Now that school has started, I’m constantly looking for meals that are quick and easy. I don’t want to mess with lots of complicated instructions, and much of the time, if I can get away without cooking, that’s what I’m gonna do. I recently tossed together this salad, and I can already tell that it’s going to be a regular in my menu.

It’s only got 7 ingredients (plus lime, salt, and pepper), and you just toss each one in and then mix it all together. Super quick, super easy, and super super yummy! And it’s 100% Trim Healthy Mama friendly!

Here’s how it goes:

Layer #1: Romaine lettuce
Feel free to use whatever lettuce you like, but the crunch of romaine works really well here.

Layer #2: 3/4 cup black beans
You could use more if you really needed to – the beans are your fuel source in this E meal, so up to 1.5 cups would work. But that’s really filling!

Layer #3: Sauteed onions
Since fats are limited in E meals, you want to limit the amount of fat you saute in. I used about 1/2 tsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan for these.

Layer #4: Grilled chicken
Again, you want to limit the fat. I cubed grilled chicken and then sauteed it until a bit crunchy in 1/2 tsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan.

Layer #5: Diced tomato
I love homegrown tomatoes in dishes like this, but romas work well too.

Layer #6: Non-fat Greek yogurt
Sour cream (non-fat since it’s an E) would be great in this, but I always have non-fat Greek yogurt on hand, so it’s just easier.

Layer #7: Salsa
Make your own, or find one with no sugar added. Fresh pico de gallo would be excellent in terms of taste, but since the salsa is basically taking the place of dressing, I prefer using a salsa that has more sauce in it.

That’s it! sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, squeeze a lime over it, and you’ve got a delicious and filling meal – yum!

Note that as the recipe is given, this is an E (=Energizing) meal due to the black beans. But you could easily make this either an S or an FP with very little trouble. If I were making it S, I’d probably do a steak fajita salad, with steak strips in place of the chicken, and sauteed pepper strips in place of the black beans. Guacamole would be good on that too!

For an easy FP, I’d just make sure that I used no more than 3 ounces of chicken, and I’d cut the black beans down to 1/4 cup or less (or just leave them out). I might up the amount of lettuce to make the salad more filling as well.

If you are still struggling with what to put on your salad, check out Gwen’s awesome Venn diagram on taco salads and making them S, E, and FP.

I’m linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesday over at Gwen’s Nest and Stacy Makes Cents – head on over to check out all the other THM-friendly treats they have to offer!