Strawberry and Avocado Chicken Salad with Crispy Fried Goat Cheese and Honey Lemon Dijon Poppyseed Vinaigrette + Weekly Menu

Is anyone else on the STRUGGLE BUS coming off the holiday weekend? It was 3 days of fun and sun, no doubt. Sure, I’m a year older than when I hit “post” last, but that’s not it. 😉

And it’s not just me feeling it, my little Piper Reese who is normally so easy to transition and push through it all, was found full dressed and sitting at the top of the steps yesterday morning, hair in a lion’s mane of tangles, just easing into the day…stealing that pause before the first day back from a holiday weekend ensued.

I could totally relate, but as it goes with parenting, there wasn’t that moment of solace but instead just plunged into reality.

 

 

I think yesterday was the busiest day my clinic has ever seen and so the morning was payroll and all.the.things, followed by an afternoon of back-to-back patients and meetings. I had brought my personal laptop to dig into this post, but lunch never happened and by the time my laptop surfaced last evening, I was pulled into Season 3 of Animal Kingdom and I never got to the finish line.

I’m sorry! But you guys, if you could just SEE the recipes I’ve got in the queue. I’ve been hitting homerun after homerun in the kitchen and perhaps it’s because I’m not trying to make my crew happy, but just choosing what sounds good to ME. And wouldn’t you know, no one has starved to death and they’ve gotten along just fine on mom’s dinners.

I saw a meme today that said something like “If you wait long enough to make dinner, everyone will just eat cereal. Please come back for more pro cooking tips!” My meme would be, “If you continue making dinner long enough for a family that doesn’t appreciate it, you might just eventually wear them down into keeping quiet and eating up!” Admittedly, that’s a bit of a stretch – the crew is still plenty opinionated, but I’m taking my wins one at a time. Last night’s win: no complains over the guacamole having onion and cilantro in it. In fact, they’ve been on the fence with guacamole lately, and they devoured it!

I’ve also been putting in some effort with salads. I’ve been craving all the summer colors and crunch, and this salad was a huge hit, most especially with my husband. Just as I was thinking, “I don’t ‘frying’ the goat cheese adds THAT much”…he blurts, “Man, that goat cheese is worth the extra step!” So, uh…takeaway what you will from that. But so long as the goat cheese is in the recipe one way or another, it’s sure to become a quick fave!

Want more show-stopper salad recipes?

• Chicken Caesar with a Twist
• Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing
• Crispy Italian Chicken and Bacon Salads with Tahini Pesto Dressing and Sourdough Croutons
• Kale and Brussels Sprout Ceasar Salad
• Harvest Cobb Salads
• Tex-Mex Chicken Chopped Salad
• Kale Salad with Peanut Dijon Dressing
• Pear, Apple, and Bacon Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

Weekly Menu: July 4th – 7th

• Monday: dinner at the pool
• Tuesday: Avocado Carnitas Tostadas
• Wednesday: Citrus Shrimp Avocado Salad
• Thursday: Peanut Chicken Spring Roll Bowls

Be well,