Salads, Salsa and Soups

Here are some quick and easy go-to’s for Mother’s Day or Memorial Day weekend.

Cooking together can be a great way to bond with your family members and have fun! The more people chopping, the faster it goes! After you enjoy a meal together, break out your favorite board game. Have you tried Telestrations? (It’s basically telephone meets Pictionary!) How about UNO, Yahtzee, Euchre, Dominos and Monopoly?


Trina Rose – Wellness Coordinator- Witham Health Services

Rotisserie Chicken Tossed Salad – pick it up on your way home and mix up your favorite salad ingredients! EASY. We typically do organic mixed greens, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, diced red onion, diced hardboiled eggs (I ALWAYS keep hardboiled eggs on hand in the refrigerator for easy snacks or recipes), crumbled bacon and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Next day Chicken Salad - With the leftover chicken, I’ll make chicken salad to eat with sliced red, yellow and green bell peppers or on your favorite bread or even with pretzels to dip the next day. I toss diced celery, diced yellow onion, sliced grapes, silvered almonds and mix well with the chicken. The amount depends of how much chicken you have left and how many vegetables you want in it…as you can imagine ours is VERY veggie heavy! Then, I’ll add mashed avocado and yellow mustard to moisten and add substance. You can absolutely add your favorite mayonnaise and mustard to moisten though! Black pepper to taste. I’ll warn you, the avocado turns the mixture green and doesn’t look very appetizing, even though it tastes amazing!

Fast Fajitas

1 medium onion, cut into ½ inch strips

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch strips

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch strips

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (or chicken thighs)


cut crosswise into thin strips

2 Tablespoons avocado oil (or oil of your choice)

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix


(skip this if you are watching your sodium intake!)

½ cup water

½ cup salsa

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 TBSP oil and chicken. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove and set chicken aside. Add remaining oil, bell peppers, onion and garlic. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken, soup mix, water and salsa to bell pepper mixture. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until heated. Serve on a bed of greens or with tortilla shells. Top with tomatoes, green onions, avocado, cilantro, cheese or your favorite toppings.

Italian Bean Soup

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, shredded

1 cup celery, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups beef stock

3 tsp oregano

2 tsp black pepper

5 tsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp tabasco sauce

1 (20 ounce) jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I use Rao’s)

8 ounces pasta, if desired

Brown beef and drain. Add all ingredients except pasta in crockpot. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Before serving cook pasta, drain and add to soup.

Egg Frittata

Spray skillet with favorite cooking spray or add your favorite oil. Cook spinach, tomatoes, onion, ham and eggs together for a few minutes. Add cheese during last few minutes of cooking. The amount depends on the size of your skillet – can make one serving or several. Quick and easy! You can change ingredients to your favorites!

Black Bean Salsa

1 ½ tsp cumin

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup lime juice

¼ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

½ tsp salt, if desired

1 tsp dry crushed red pepper

½ tsp black pepper

Mix all together and serve with bell pepper slices or on top of a baked potato. (You can bake a potato in the microwave for 4-5 minutes! Simply wash, poke a few holes, wrap in a wet paper towel and cook 4-5 minutes on high)

Taco Soup

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

1 Tablespoon chili powder

¼-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp paprika

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup water

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies

2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can cream-style corn

Brown beef with onions and garlic in medium-size soup pot. Drain excess grease. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes before serving. Serve with chopped cilantro, sliced black olives, jalapenos, diced green onions, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, or your favorite toppings!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 medium onion, diced

½ cup green bell peppers, diced

2 tsp garlic, pressed

2 cans crushed tomatoes

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 can carrots, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp coriander seed

1 tsp cumin powder

1 large can or box of chicken stock

Black pepper to taste

Handful of cilantro, chopped

10 corn tortillas, slice and divide. (1/2 for soup and ½ for topping)

Cook onions and peppers in favorite oil (mine is avocado oil) until tender, add garlic and tomatoes. Let come to a boil, add chicken – let come to a boil and then turn on low-medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients – except cilantro and ½ tortillas. Let simmer about 20 minutes. Just before serving add cilantro and extra tortillas. Top with avocado, cheese, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Spinach Salad

10 ounces fresh spinach

½ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

6 hardboiled eggs, sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

Top with favorite dressing or try making your own.

Dressing – ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup favorite olive oil, 3 Tablespoons honey, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup sugar or favorite sweetener. Whisk together.

Broccoli Salad

2 heads broccoli chopped

2 cups cashew halves and pieces

2 cups dried cranberries

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 medium red onion, diced

Mix together – 1 cup mayo (or plain Greek yogurt), ¼ cup sugar or favorite sweetener, 2 Tablespoons white vinegar

Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate. Enjoy!