It’s weeks like these that I’m grateful to have a bunch of soup stocked up in the freezer.
Conversation with the person organizing the Teacher Appreciation Day lunch that I almost forgot about at my son’s preschool: “Oh, you still need a main dish for Teacher Appreciation Day Luncheon? No problem. I’ll provide homemade Caribbean Chili.”
Conversation with friend: “You just moved into a new house? Congratulations! Can I bring a meal over for you?” (In my head: All I have to do is grab some a batch of the frozen Hearty Chicken Stew and throw a salad together and I’ll have a meal for them. Woohoo!)
Conversation with myself after running around all day, feeling exhausted and coming home to an empty refrigerator: “What am I going to do for dinner tonight? Ah! Deep breath. There’s frozen soup in the freezer. Just run it under some cold water and heat it up on a pot. I’m off the hook…Whew! Mealtime just got a whole lot easier.”
So…yeah. It’s been that kind of week. It’s actually been that kind of month! The hubs is finally graduating with his MBA (this has been a long time coming) and is taking two super intense summer classes, which means I’m on super intense mom duty. It will all pay off when it’s over, but in the midst of the chaos I’ve realized I need to throw some of my ideals out the window until things slow down and we can catch our breath. Unfortunately, that means I’ve had to make the hard decision to end my Soup and Salad Challenge three weeks early. This is so hard for me, because once I commit to something, I’m all in. I’m an achiever and a bit of a task-oriented person, so going back on something to which I’ve committed feels like failure. Thankfully, I’ve received nothing but incredibly supportive feedback from all of you who have been in on this with me. Stuff like:
So glad you are stopping if it doesn’t work right now. I have loved the meals and totally support your stopping.
and
No worries at all Jen, and sending a SUPER big hug and huge dose of grace for yourself. I’m really happy that you were true to yourself and have healthy boundaries and are not continuing something that was not sustainable for this season. You are a rockstar in my eyes…
So, I may just have the best friends and fam in the entire world. Thanks, guys. 🙂
In this final post, I’ll share the three salad recipes we have tried over the past two weeks (Yes, I’m behind):
- Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
- Spinach Salad w/ Nuts Apples & Bacon
- Bombay Chicken Salad
I must say Tiffany over at Creme De La Crumb has an incredibly delicious recipe for Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Vinaigrette. This went over well on Mother’s Day! Since I’m not a big fan of processed white sugar, I opted to replace the cinnamon and sugar which were supposed to coat the pecans with this recipe for Candied Pecans made with Pure Maple Syrup from Feel Great in 8.
My hubs LOVED this Spinach Salad with Nuts, Apples and Bacon recipe from Mel over at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. There’s just something about bacon that makes everything better. Of course, I used high quality, nitrate-free and sugar-free bacon from Butcher Box, which made this extra delish. (You can use this link for $10 off your first order and free bacon!) I also replaced the processed white sugar in this recipe with pure maple syrup from my friend, Kristen’s family farm: Haynes Call Sugar Bush. Once again, I used this recipe for Candied Pecans made with Pure Maple Syrup from Feel Great in 8, but used walnuts instead of pecans and added a bit of cayenne pepper.
And finally, my Bombay Chicken Salad is a consistent favorite in our household. I took an old Weight Watcher’s recipe for Bombay Tuna, replaced the tuna with chicken and used a unique blend of Esther’s Seasonings to make this top notch. Enjoy the recipe below!
Bombay Chicken Salad
- 32 ounce chunk white tuna (packed in water) Or 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded, Pastured/non-GMO is best
- 1 1⁄3 cup mayonaise I recommend Primal Kitchen’s Avocado mayo
- 4 cup mirepoix (chopped celery, onion, carrots)
- 1 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1⁄4 cup Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Esther’s Seasonings: Jamaican Curry
- 2 teaspoon Esther’s Seasonings: Gourmet Salt
- 2 teaspoon Esther’s Seasonings: West Indian Pepper
-
1 head bibb lettuce or Spring Mix
-
Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate.
Serve on a bed of Boston or Bibb lettuce.
I won’t be posting as regularly until I can come up to breathe at the end of June. I may, however, get a moment to throw together a post entitled: Quick, Easy, Healthy Meals for the Mama Who Doesn’t Have Time to Cook. What’s that saying about necessity being the mother of invention?
Also, as promised, I will be sure to make time to tally up the comments during the past few weeks of this Soup & Salad Challenge. I will randomly pick a name from this collection of commenters and this person will receive a complimentary sampling of Esther’s Seasonings. Stay tuned!
Nourishing Foundations 