Can I tell you a secret?
I don’t really miss cheese that much. gasp
I thought that would be the hardest part about eating Paleo, and I tell ya what – it’s been a breeze! (Except for the fact that I’ve eaten pizza a couple of times…) The realization hit me that I had been eating a lot more cheese before this Paleo nonsense came up. Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s quite heavenly. But Kyle and I were buying an average of 5-6 pounds of cheese every month from Costco (shredded mozzarella, blocked cheddar, Colby Jack, string cheese, cottage cheese, etc.). That seems just a bit ridiculous.
Salads without cheese seemed depressing. Especially since my favorite avocado ranch dressing was out of the picture. I was forced to expand my horizons and discover new Paleo-friendly salad toppers. It was enlightening.
As it turns out, I really like raw cherry tomatoes, despite my long-time nose crinkling at the thought of them. And vinaigrette is the best when you coat your chopped salad with it instead of just dumping it on top so some salad is dry and some salad is bitterly drenched. And SUNFLOWER SEEDS. They are awesome on top of salads. If you take one thing away from today’s post, let it be that.
This Paleo chef salad is a unique combination of several delicious foods. Bacon and hard-boiled eggs are pretty classic. Grilled chicken is a no brainer. But when you put them together with other Paleo options, the result is quite magical.
Or maybe I was just mesmerized by the size of my salad bowl. Either way – it was far from a letdown. I served this Paleo Chef Salad with my white balsamic vinaigrette dressing!
Paleo Chef Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 4 oz chicken breast
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup cubed avocado
- 2 strips bacon, crumbled
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinaigrette, or vinaigrette of choice
Instructions
- Add romaine to a bowl with a cover, and toss with vinaigrette salad dressing.
- Thinly slice chicken and egg, then chop and cub other veggies.
- Add to the romaine and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Category: Salads
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salad
- Calories: 609
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 473 mg
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Cholesterol: 267 mg
I also think sometimes changing the way you prepare food makes a big difference. Salads can get a bit boring sometimes. In this one, I shredded the carrots instead of chopping them, sliced the cherry tomatoes instead of not cutting them at all, and very thinly sliced the grilled chicken instead of leaving it chunked or shredded. Don’t you agree?
Want more Paleo lunch ideas? Check out some of these favorites.
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