By Kim Ragosta

Spring is in the air and Mother’s Day is right around the corner – May 11th to be exact. What better way to show love for your mother, wife, grandmother or special someone than to make them a delicious meal! Everyone knows homemade gifts are the best and Mom could use a day off from cooking. A mom prepares a whopping 1,095 meals per year for her family when making breakfast, lunch and dinner! So give mom a little break and let her know how much you appreciate all that she does for you. This “Chicken Chopped Salad with Butter Lettuce” recipe will let her know how much you love and adore her as the ingredients are delish and the recipe is extremely healthy. And it’s gluten free. Mom will surely enjoy this scrumptious meal!

Chicken Chopped Salad with Butter Lettuce (serves 6)

Dressing:

-2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

-1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

-1 garlic clove, minced

-1/4 tsp. kosher salt

-1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

-1 cup (1/4 inch) diced cooked skinless chicken breast (I boil and chop my chicken)

-1 cup coarsely chopped baby arugula

-1/2 avocado, finely diced

-1/4 fennel bulb, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

-1/2 cup diced feta cheese

-1/3 cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes

-8 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

-1/4 tsp. kosher salt

-1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

-12 butter lettuce leaves or chopped butter lettuce (desired amount)

Directions:

For the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.  Gradually add the oil, whisking until the dressing is thick.

For the salad: In a large bowl, combine chicken, arugula, avocado, fennel, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salt and pepper.  Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat.

Fill the lettuce leaves with the salad.  Arrange the leaves on a platter and serve.  Or if you cannot find lettuce leaves feel free to buy prewashed chopped butter lettuce and mix with salad ingredients!

Enjoy!

Here are some fun Mom facts for Mother’s Day:

-The average first-time Mom’s age today is 25 years old.

-Preschool-age children require Mom’s attention once every 4 minutes or 210 times per day.

-A mom does 7,300 diaper changes by a child’s second birthday!

-Moms average 2.2 hours per day doing household chores.

-Mom’s least favorite chore is vacuuming … so pick up the vacuum on May 11th!

-The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1908.

Author Kim Ragosta is mom to Jack (5), Charlie (3), and Lily (1).