Mini caprese salad

It is almost tomato season here. 

Yeah!!!

If you have had fresh from the garden tomatoes I don't need to say anymore. 

If you haven't, you should. 

Heirloom tomatoes are far superior, in my oh so humble opinion. 

If you don't know about heirloom tomatoes, you should do some research and try them out. Absolutely worth it. 

Here are a couple sites to get you started. 

This one.  

Or this one.  

 

I know they taste like candy on their own, but I can't very well put heirloom tomatoes down as a recipe.

Or can't I?

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

Eat them. 

Ok I can put it down as a recipe.  

But it sucks. 

So here is a ever so slightly more involved one.  

And much fancier sounding. 

Which can earn you points when bringing things places or cook for guests. 

Or discerning family members.

Mini Caprese Salad

Mini Heirloom Tomatoes

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Rosemary Olive Oil

High Quality Finishing Salt

Hot Sauce (optional) I use Trader Joe's brand sriracha sauce. So good on so many things.

Layer all ingredients into bite size piles. 

Enjoy!

Banana walnut salad

 I don't miss the speed of fast food, I miss the convenience.

We are remodeling our two bedroom house to give each of our three children their own room, or berth as we're referring to them so as to invoke a cozy, nautical image rather than focus on the all too obvious miniscule size each will be.

We also just adopted a new puppy.
I'll share some puppy recipes soon!!

Needless to say it's a bit hectic around our place.

And still my family expects to eat.
EVERY day.
Have I mentioned they've been on spring break for three weeks with all this going on?
Right, so, hectic. 

The ingredients not stowed in the basement during construction led to this meal:

Banana Walnut Salad

Lettuce
Sprouts
Bananas
Walnuts, Toasted
Grape seed oil and Cabernet vinegar

Served with crockpot chicken and margarita pizza.

Not bad considering the current stage of remodeling ~ new puppy chaos we are in right now!!

For the pizza I drizzled olive oil on a Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza crust, sliced mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil and baked at 550 until the cheese started to brown.

Cinnamon and Sugared Pecan Salad

 Call me transparent, but the better and treaty-er it sounds the higher my kids' enthusiasm is in eating it. 

1 head Romain

2 handfuls Spinach

1 cup blueberries

1/4 red onions diced

1/4 cup feta crumbled

1/2 cup cinnamon and sugar almonds 

(brown raw pecans in pan with a bit coconut oil, toss in jar with cinnamon and sugar to taste, keep around to sprinkle on salads)

1/2 cucumber chopped

(slice other part of cucumbers for water glasses at the table to make it a fancy meal, according to my offspring)

Dressing:

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Keep a large dressing made up and dress salads to taste.  

Put it all together. 

 

Trail Mix

This is a good one to have the kids make.

Send it in lunches, take a baggie to the movies, bring it to the park, keep a few small baggies in your purse.

5 parts Cheerios

1 part banana chips

1 part raisins

1 part raw sunflower seeds

1 part chocolate chips

1 part raw almonds

1 part raw pumpkin seeds

Salsa Chicken with Brie

This is kind of a cheater meal: it’s too easy.

Take a piece of chicken. Everyone always uses breasts. 

Personally I prefer thighs and other parts. 

I didn’t know this until recently when, in an effort to save money, we bought the thighs and whatever other parts come with them. (It’s a package at Costco, organic but less expensive than breasts.)

Well, after thirty some years of my mom convincing me that I prefer white meat, I discovered dark. 

And I like it.

Anyway, take a piece of chicken place it on a piece of tinfoil (big enough to make a packet out of)
Pour 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa on it
Close tinfoil
Repeat for the number of people you are serving
Bake at 375 for 36 minutes.
 
Open the biggest and slice through to make sure it is cooked through. 
(size of chicken may change cooking time)

Open each packet and place a slice of brie on top.

Place under the broiler for a minute to get it brown and bubbly.


Serve with barley, or brown rice, or any grainy side that sounds good and you happen to have. Or not. I don't mind if you want to eat it alone.

Fast Food Chicken Dinner

It's not technically fast food but as much effort when into this as driving to a fast food restaurant would.

Argue with me, go ahead. 

Steamed artichokes, baked sweet potatoes and slow cooker rosemary chicken.

 

Chicken: Put a whole roasting chicken in the slow cooker, cut fresh rosemary on top (dried will work as well), drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt. Set to low for about 8 hours.

Then go about your day. When you get home as everybody is getting homework started put a few sweet potatoes in the convection/toaster oven at 400 degrees.

Boil a couple inches of water in a big pot, squeeze some lemon in, put 4 artichokes in to steam. (Cut off the stem and leave tips first.)

Your now have about 45 minutes to set the table, pour some drinks, hang up the 800 coats your family inexplicably wore today, put lunch boxes away, silently question what was going through their heads as they chose what to eat and what to refuse today, refocus wandering 5 year olds who are supposed to be doing their homework, throw the laundry you forgot about in the washer into the dryer, wipe down the kids' bathroom because it ALWAYS needs to be wiped down and since you were too lazy to run upstairs use your own bathroom you used the kids' and now you are compelled to acknowledge its need,  find the gym bag that has not been unpacked for one too many days, throw its contents into the now free washer, where it will sit for too long once again, and sit down and have a relaxing glass of wine with your husband while he tells you amusing and witty quips about his day. (You did notice I said pour drinkS at the beginning of this.....) 

But I digress.  Often.

Be sure to put cinnamon on the table to season the sweet potatoes. (My kids have confused it with sugar and think they're getting away with something when they do this.)

For the artichokes serve yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, and a squeeze of mustard (I dislike mustard immensely but you can't taste it in this.) mixed in little individual bowls which everyone can season to taste. 

(Hot sauce or cinnamon work well.)

Salsa is a good dip as well.