Pesto Mozzarella Chicken with Asparagus

When all else fails and you run out of ideas for a meal, chicken breasts are an easy option. The only problem is that they get boring VERY fast. There's only so many times you can throw one on a salad or with quinoa without it beginning to taste rubbery and boring. The answer to this is the answer to everything: PESTO. I'm serious. I have a mild/severe obsession with pesto and pretty much everything it entails. I love the pine nut flavor, I love the basil, I love the olive oil...it's just a wonderful thing. It goes with everything too: meats, pasta...I've even been known to dip a cracker in it. You actually cannot go wrong. Thus, pesto dresses up a boring chicken breast like a pro. (A little fresh mozzarella never hurt anyone, either)

Ingredients:

-1 chicken breast

-2 slices fresh mozzarella, gently cut or torn into thin but substantial pieces

-7/8 spears of asparagus

-3/4 fresh basil leaves

-2tbsp olive oil

-salt and pepper

-1tbsp pesto

Heat up 1tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once it is sizzling a bit, put the chicken breast on and cook until golden brown. In another pan, heat the asparagus on low heat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once the chicken is done, arrange the two pieces of mozzarella on top and drizzle the pesto on. Add the basil leaves for garnish! 

The Lilly Pulitzer Salad [Spinach, Strawberries, Mozzarella, and Balsamic]

I have some issues/anxieties with salads. I am definitely one of those college girls who will talk your ear off about how I "would totally eat anything, I mean, ANYTHING!!! on a salad!!!!!" whilst ordering a hamburger, but I have stress about this hypocrisy because it really is true. If you slapped that patty on a salad with cherry tomatoes, a little flavorful cheese, some cornichons, and a great mustard vinaigrette? You bet I'd eat it AND be just as happy and way less full than eating the full burger. But sometimes all the switcheroos and custom orders at a restaurant feel a little pushy and I have a weird fear of waiters defacing my food if I'm rude to them. (you never know!!!) so anyways, while sticking to the anything-on-a-salad girl mantra is difficult at a restaurant, I'm actually pretty good at adhering to it at home. I make it a priority on any grocery list to buy a gigantic family sized bag of spinach. I'm lucky to have been one of those weirdos children who enjoyed spinach to the point of asking for it with a dash of olive oil, sea salt and minced garlic, so having it raw in a salad is right up my alley. Also, raw spinach is a really pretty color of green and looks great in pictures. In order to diminish my salad anxiety, I try to choose two or three ingredients and one dressing that pair well together, and then get it goin'. You never want to be that girl who puts fruit, crunchy asian noodles (which for the record, I loathe) olives, cheese, and anchovies in the same salad with heinous blue cheese dressing. SO bad. Do less. Instead, simplicity without being boring is key. Here's one of my favorite creations, which I have aptly named the Lilly Pulitzer salad because it is pink and green and I want a new one every day.

For this masterpiece (there I said it)...

• 2 cups spinach, ripped up and washed to minimize toughness and make bites smaller.
• 8 ripe/somewhat soft strawberries (the softness soaks up the dressing and tastes amazing with the cheese)
• Buffalo mozzarella in water. Gently, with your hands, make small chunks of the cheese and put it on at the last second.
• 2 parts olive oil one part balsamic vinaigrette. Can't go wrong with this, and balsamic and strawberries are definitely winning cutest couple this year.

This salad tastes amazing, satisfies every salt/sweet/sour/ craving you're having, and pairs well with a glass of sauvignon blanc. Then again, I think everything pairs well with a glass of sauvignon blanc. Make this tonight and then tell me your favorite salad!