Looking for an easy salad to whip up on a weeknight? Try my pesto chicken salad. The recipe below is the salad at its most basic level, but to spice it up try adding some corn, celery, cucumber, red onion or walnuts. Want to make it very Mediterranean? Try some shrimp instead of chicken!

A few health facts:

Avocado is great for you and your heart. It contains about 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium and Vitamin E, and it is full of good, monounsaturated fats.

Great Northern beans are an excellent source of iron, magnesium, and folate. They contain over 20 percent of the daily value of each. They are also a good source of calcium with 120mg in a 1 cup serving.

Pesto is mostly olive oil, another great source of healthy fats.

Ingredients

1 can Great Northern beans

1 pound cooked chicken breast, cut in ½-inch strips (I marinated my chicken in Italian dressing and grilled it, but any light method works!)

1 ripe avocado, cut into ½ inch cubes

¼ cup feta cheese

2 tbsp. basil pesto

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Serve!