Lisa: Moving and Eating!

Well, here we are.  What a difference a week makes!  My family and I have moved from our little house in the wilds and back into suburbia.  I have to keep reminding everyone not to yell and be to wild since we have neighbors now.  We like our little rental and are glad to be done lifting, packing and moving but we also long for permanence.  I guess, though, with all this moving about, we are creating adventures for ourselves and our children!!

This weeks post is another easy one but such a delicious salad, I just had to share!!  Here at my house, we have certain days in the week for certain foods: Mondays and Thursdays are fish, Tuesdays are salads or soups, Wednesdays are meat free, Fridays are fun days like tacos or burgers or pizza, Saturdays are the days my husband and I go out so the kids make their own meals and Sundays are our big dinners of the week with a roast or something like that.  I like to try to find easy but delicious salad recipes, since that sometimes doesn't seem like a meal (at least to my teenager!).  This one is perfect and such a good light summer meal. 

Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Avocado and Mandarin Oranges

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2-1 bunch green onions, chopped
2-3 head of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 bag of coleslaw mix cabbage

*Combine and chill.

1c. Teriyaki sauce
1 lb. chicken breast

*Marinade the chicken for at least 15 minutes.  Cook on grill or in a pan until cooked through.  Set aside.

1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1-2 cans of Mandarin oranges, drained
your favorite sesame dressing
slivered almonds, optional

*To serve, place the lettuce mixture on a plate and top with chicken, avocado, mandarin oranges, and almonds, if desired.  Pour over your favorite sesame dressing and serve. 

It is delicious!  All of my family loves this one, although some don't like the avocado.  If I serve this for lunch for my hubby and me, I usually don't have it with the chicken and it still is so good.  The lettuce mixture of cabbage, Romaine, cilantro and green onion is perfect for a side for the rest of the week, as well.  It's an all around great meal!!  I hope you enjoy!!

Lisa

Lisa: Memorial Day

I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day!  We had a very nice time here.  The weather was perfect and the company was great!  I received some wonderful presents from my children but my favorite is what I force them to give me every year: pictures!  I make them get ready for church early and let me take pictures of them.  I remind them that it is Mother's Day any time that they feel like not smiling or like not having their sister's hand on their shoulder!  Awesome.

As you can see, my plan always works extremely well.  Ugh!

Well, three out of the four smiling and with their eyes open?  I'll take it!

For this week, we've decided on the theme of "Memorial Day" for our posts.  Memorial Day is traditionally meant to honor our veterans who have fallen.  Our little city does a service at our local cemetery that is great for honoring the sacrifice of our veterans and for us to talk with our children about war and armed forces and patriots.   For me, though, Memorial Day has come to mean even more.  It is a time to gather with family and friends and neighbors and celebrate what it means to live in this great country!  It also marks the beginning of the summer season.  In our family, Dad would prep and plant his huge backyard garden.  It meant, too, that school would get out soon!  With my family now growing older, we love to mark this holiday with camp outs, BBQs, hikes and generally just being outside!  So I thought a post on some of our favorite BBQ dishes would be a good idea!

First up: Broccoli and Ramen Noodle Salad

This may be my favorite salad!  It is so tasty!  And yes, it is very similar to a salad made with cabbage but the dressing is very light and the broccoli tends to stay a lot crispier than the cabbage does.  I first had this at a good friend's birthday party but the bringer of the salad wouldn't give up the recipe.  I turned to my favorite allrecipes and typed in the ingredients and there you go.  Found it!!  My only changes to that recipe are that I use about six green onions not the whole bunch and I use two 12 oz. bag of the broccoli slaw instead of the one. 

Next: Fruit Salad

  This is also very light and it is very simple, as well.  I just use the fruit I have on hand.  Chop up the fruit and add a little squeeze of lemon to keep those bananas from going bad, then mix in a small carton of your favorite yogurt (flavor doesn't matter) and enjoy!  Easy and healthy!

And finally, the main course:  Grilled Tri Tip

 

Many years back, my husband brought some sliced tri tips home from a trip to Costco.  I had never worked with tri tips before and was unsure how to treat them.  He found a recipe and grilled them up.  It became our new favorite!  We love these!  The flavor of the marinade and the tender cut of beef is fantastic!

So here is our BBQ.  We also like to grill up baby potatoes.  All very delicious!  Everyone loves these recipes!  Even the goat!

Sorry, Jimmer. None for you!

Lisa