I’m calling this a “power” bowl because it’s filled with all the must-haves on my macro list to slay the day – protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs from fruits, veggies and whole grains. As per the whole grains, I used a 7-grain blend from a pouch for convenience . . . but you can swap in what you prefer, even if it’s just straight-up quinoa, barely or something similar. It can even be omitted if you don’t do grains.
However, thanks to the grains in conjunction with the kale, dates, nuts, apples, etc., this chicken kale salad should get some sort of fiber award! A serving provides almost 10g of fiber, which gets me personally about 35-40% completion of my daily recommended dietary fiber. The general rule of thumb is that you should try to eat 14g fiber for every 1000 calories consumed. So, if daily calorie allotment is 2000 calories, then 28g of fiber should be included. For more info, see my recent post about dietary fiber.
Unless you’re cooking and wilting this green, leafy cruciferous veggie down, a bunch (or produce bag) of kale sometimes seems really hard to use up! This Chicken Apple Kale Power Bowl is a great way to use it up. Plus, unlike the soggy disaster that comes of making salads ahead of time, kale is super hearty and wilt-resistant – so it holds up well if you want to meal prep kale salad and keep it in the fridge for a couple days (even with the dressing on)!
To keep is simple, I used my favorite “clean” balsamic dressing for this chicken kale salad – -use whatever you prefer or even make your own from scratch if inclined (note, this could alter the nutrition facts a bit).
Also, I like to use my meal-prepped, shredded chicken breast for this recipe. I make a massive batch every month and keep portioned up in various amounts in the freezer — 1/2 pound is needed for this recipe — here’s the how to:
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Quick and convenient, this kale salad is packed with nourishingi ngredients like chicken, apples, dates, almonds, whole grains — and dressed in your favorite balsamic dressing. The greens hold up well in the fridge for a couple days (even dressed), so great for meal prep and make ahead lunchbox ideas.
- 6 packed cups washed chopped kale
- 1 medium apple
- 3 Medjool dates
- 2 oz. toasted almond slivers
- 2 Tbsp. Feta Cheese
- 1 cup cooked ancient grain blend like quinoa-bulgar, etc, cooled
- 8 oz chicken breast chopped or shredded
- 1/3 cup creamy balsamic dressing of choice
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Place kale in large bowl, massage to make softer.
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Seed and chop dates and apples, add to bowl.
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Add remainder of ingredients (except dressing) to bowl and stir to combine.
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Drizzle with dressing and stir to coat evenly.
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Kale is hearty, so leftovers will stay good in the fridge for a day or two without wilting.
