Prepping for My Week [mediterranean salad]

I could survive on hummus if necessary. You can't even understand how true this statement is. There is always at least one container of hummus in our fridge at all times! When we moved to Florida and were introduced to the wonderful land of Publix, it got even better. They have their own store brand of hummus and it comes in a bunch of flavors like jalapeno cilantro.

I digress... this post is not about hummus (or is it?).

In prepping for my meals this week, I knew I wanted big ol' salads for lunch and was inspired a while back by Panera's Power Chicken Hummus Bowl. Hummus ON a salad, yes, please.

So here is what I prepped for the salads (or bought):

• Salad greens (half spinach, half baby greens)
• Quinoa prepared with Italian herbs
• Grilled chicken breasts diced up
• Red peppers diced up
• Red & yellow grape tomatoes, halved
• Red Onion, chopped
• Crumbled feta
• Hummus (roasted red pepper)

Isn't this salad just the prettiest thing you have ever seen?! I think this is the definition of food porn. I have a lemon vinaigrette in the fridge right now, so that works well on here. Also, if the hummus is a little too thick for your liking, it can make a great salad dressing by simply mixing it with a little olive oil to thin it out.

As you can also see in the first picture, I made muffins for breakfasts and shredded chicken in the crockpot. I followed this recipe for Raspberry Dark Chocolate Banana Bread, and made a few modifications (some whole wheat flour and mini chocolate chips). It made 14 muffins, which are about 270 calories, so not super light! But I found one muffin and some fruit was a perfectly filling breakfast. Next time I make these, I will work to lighten them up!

The pulled chicken couldn't be easier. I've made it this way several times in the crockpot. The general gist is season your chicken breasts however you like, cover with some kind of liquid in the crockpot and cook on low all day. The chicken falls apart with a simple touch! To make it more mexican inspired, I did it with Spicy V8 and for a more Italian twist, use chicken broth and jarred tomato sauce. This chicken was perfect on top of baked sweet potatoes with salsa - that was dinner this week.

A little prep goes a long way. Since all those ingredients were hanging out in the fridge, you can pull together a lot of different combinations. It is Friday and I still have leftovers of all those things in the fridge. It will be nice to have some healthy options awaiting us when we get home from our trip Monday.

Do you also love hummus? Any creative ways you eat it, besides with the classic pita? What food prep did you do to make your week easier?