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The other day, we stopped into Panera and grabbed a couple of bagels for a quick breakfast.  While we were there, I saw their huge banner ad for their strawberry poppy seed and chicken salad which inspired me to make something similar for dinner that night.  And with an effort to eat healthier lately, this was a great option for a warm summer night too.

I used a bag of arugula salad blend from Stop ‘n Shop which included some baby spinach leaves.  I cooked 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts in a non-stick pan with a little bit of olive oil and seasoned them with some Penzey’s Fox Point seasoning (I am addicted to this stuff by the way … I use it on just about everything because it’s so good!).  Since they’re so thin it only takes a couple of minutes to cook on each side.  My husband’s salad had a few cut up strawberries, a handful of blueberries, toasted walnuts, and some mandarin orange slices (I just used some that come in the individual snack sized containers).

Mine had the chicken, orange slices, blueberries, and some feta cheese with an olive oil and balsamic drizzle on top.  They were quite delicious and such a fun way to change up the way we normally might make a salad.  They didn’t take very long to make either which will also be a great way to incorporate fresh fruits that are in season when I pick them up at the local farmer markets.  Thanks, Panera, for the inspiration!