Entree
This easy healthy chicken salad recipe with pecans and cranberries takes just minutes to whip up and makes the perfect entree, appetizer, or snack. It’s gluten free and dairy free too. Jump to Recipe
One of the things that comes along with moving is restocking the pantry. Of course, I hauled over a cooler of snacks the very first day we had keys to the house, but since we couldn’t actually move in for a few weeks after that, I impatiently waited to do a full re-stock.
We didn’t move that far, but I’m still learning the area and what’s closest to us. First up: grocery stores.
The prices at the first one I checked out were pleasantly surprising, especially the produce section, and though not super extensive, I was impressed with the gluten-free/allergy-friendly sections. I saw one right off the bat when we walked in the door and found another mid-way through our journey. As much as I like seeing gluten-free options on the shelves right along side everything else, it’s nice and convenient to be able to go to one section and grab and go instead of hunting.
Food Lion also has a new online recipe portal that was helpful for coming up with ideas for some meals to cook in our first week in our new home. I’m used to having staples in the kitchen, so it was a good reminder of what I needed to toss in the cart for this first big shopping trip. The portal is easy to navigate, user-friendly, and has a good variety of ideas. I jotted down some gluten-free cinnamon rolls, paleo zucchini muffins, and pesto pizza rolls for the husband.
I’ve also contributed to the recipe portal with one of my favorite grocery store deli counter inspired options: cranberry pecan chicken salad.
Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe with Pecans and Cranberries {Gluten Free, Dairy Free}
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
This cranberry pecan chicken salad recipe takes just minutes to whip up and makes the perfect entree, appetizer, or snack. It's gluten free and dairy free too.
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1
rotisserie chicken
shredded
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1/2
cup
dried cranberries
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1/2
cup
diced celery
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1/4
cup
chopped pecans
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1/2
cup
mayonnaise
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1
tsp
honey
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1
tsp
lemon juice
-
1
T
minced parsley
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1/4
tsp
apple cider vinegar
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salt and pepper to taste
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Combine mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
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Combine chicken, cranberries, pecans, celery, and parsley.
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Mix in mayo mixture.
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Add salt and pepper to taste.
I love using rotisserie chickens because they’re already cooked and ready to go, plus they have a ton of flavor, but feel free to use any kind of chicken you have.
This healthy chicken salad recipe is one of my favorite easy recipes for the whole family, especially because it’s on of the few “normal” entrees my three year old eats without complaining. The secret to all things toddler food: Craisins. Shh don’t tell.
So next time you’re looking for an easy chicken salad recipe, try this. I like making a big batch at the beginning of the week and snacking on it for a few days. We use it as a sandwich filler, an appetizer served with tortilla chips, and a green salad topper, although most of the time we eat it right out of the bowl with a fork.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Click here for more Gluten Free Dairy Free Recipes that won’t leave you trapped in the kitchen for hours or hunting down a million bizarre ingredients.
Entree
These gluten free, dairy free homemade fish sticks are a great alternative to the freezer variety. This fish sticks recipe is fresher, healthier, and fun for kids to make too.
Back to school means more than growing up and watching another year tick by – it means time to pack lunch after lunch after lunch and be prepared for dinners on the fly and on the go, as you shuffle from activity to activity. Time suddenly seems to go out the window and everything can feel rushed and hurried.
Luckily I still have a few more years before the real hustle and bustle starts, but I still feel the pain of having to always have lunch-ready food on hand, and most definitely feel the strain of needing to have a quick and easy {yet still healthy} dinner ready for my family every night. {Especially when our meal choices need to be gluten free and dairy free recipes.} Moving further away from our old activities has meant a lot of extra time spent in the car and not so much extra time left for things like food prep and cooking big meals.
On top of that, my kid is like so many other kids when it comes to food preference: he’d pick chicken nuggets and fish sticks every single deal, every single meal if I let him. It’d be really easy to cave in to that go-to choice every time we’re in a rush or in a bind, so instead I try to have things that are just as easily ready and available, but a bit less processed. One of old stand-by favorites are these paleo sweet potato chicken patties – there’s almost always a batch ready to go in the freezer – but lately I’ve been trying to broaden our horizons and added some fish sticks to the mix. This fish sticks recipe has made our easy, weeknight meal repertoire a little bigger.
These homemade fish sticks are still super easy to prepare as they use canned tuna {no need to have fresh fish on hand} and come together in no time. Plus tuna is packed with protein and healthy fats, so it’s a choice I feel good about feeding my kiddo. They’re gluten free and dairy free too. They’re good fresh, but I always make extra to pop in the freezer for those busy days and nights.
Full disclaimer: this is not the most attractive entrée I’ve ever made, although I think with a little practice I could probably do better. But it didn’t stop anybody from eating them!
Gluten Free Fish Sticks Recipe
by with a Side of Sneakers
- 1 5oz can Bumble Bee tuna
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/8-1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/8 cup almond flour
Combine tuna and most of the egg – save a little for an “egg wash”.
Add flour a little at a time – I used about 1/8 cup of flour but you might need more, especially if you use a flour that doesn’t absorb as much liquid.
It should still look a little dry but you’ll know you’re set when you can form the tuna into a stick shape.
Form “sticks”, then dip lightly into leftover egg and roll in almond flour to create coating.
Cook over medium heat in a saute pan with a little oil, a few minutes on each side until they get crispy.
Allow to cool completely before refrigerating or freezing if saving for later.
Feel free to add any flavor combo your family or kiddos like – lemon juice, Italian seasoning, cumin, etc.
[Tweet “Easy Homemade Tuna Fish Sticks Recipe #kidfriendly #glutenfree”]
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Click here for more Gluten Free Dairy Free Recipes that won’t leave you trapped in the kitchen for hours or hunting down a million bizarre ingredients.
Food thoughts
This “Flavor Your Adventure” post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.
Summer is one of my favorite times. Not because of the oppressively hot weather or the need for sunscreen at 7am, but because of the freedom and lack of rigidity. Even with a three year old, we’re already feeling the effects the school year imposes on your daily agenda. While I’m all for scheduling and planning, the idea of having absolutely nothing set in stone on the day’s to-do list is absolutely freeing and liberating. Sure there are things that have to be done, deadlines to make, and appointments to keep, but the general flow of the day and week is generally totally up in the air and it’s awesome.
I love being ready to drop everything and go do anything at any given moment, whether it’s something big and exciting like a road trip or something tiny {but equally as exciting} as a pool day or trip to the library with friends. The only way to make this work and not go totally crazy is to be prepared. For us, this means knowing where sunscreen and bathing suits are at all times, managing to not lose my keys or wallet, and always having easy, portable snacks on hand that will satisfy both myself and an opinionated threenager.
While we always have at least a small collection of pre-packaged snacks on hand {fruit cups, granola bars}, our go-to this summer has been trail mix. This is an easy one because it’s a basic simple formula that meets our needs {healthy, filling, allergy-friendly} but is also easy to change up every single time to prevent snack boredom.
The kiddo’s fave is Blue Diamond’s Roasted Lightly Salted Almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, and chocolate chips. Tossing in something slightly “exotic” like dried papaya, mango, granola clusters, or pumpkin seeds is basically the highlight of his snack-based day.
My favorite is coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, and dried apricots, with switching up the variety by changing the flavor almonds I use. My current faves are honey mustard and wasabi.
When I’m feeling super on top of things {ha} we’ll make the mixtures into granola bars, clusters, or balls, but most of them we eat the trail mix straight up on whatever adventure we happen to be on.
This “Flavor Your Adventure” post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. For more snack ideas to “Flavor Your Adventure” this summer, visit Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
