Is it just me or did we all live an entire year in the month of January? I know it’s one of the longest months of the year that always feels a bit like a let down after the buzz of the holidays wears off. But this year in particular the month felt like it would never end. The world was on fire. The world was on ice. The world was toxic – figuratively and literally. The world was already inundated with so many scary, saddening, heartbreaking, concerning news headlines. And in my personal world, my life and my body was turned upside down with the addition of our first child. Now that was good news! But it still added to the wild ride January has been. So all that to say, I am gladly welcoming February in. I am excited to be in more of a groove, a routine, and settled body and mindset. I am leaving last month behind with optimism and excitement for the month to come!

And in honor of that shift away from the chaos, I am going to continue on from last week’s salad share with some of the delicious salads I have been making to support this active decision to get back on track… the way I thought the new year would go and definitely did not! 

I am always trying to find ways to make consuming vegetables more delicious… and easy! I have noticed that in the haze of all the change and the tiredness of being a newborn’s milk machine all day, all night, with no ‘pause’ button, that I just want easy things to eat and grab for in the kitchen. I myself am always hungry and am cognizant that I can no longer use the “well I am pregnant” excuse for giving in to every sugar craving and not prioritizing healthy eating. But this past month, I have done just that, snacked. So I thought, why not snack on pre-made salads that are ready to go in the fridge! That way I have no excuse to not go for the vegetables over the baked goods in the kitchen. 

Well… as long as the salads are GREAT. This is a modified version of a salad recipe I ripped out of a Bon Appetit last year and have kept in a drawer somewhere for months until now. What I liked about it is that a) it gets better the longer it sits so it would keep its flavor and texture for 3-4 days and b) it used an ingredient I had a bunch of post holidays – Peppadew peppers! My family loves snacking on goat cheese stuffed peppadew peppers as an appetizer during the holidays (it’s distinctly “holiday” for its color combination obviously!). And Trader Joe’s now carries jars of pre-made peppers in brine almost all year long. So I had two half-opened jars in the fridge and love that this recipe used them up! Trader Joe’s also has amazing pre-packaged slaws. So inevitably this is a TJ’s inspired salad that I am making to have all week long. And so far it’s going swimmingly. It’s so yummy I will easily grab for this over tortilla chips. Win!

Okay without much further adieu please enjoy the first (well technically second) salad in my February salad series that will be coming your way in the next few weeks. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch dino kale

2 cans chickpeas

1 bag broccoli slaw (store bought)

½ cup drained peppadew peppers in brine

1 cup cherry tomatoes

½ cup shredded parmesan

For the dressing – 

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar 

1 lemon

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tbsp. Honey

Salt & pepper

Serving Size: 4-6

INSTRUCTIONS

• Whisk together all the dressing ingredients (or add into a small mason jar and shake until combined). 
• Wash and chop kale. Then roughly chop peppadew peppers and tomatoes. 
• Drain and rinse chickpeas. 
• Gently mix together chopped kale, broccoli slaw, chickpeas, peppers, and tomatoes. 
• Toss with dressing. 
• Enjoy!