Best Cilantro Dressing EVER!

The weather has been gorgeous lately…cool temps in the morning perfect for early morning runs, sunny and warm in the afternoon along with a few afternoon showers. It’s really starting to feel like summertime!

Which reminds me…bathing suit season is right around the corner! I wanted to get away from all the comfort food I’ve been making lately. A friend of mine shared her weekly meal plan and introduced me to The Garden Grazer. You need to go check this site out! Seriously. This site is FULL of wonderfully delicious vegetarian and vegan meals!

I made Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing the other night but I added some chicken for the hubby. He enjoys salad as much as I do but more as a side dish, not for the main course.

I didn’t have much time to search for a “recipe” of any sorts so I just spritzed the chicken with olive oil and sprinkled McCormick’s Chipotle & Roasted Garlic seasoning on top. I cooked it for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Perfect!

I washed and spun dry the romaine lettuce, chopped the orange pepper, cherry tomatoes, green onions & cilantro. Then I started prepping for the dressing, all while the chicken cooked. Super easy!

I’m not a fan of avocado, so I chose to use plain greek yogurt for the dressing. I added lime juice, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and salt. Kaitlin, The Garden Grazer, recommended to add a bit of honey if the dressing tasted too tart. I’m used to plain greek yogurt but I wasn’t sure the hubby would like it as much so I added the honey to sweeten it and it came out great! Next time, I would LOVE to try it with some cayenne pepper! I love a lil’ kick!

Since it was the just two of us, I made individual bowls. I put the romaine in, a few spoonfuls of veggies and topped it with the Cilantro Dressing.

Would you believe that while we were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, I saw the corn and black beans sitting on the counter…completely untouched. Yep, I forgot to add them. Ha! So maybe the salad wasn’t quite as “southwestern” as it was supposed to be but it was still amazing!

This dressing is so unbelievably delicious that I think I’m going to make it the next time we host a party. I’ll chop up a bunch of fresh veggies and leave them out to dip in the dressing. Although, my husband told me that he doesn’t need any lettuce or veggies, he just needs a spoon! Score! This one is a keeper! Thank you Kaitlin!

Here’s the recipe on The Garden Grazer‘s site and for all my Plan To Eat friends, click here to add it to your planner for next week!

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

Taking A Chance

(image found on Pinterest)

I was scrolling through pics on Instagram, and stopped when I came across Orlando Moms Blog post. They were looking for new blog contributors. What? Seriously? The post said they wanted local moms who “inspire, encourage, support, inform and simply share this journey of motherhood we’re all navigating together.” I paused, caught my breath and said, “This is the perfect job for me.”

And in the very next thought, all the negative, self destructive thoughts came flooding in. They would never pick you. You aren’t a writer. When would I find time to do this, IF they even picked me. What could I actually contribute??

I shut that voice up and went to sleep. The next morning on my run, it was all I could think of. This was meant for me. I knew. I felt it. But could I actually get the nerve up to apply for it?? That was the million dollar question.

I only had a few days until the deadline to submit the application. I knew that if I let this opportunity pass, I would be more upset than if I applied and didn’t get the job. So…I shoved all those insecurities in a box, duct taped it closed and answered those questions. All that was left to do was hit ‘Submit.’

{Insert Jeopardy music here…..}

It took a while…maybe a few hours. It wasn’t until my sister pretty much yelled at me through text that I went running to the computer, pulled up the application and sent it in.

HOLY CRAP! What did I just do??

A few weeks went by and I hadn’t heard anything. I just assumed the new contributors were chosen and I didn’t receive my “Sorry, try again next time” email. And I was okay with that. I was glad that I took the chance. I didn’t have any regrets.

I was feeding the baby in the car, waiting for the big kids to finish school and I happened to check my email. Low and behold, there it was. I received an email from Orlando Moms Blog but it was asking me to join the team!!! I freaked out. I cried. I was shaking. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it.

My first post for Orlando Moms Blog,”Stock Your Freezer. It will save your sanity. I promise” went live this morning. In it, I give a bunch of simple freezer cooking tips to help make the endless task of feeding the family a bit easier. It saved my sanity and it can save your. Promise.

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

Meal Plan For The Week of April 13th

Meal Plan for the week…

Black Bean Soup & Roasted Broccoli (LOVE this one!!)

Shrimp & Asparagus Stir Fry w Lemon Sauce

(**new one**)

Teriyaki Chicken w Vegetables

(**new one**)

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili

(one to eat & one to freeze!)

Click here for the shopping list!

I’m going to start including the shopping list when I post a meal plan for the week. Right now, I’m just copying & pasting the list Plan To Eat creates for me. This will definitely take a little tweaking to get it just right, so hang in there with me. And please share any comments or suggestions on how to make it easier or more user friendly.

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

Easter Ain’t Over Til The Hambone Gets Crocked

My favorite comfort food of all time…Crock Pot Split Pea Soup!! Both my mother and my father would make this anytime they had a hambone and it always made the house smell wonderful but did I ever eat it?? NO. It looked disgusting AND it had peas in it AND a giant ham bone. No thank you. Looking back, I really wish that I had tried it…at least once, so that I could have something to compare it to.

It’s always around the holidays when I feel homesick the most and it’s usually when I do best cooking. So, this Easter was no different from any other..gotta save the hambone for some home cooked soup. You know, making comfort food to comfort my heart, or at least try.

Split Pea Soup has got to be one the easiest soups to make and it brings great comfort to my heart and also to my belly. It makes a ton so get ready to share with family or friends or stick some in a ziploc bag and freeze it. It freezes great! I recommend freezing it in single portions. That way when the husband is out of town and you don’t want to cook but you are looking for a lil’ comfort…just take a bag out of the freezer and voila! Comfort food without any work.

Rinse the peas and put in the crock pot first. Next, add the hambone. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, salt and pepper. Fill with water, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Cover and set on low for 10 hours.

After 10 hours, your soup will look like this:

Remove the hambone very gently.

Stir the soup. The peas will lose their shape and the soup will thicken. If you want an even thicker soup, mash the potatoes with a fork…I love a thick pea soup!

Shred the ham with a fork and add as much or as little back into the soup as you would like. I like just a bit but to my husbands bowl, I add a bunch!