A couple of weeks ago, Joy & I got a little tour of a cool company called Stitch Fix in San Francisco. Do you know about Stitch Fix? I’m kind of obsessed with it. If you love packages in the mail that include CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES picked out by a stylist JUST FOR YOU, you’re in for a real treat.
Trader Joe’s has a really good BBQ Chicken Salad that I was obsessed with UNTIL I read the back of the container and saw how many grams of fat were in it. GAH-REAT. And that was for HALF the salad. There was a good week where I had that salad almost every single day at work. I couldn’t stop myself.
I’ve been wanting to make my own/healthier version of this salad for some time now and here it is! Instead of the heavy mayo based Ranch dressing, I used creamy Greek yogurt and mixed it with fresh lime juice and Sweet & Spicy Tabasco Sauce. It adds a tangy sweet kick to the salad. If you have trouble finding that particular flavor, you could always add in a little bit of honey and regular Tabasco to mimic the flavor. I also took away the shredded cheese because there’s so many flavors going on there that it’s seemed unnecessary! I did add some avocado in it’s place though…oh and lots of cilantro!
It’s the perfect weeknight salad! And if you’re thinking of packing it up for work throughout the week, just make a bigger batch of dressing and take it with you. Dress as you need it! Also, be sure to add the tortilla strips (or chips!) at the last minute. No one likes a soggy bite of tortilla in their salad. NO ONE.
NEW PODCAST ALERT!!! We talk about Connecting! Good ice breakers…couple’s costumes…obgyn jokes. Saying I LOVE YOU FIRST. Should you do it?
Bake Good was inspired by my Raisin Focaccia
Pale Yellow turned my Fig Prosciutto Panini into a salad.
Cooking Madly adapted my Fig Prosciutto Panini too!
Little Bits Of adapted my Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
The problem with making banana bread is that I eat banana bread. I’m not talking about just having a slice… One slice turns into one HALF and then Casey takes the other and we have demolished a whole loaf in less than 12 hours. If I put nuts in the bread, Cooper won’t eat it…so sometimes I put nuts in the bread because I’m greedy and don’t want to share with my picky eater son. LEARN TO LIKE NUTS, is all I’m saying… That’s the story of my banana bread life.
I had two bananas sitting on the counter giving me the stare down last week. Do I feel like eating half a loaf of banana bread? Do I feel like putting nuts in it? Decisions decisions…A quick glance into the cereal section of our kitchen cabinet and a practically empty jar of killer granola said… ME! ME!! REFILL ME!
Problem solved. Banana Walnut Granola it is. Now I don’t have to eat half a loaf of banana bread…
Bananas get mixed in the wet mixture of this granola base. The toasted walnuts and cashews with that sweet banana cinnamon hint will have you thinking you’ve baked a banana bread. The crazy part is that my kid LOVED this granola…nuts and all. And after I gave him one of these banana yogurt granola parfaits he asked, “Mommy, can you make me one of those banana BARFAITS for dessert tomorrow night?” My picky eater son is just plain ridiculous.
It’s FALL!! It’s my favorite time of year simply because I LOVE layering clothes and don’t get me started on infinity scarves…I kinda went crazy last year. This outfit I put together is something I’d wear in a heartbeat. I love a long (boyfriend?) cardigan paired with a maxi dress. My transition to Fall channels all my rock n’ roll/hippie/graphic designer sides. That accent of mustard in the infinity scarf gets you noticed! Trust me. And that bag?? GIMME.
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It was always a treat when my mom made her TO-DIE-FOR Macaroni & Cheese when we were growing up. My dad (who was always on some type of crazy diet) would always cave and eat her mac & cheese. I mean…how could you not? It’s pure love!
My own child? Not a fan. Doesn’t matter what kind of noodle you make it with, the kid has weird melted cheese issues. Apparently it’s fine on pizza but totally questionable on pasta and in grilled cheese sandwiches. I think we need to get some genetic testing. There seems to be quite an abnormality there.
Fortunately my husband loves Mac & Cheese because Carbs + Cheese= our love language. Add a heavy helping of spicy/creamy sriracha sauce & extra crispy panko bread crumbs? We’ve taken loving to a whole new level. It’s really a shame that Cooper can’t get in on this action. But it’s not like we don’t have our own love language…in the form of waffles.
