Grilled Chicken Salad with Lemony Dijon Dressing

Cafeteria food, usually not something to be excited about but PepsiCo has a pretty nice cafeteria, including a great salad bar.  About a year ago I made a commitment to making sure I eat more greens, so, for the past year I have been making myself a salad for lunch every day.  Well, not every day.  Every other Wednesday is Sushi Day and it is a little crazy how much we look forward to that day (really good classics made in front of you).  After a year of eating salad, I have become a little tired of the same salad every day. 

Buttermilk Herb Vinaigrette

 Don’t you just love when you order a meal at a restaurant that hits the nail on the head?  A few weeks ago I transitioned to a new role at PepsiCo and a few of my new teammates took me out for lunch at a place called Sepia.  Being that this was the Monday after my sister’s bachelorette party I figured I should choose something in the salad section after a weekend of indulging.  My taste buds were so blown away it inspired me to try and replicate it at home.  A major aspect of it was the dressing, but another unique part of the salad was that it had shaved fennel on it.  I would definitely recommend adding it in for a subtle but unique twist. 

Classic Macaroni Salad

Two of my favorite people came to town to visit…one of my greatest friends, Katherine, and my boyfriend (even though he doesn’t know it) Justin Timberlake came in for his concert.  With Katherine being a former Chicagoan, it was an easy weekend, touring some of our favorite hangout places, finding some new cute (and reasonably priced boutiques), and probably indulging a little too much in wine, but hey…that’s what you do with friends.