Chicken salad and Greek salad are two of my favorites. I knew I had a winner when I saw this recipe on my Cooking Light calendar. I was not sure if everyone in my house would love it, but to my surprise everyone did. So here you are a quick, easy, flavorful, and healthy salad that your family will enjoy. Don’t be leery of the barley if you have never used it before. It is so similar to pasta or rice in texture. Barley is also an excellent source of soluble fiber that is good for digestion and a great source of potassium which helps to lower blood pressure. Hope that all of you are enjoying your week. I’m off this week for a winter break. While some of my friends are enjoying Disney World, I’m just enjoying Villa Rica!
Salad has been my lunch life for about twenty years. That’s a long time! Why salad? It has been the easiest way for me to pack fresh vegetables into my diet every day. For as long as I have been teaching I have always packed my lunch. My routine has been and still is even though I am finished at noon everyday is to make three salads on Sunday night which includes whatever protein is available, baked ham, roasted turkey, grilled chicken, or canned tuna. Then on Wednesday night I make two more for the end of the week. Making them ahead of time keeps me out of the bag of chips or from the easy to make grilled sandwich. So by lunch I have usually had five servings of fruits and vegetables. So why don’t you try salad for lunch at least a month? Take the challenge. You’ll be healthier and a few pounds lighter!
I am perfectly happy having a salad for lunch or dinner. GI Joe and The Athlete just sit back and roll their eyes if we’re at a restaurant and I order just a salad. I love all kinds of salads, hot, cold, fruit, pasta, vegetables. Then add to that nuts, goat cheese, blue cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella. I will take any of the above. Oh my gosh, what about dressings? The options are endless, but the one I’m sharing today is one of my favorites. 
