WEEK 26: Halfway There

Share|

Can you believe that 2010 is halfway over? I really cannot. But, in the spirit of the middle of the year, I decided to take a look back at where I started at WEEK 1 and see how far we've come. I've been making and feeding my boys healthy food since they were 6 months old, but I just started this blog documenting our experiences this year. So, back in January I did my first weekly post where I mainly shared what foods I've made and how it had gone so far. Today, I'm sharing recipes and talking about how we enjoy meals together as a family. It's amazing how quickly things change in these little lives.

FOOD DESCRIPTION
I've never been much of a mayonnaise fan which means that I don't care for many of the traditional "salads" like potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. I do realize how nice it is to have these around though, for quick lunches and cool, refreshing summer sides. So, over the past few weeks, I've been trying to come up with a chicken salad recipe that I could more than tolerate, but rather enjoy. And, I think I've done it. The boys like it, I like it, and I think that maybe Jonathan even likes it. He will eat it, but does pick out the celery.

PROCESS
This chicken salad was created on researching, trying, testing, and tasting various versions over the period of a few weeks. I love cheese, so thought that would be a good substitute for yucky mayonnaise.

• Cheesy Chicken Salad A yummy alternative to your traditional mayonnaise-based concoction. 

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 TBS plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 TBS minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb cooked chicken breast, chopped, torn, or shredded (I used leftover from a roasted chicken, but you could boil or bake as well.)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Put ricotta cheese, lemon juice, mustard, honey, yogurt, milk, garlic, salt and pepper into the blender or food processor and purée until smooth. 
2. Put chicken, celery, and onions into a large bowl. Mix in the cheese mixture and stir to coat. 
3. Serve immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator. This will last a few days.

WHAT I LEARNED
It's not too hard to adjust a recipe to your liking. It just takes a little thought, trial and error to get it right. Experiment and change up the ingredients and flavorings to get it just how you like it. This is a great thing to have on hand especially in these hot summer months for quick lunches and easy bites for toddlers.

REACTION
We all liked it, even me and if you ask anyone that knows me, seeing me eat chicken salad would be a weird thing indeed.

SUMMARY
We've had a nice break in the humidity around here the past few days, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about things to keep it cool in the kitchen. This one is great, but I'm off to think of some more great ideas. I'm off for a few days to enjoy the holiday weekend. Happy Fourth of July!

Please share your thoughts or ideas!
::