Loaded Kale Salad // Eating Bird Food

The past few weeks have been absolutely amazing as my hubby and I (and my bestie for the first part of it) have been travelling through Europe. We are currently in Amsterdam… or possibly flying home depending on when you are reading this post.

While I’ve been away I’ve been trying to keep my blog time to a minimum to enjoy the trip without having my computer glued to my face, but I’ve also been sharing some of the highlights over on Instagram and Snapchat, and also did a post on our time in Barcelona.

So today, I’ve got another treat for you! A guest post and delicious recipe from the super talented and lovely Brittany of Eating Bird Food. I’ve been following Brittany’s blog for a long time now and I love the clean, simple style of her healthy recipes. She’s definitely a blogger I recommend you follow too!

Hi there NITK readers! I’m Brittany, a health coach, personal trainer and the blogger behind Eating Bird Food. A couple tidbits about me: I didn’t grow up eating healthfully and I certainly didn’t grow up loving to exercise. It’s been a journey for me to get to where I am today, which is why I love helping others on a similar journey through my blog.

Although I’ve never met Christal in person we’ve been online friends for quite a while now and I’m beyond honored to be here guest posting while she’s traveling. I’ve been following along with her adventures on social media and I’m seriously so jealous. I totally wish I could have snuck into her suitcase.

Anyhow, since summer is quickly approaching I thought it’d be fun to share a seasonal salad recipe with you all. Salads are one of my all-time favorite foods and one of the easiest ways to pack a ton of fresh veggies, lean protein, smart carbs and healthy fats into a meal.

I have at least one salad a day and it’s something I highly recommend to anyone looking to eat healthier.

The salad recipe I’m sharing today starts with a base of my Garlicky Kale Salad. This kale salad recipe is inspired by the garlicky kale on the Whole Foods salad bar. The dressing has tahini with garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon and apple cider vinegar and it’s AMAZING! People go crazy for this salad.

I’m topping it with one of my all-time favorite salad toppings, roasted sweet potatoes, along with grape tomatoes, grilled chicken and hemp seeds.

The sweet potatoes are roasted with maple syrup and cinnamon so they bring an extra boost of sweetness and complex carbs to the salad, while the chicken gives you plenty of protein and the hemp seeds add healthy fat and a nutty flavor. You will love the mix of textures in this salad!

Loaded Kale Salad // Eating Bird Food

Serves: 1

Ingredients

Garlicky kale salad
1 large sweet potato, chopped into bite size chunks
½ Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Sea salt, to taste
1 grilled chicken breast
4 grape tomatoes, chopped
½ Tablespoon hemp seeds

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375°.
Coat chopped sweet potato chunks with olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and sea salt. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes or until soft and golden brown.
While sweet potatoes are roasting, prep the garlicky kale salad.
Once sweet potatoes are done roasting, allow to cool for about 5 minutes and start prepping your salad.
Start with 1 cup of garlicky kale and top with roasted potatoes, grilled chicken breast and tomatoes. Sprinkle on hemp seeds and serve.

Have an amazing Sunday everyone and I’ll be back in business with posts on the blog next week! I’m planning on a Greece Guide (and possibly an Amsterdam Guide!) similar to the Barcelona Guide I did, but don’t worry, there will be plenty of amazing recipes to come too… like this one below… stay tuned!