Chicken Pasta Salad

This one is a regular staple around our house when I feel like I need to eat "healthy". Of course, healthy means something different for everyone. I hate to eat healthy so in my opinion if the food is: grilled, doesn't contain cheese, or involves more than one vegetable then I've achieved a healthy meal. I'm also not a big fan of salad, but in this one all of the veggies are offset by yummy chicken, pasta, and a lovely dressing that, frankly I could probably put on everything and be happy about. This one isn't too bad and it feeds 2 people for multiple days so, I think it can go in the healthy category.

Chicken Pasta Salad
1 red pepper cut up into bit sized pieces
1 yellow pepper cut up into bit sized pieces
3 carrots (I use a peeler to create shreds but you can cut them however you like)
3 stalks of celery cut on an angle to form bite sized pieces
1 package of baby spinach
1 package or one large ball of fresh mozz ( cut into tiny pieces)
1/2 box/bag of rotini pasta
2 chicken breasts
Brianna's Real French vinaigrette (though you could use any tangy vinaigrette dressing)
white wine vinegar

- Boil the pasta. (Make sure that you put olive oil into the water before you add the pasta, this is going to sit for a little while so you want to make sure it's not too sticky.) Drain the pasta when you feel it's reached its desired doneness and then, run cool water over the pasta, set aside.

- Marinate the chicken breasts in a mixture of 1/2 dressing and 1/2 white wine vinegar for 10-30 minutes. Then cook the chicken breasts on a medium to low heat until they are done, add more white wine vinegar if the liquid cooks off.

- Cut up the chicken into strips.

- Place the pasta and all the veggies into a large salad bowl and combine, add in the spinach and combine. Toss with the desired amount of salad dressing.

-Place the pasta, veggie, and dressing mix onto plates or into bowls for serving, add chicken and fresh mozz to individual plates. Enjoy!

Chicken Pasta Salad

This is an old favorite that I had completely forgotten about until the warm weather, and a desire to eat a little better, forced me to go looking for new and different recipes.
Now I hate dieting, I have problems controlling how much I eat, I am almost incapable of not giving in to cravings and I LOVE chocolate. So I don't think of what I am doing now as dieting, more eating better.The biggest problem I am having with eating better lately is my seemingly unending craving for pasta. I hadn't had pasta more than three times in three months and then suddenly I just couldn't live without it. So, instead of pasta sauce, or my husbands oh so helpful suggestion chicken parm we went with chicken pasta salad.
This one is really easy so here goes.

Chicken Pasta Salad
1 red pepper cut into long strips and cut in half
1 yellow pepper cut into long strips and cut in half
4 carrots (peeled and then shredded with a peeler)
4 stalks of celery (shredded with a peeler)
1 package of baby spinach
4 medium balls of fresh mozzarella cut into 1 in pieces
2 chicken breasts marinated in the same white wine vinaigrette dressing you are going to use on the salad then cooked in a skillet and grilled and cut into strips.
1/2 a package of pasta cooked
6 tablespoons white wine vinaigrette such as Brianna's french vinaigrette or as it's known in our house, the one with the artichoke on it.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl mix!this can be stored overnight, but if you plan on doing so add the spinach right before you serve it because it can get soggy.