A few months ago, I read The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. If you have seen me in person, I’ve probably told you you should read it. The book makes a compelling argument: that modern life has made us too comfortable, and that comfort — not hardship — is actually what’s making us anxious, unhealthy, and vaguely miserable.
It sent me in a lot of directions, but one I’ve stayed with is Dr. Trevor Kashey and his pretty no-nonsense approach to eating: more single ingredient foods, real attention to protein, less of everything complicated. But I notice the difference when I do this well, and this salad is one of the reasons. Grilled chicken, blackberries, blueberries, roasted sweet potato, goat cheese, and a simple lemon thyme vinaigrette — all of it built from things that are at their absolute best in June. It’s the kind of salad that’s hearty enough to be dinner and tastes so much better than the sum of its part. It also makes you feel really good about eating it (I don’t know why- it just always makes me think about how it would appeal to a healthy bear.)
The Healthy Bear Salad
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cups fresh blackberries
- 1 cups fresh blueberries
- 5 cups mixed greens or arugula
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 0.3 cups toasted pecans or walnuts
- 0.3 cups fresh mint or basil leaves, torn
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoons honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoons salt and black pepper
Per Serving
Calories: ~520 Protein: ~48g Carbohydrates: ~35g Fat: ~20g Fiber: ~7g
