The one upside to gaining weight is that your boobs get bigger… Every other aspect blows. I’ve been partying hard since arriving in Tahoe for our wedding a few months ago, and the jig is finally up. I tried to get into a pair of pants yesterday that fit just fine pretty recently. I eventually got them on, but it was a sweaty struggle that left me in tears and left a mark on my belly when I wriggled out of them at the end of the day. (I still had a cupcake – wearing said pants – later in the day because I have zero self control.) I LOVE to eat. I live to eat. Whoever said nothing tastes as good as skinny feels (Kate Moss, maybe? Probably.) never ate pasta at Jon & Vinny’s, or pizza at Sotto, or beef and pickle tacos at Escuela Taqueria, or a cheeseburger at The Nice Guy, or a fried chicken sandwich at The Darkroom, or cake at SusieCakes… You see how I got myself into this little (literal) jam.

So, in anticipation of the holidays, I’m attempting to eat healthy and make the slow, miserable crawl back toward my wedding-weight. In an effort to make it slightly less miserable, I’m trying to come up with low-calorie spins on my favorite dishes. Like today: Chicken salad. Instead of drenching it in mayo, I used fat-free Greek yogurt. And I thought if I used enough basil, it might taste like pesto pasta (almost, not quite). To my surprise, it was delicious! Tony is a much healthier eater than me, and after one bite he said “You have to blog about this.” So, I did. Here’s my recipe. Please, comment below on your favorite healthy snacks and meals! I can’t ever do a juice cleanse again, I might murder someone in a hangry rage! HELP!

(Healthy) Chicken Salad

1.5 lbs chicken breasts

3 tbsp olive oil

A few dashes of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning

1/2 cup Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds, chopped

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

1/2 cup basil, chopped (I used one of the .66 oz packages from Ralph’s in the herb section)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Cook chicken breasts over medium high in the olive oil; sprinkle both sides with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. Chop almonds, cherries and basil; I used the Vitamix we got for our wedding, but a food processor or doing it by hand works just as well. Mix the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce together until blended. Toss in the chopped almonds, cherries and basil and blend together. Once the chicken is cooked through, chop it into bite-size chunks and mix it into the yogurt sauce. Refrigerate, and serve cool. (Obviously, refrigerate any leftovers, too. Don’t wanna get sued if you’re into keeping chicken and dairy goods in the pantry, and then suing.)

And if you like it a little blander/less seasoned, you can always add more Greek yogurt. This recipe serves around 6, so it’s plenty to keep in the fridge to throw together a sandwich or just scoop it over arugula or spinach, and maybe a few slices of avocado for a quick lunch. BON APPETIT!

*If you’re strapped for time and want to minimize clean-up, you can always chop up some pre-cooked chicken breasts or shred up a rotisserie chicken. But it makes a difference to cook it yourself – my old roommate used to make everything in Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, and it gives the salad an addictive kick.