat cheese,
drizzle of olive oil and balsamic
salt and pepper.
For dessert: some Paleo bread with fig jam + coffee ๐
Iโm excited for family dinner tonight and a quick gym workout. Hope you have a wonderful day!
xo
Gina
Flying: love it or loathe it?
Any new amazing salad combos?
47 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
โAt one point, a flight attendant was walking down the aisle with two bottles of wine saying โWhite or red? White or red?โ <โ- Amazing. That would definitely help me get through a long flight! ๐
Seriously? ATL to Germany with free wine! That would make a long flight a lot shorter for me.
Flying used to freak me out, but when I had to travel a lot for work I got used to it. But when we flew to London for our babymoon, hubby booked us the seats that convert to little beds. It was like in the โSex and the Cityโ movie where they were like mini-rooms almost. The flight was almost too short ๐
I have not tried the sweet potato in a salad! I have a โtater and kale in the fridge, might need to rock something new for dinner tonight!
This salad looks incredible! The โwhite or redโ question is enough to make me book a flight right now, thats awesome!
Your comment about the flight attendant and the red or white wine made me laugh. haha
I have been copying a common salad I see on menus lately:
mixed greens
gorgonzola
pear slices/chunks
walnuts
chicken (when I have it around but definitely not needed)
Sometimes I add just a little drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. I am obsessed with this combo!
Complimentary wine on a flight!?! That sounds amazing!!
Complimentary wine on a flight!?! That sounds amazing!!
Flying: I hate it! I was an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, and I still white knuckle and pray ever time I fly. I know how safe it is, how nothing will statistically happen, and I understand the moving parts inside the aircraft, but I still freak out at take off, turbulence, and landing.
Iโm with you, I hate to fly (although I used to LOVE it as a child).
Favorite salad combo lately? Spinach with egg whites, parmesan cheese, carrots and bals. vinaigrette. Itโs weird, but Iโm in love.
that sounds awesome!
Your salad looks amazing! Definitely going on my list of things to make. I also hate flying. Iโve had to do it a bit more for work and Iโve found if I sing a song to myself during takeoff itโs a little more manageable.
that salad looks like Fall!
Flying indeed freaks me out a bit โ but that salad with sweet potato looks amazing. I think I may have to go to the grocery now!
Jay
I have to say I love flying, but I have only been on a plane 6 times. I wish I got out more often haha!
I am with youโฆโฆโฆ.I donโt love flyingโฆโฆโฆโฆI mean the take off is kind of a rushโฆโฆโฆ.but I canโt really deal with being in a seat/unable to focus on reading/donโt have access to music-need noise cancelling headphonesโฆโฆโฆโฆugh. I like getting to my destinationโฆโฆ.and good flight attendantsโฆโฆha.
I feel exactly like you! My husband plays basketball internationally, so he is ALWAYS flying and is fine with itโฆme, not so much. I get exactly like you, not a full blown anxiety or panic attack, but every time there is turbulence or some bumpy airโฆI sweat! I think Iโve gotten worse over the years. Iโve flown internationally at least 2 times a year, and it hasnโt gotten better! haha
I hate flying. Iโve gotten better as Iโve gotten older, but the longer I go between trips that involve flying, the less I want to do it again. I wish teleportation was an option!
That salad looks fantastic, by the way. Sweet potato and goat cheese were meant for each other.
I donโt mind flying that much. Iโve definitely gotten a little more anxious (and developed motion sickness somewhere along the way) about it since having my son, though. My best flight experience by far was on South African Airlines. The snacks were hoagie sandwiches and desserts! Along with our blankets and pillows, we got lavender-scented eye masks and mint socks to keep our circulation going. They were so comfortable I brought them home and wore them for months around the house during the winter ๐ LAN is also a pretty good airline. Weโve traveled with them quite a bit since we go visit family in South America fairly often!
I never thought of putting sweet potato on my salad before! Looks good. I donโt mind flying but if I didnโt have to do it, I wouldnโt. Iโm fine as long as there is no turbulence. ๐
Iโm just like you when I fly! We fly Southwest often, and I always seem to get squished in the middle seat and separated from my family, which I hate because thereโs no one to talk to when I get nervous! I did recently learn from a flight attendant that flying over the desert heat makes it even more turbulent, so at least now I feel like itโs not just the plane about to go down ๐
Wow that sounds like one delish salad! I can not wait to see more photos from your trip! I have never been to Italy, still trying to conquer Asia! My fav salad combo right now is green apple, grapes, kale + spinach, chicken with pepper and cukes all massaged in LEMON juice, so simple but so FRESH! Lots of love your way C
Iโm definitely a nervous flier. I used to be fine when I was younger, but somehow as Iโve gotten older Iโve gotten a lot more nervous. I want to get over it (or at least be able to hide it convincingly) so I donโt pass it on to my kids in the future!
I usually bake my sweet potatoes โ Iโll have to try boiling them since it is so much faster!
I love goat cheese and sweet potatoes! always a good combo. I must make this salad ๐
Iโve only taken one international flight & it was by far the best flight Iโve ever taken. Alitalia airlines into Rome. Complimentary spirits, free movie, meals for everyone which included a baby bel cheese round, pillow, blanket. I felt like royalty in coach. On the way home my husband & I were lucky enough to have 3 seats to ourselves so we stretched out. I feel like the flight attendants were more forgiving. They didnโt mind if you stood for awhile to stretch your legs as I am a person who does not sit much.
I love international flights with wine ๐ When we mobilized to Australia last year, Qantas upgraded our tickets to first class. Not only did they give us bottles of wine to take home with us (true story), everyone gets these matching full piece, grey pyjamas and face masks to wear! We couldnโt stop laughing as the flight attendants were going around, tucking in full grown businessmen in their little PJs.
I used to be a Flight Attendant, so I love flying. It is especially nice to be on the side of the customer after years of serving the passengers ๐
I was flying with Swissair and we had free wine, champagne and predinner drinks like campari, bloody mary, gin tonic etc. โ our passengers definitely got spoiled and I loved it ๐
I love flying! Even when itโs really turbulent- it feels like an amusement ride.
My flight to London (from Canada) also had free tv/movies and free wine. Definitely a much better way to fly than without those little extra touches ๐
I hate flying too! Every little bump makes me freak out.
Love the look of this salad though. Anything with sweet potato in it is a winner for me!
Iโm interested in how the Pilot handles flying as a passenger? Iโm sure as an expert it would be helpful to know exactly what each sound meant, etc, but I wonder how that affects the whole experience for him. Just curious ๐
he doesnโt seem to mind itโ heโs usually sleeping haha
I love flyingโฆif it is a direct flight. I HATE layovers. Not sure why, but I despise them. That salad sounds so simple and delicious. I will need to try it asap!
LOVE flying! I love looking out the window. Which is really odd because Iโm afraid of heights.
I definitely want to try this salad, what would be a better cheese choice? Iโm not a goat cheese fan.
My salad of choice lately is spinach with spicy breakfast potatoes reheated and topped with honey mustard vinaigrette.
Also loving cucumber, tomato salad with cottage cheese, freshly ground pepper and sunflower seeds.
do you like feta? that would be awesome, too ๐
I donโt mind flying at all; I just hate the airport part of it. This is the second post of the blogs I follow involving sweet potato on a salad, and I love it! Over the weekend I had a similar salad for the first time ever (frankly, I havenโt eaten that much sweet potato in my day), and now Iโm addicted. I pretty much want one at every meal!
I normally really enjoy flying, I like airports and people watching. When we hit turbulence it is not fun though.
I flew Lufthansa in May over to Germany, and it was easily the best international and domestic flight Iโve ever taken. The food, the wine, the warm face wipes, top notch for sure! Good choice!
i had no idea flying could be that awesome haha!
Buy a moka pot! Itโs the best way to make espresso and is way cheaper than a big appliance. It goes on the stovetop, and once you get the hang of it, itโs really easy and SO delicious!
You should def try this type of salad, only with roasted butternut squash and a bit of arugula mixed in. To die for!
Oooh, Paleo bread recipe? It sounds so yummy! And that salad looks beautiful! Iโm trying to catch up on your Italy posts right now. How exciting!!! ๐
Do you make your Paleo bread with Almond meal or almond flour? Trying to find almond flour has proved difficult.
i use almond meal (from trader joeโs) and it works great
I love sweet potatoes, but the husband gets a little tired of them all the time. I recently used a lima bean salad as a topper for my salad greens. Recipe -> http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/lamb-kebabs-with-lima-bean-salad-00000000050988/index.html
I hate flying too and Iโm just like you when on a plane. In fact, I just wrote a post on my own blog about that last week! Iโm getting ready to go to Florida in a few months and already starting to get nervous.
I literally lol from your description of you flying because it sounded exactly like me. I know as soon as we take off i will be sweating and white knuckling the seat until I feel absolutely no bumps in the air! They say it is safer than flying but I still like these 2 feet on still ground ๐
haha! glad to know i have a flying twin out there ๐ itโs even worse when tom is with me because the whole time iโm asking him whatโs happening