Last week I was getting over a bad case of food poisoning. And it seriously felt like forever. And oh my gosh…it is so much harder to be ill when you have little ones. It’s like those cold medicine commercials (I can’t remember which brand) where moms and dads are asking their kids for a sick day; those just really aren’t allowed anymore…
I was pleasantly surprised that my toddler was pretty empathetic during this bad spell. One day when I was desperately ill and curled up on the playroom couch, he scooted over to give me an unsolicited kiss on the forehead and said “It’s alright Mommy, you’ll feel better soon sweety”. He said it in the same tone that I would say to him. And he rubbed my head with his little hand the same way I would his. My heart pretty much melted. Of course, minutes later he was shouting ‘Mommy’ at the top of his lungs and requesting help with his Magna tiles. But it is nice to know he cares. LOL
Ok, so it’s been quite a while since I’ve had food poisoning. And I had forgotten how bland you have to eat. If you haven’t heard, it’s typically referred to as BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce, Toast). And even though I would gladly eat all these things, you forget how nice it is to have the option of variety everyday. It took my tummy awhile to be ok with the bananas and apple sauce so I basically survived on toast, crackers, rice, and breadsticks. The funny thing is these are all the carbs I usually crave, but try to limit. But it only took about two meals for me to miss all the fruits and veggies, especially now that it is Spring!
So this week, I was ecstatic to be having salads again (and fruit and cheese and chocolate and pretty much everything in between). I’ve said in previous posts how much I love love fruit in salads. And this berry salad just brightened my day right up! I was so happy to see the first strawberries of the season! And all the other berries are so sweet now too.
Whenever I think of berries in a salad, I immediately think of what cheese I’m going to pair with them. And this time I went with a creamy goat cheese. And because balsamic and strawberries are besties, I decided to make a balsamic dressing. I went with a creamy version of the dressing by incorporating plain greek yogurt.
I definitely could have just eaten the salad without a protein, but to make it a bit more of an entrée, I added some balsamic chicken. It was a simple marinade of balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, and freshly ground salt & pepper. You could do it with chicken breasts or thighs. I went with thighs since I knew I wouldn’t be able to marinade too long and thighs can be more flavorful on their own.
Oh my gosh friends, this meal was so refreshing and satisfying. I hope it’s another very long while before I catch a food bug again! And if you ever need more tips on how to survive it, please feel free to reach out! After several days of a very very bland diet, I started to get very creative.
Hope you are all having a good week! Thanks so much for reading!
- For the chicken & marinade:
- 8 boneless skin-less chicken thighs
- ½ cup Balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- For the salad:
- 6 cups spinach and arugula greens
- 3 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled &halved
- 2 cups blackberries, rinsed
- ½ cup goat cheese
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- Freshly ground salt/pepper
- Olive oil
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk all of ingredients for the marinade (balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, salt/pepper). After rinsing the chicken thighs and patting down with a paper towel, place the chicken in the bowl, toss with the marinade and cover with plastic. Place in the refrigerator to marinade for at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or braising pan and cook covered for 15 minutes. Uncover, baste with the juices and cook for another 10 minutes.
- For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, yogurt, honey, and salt/pepper. Then drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to incorporate.
- To assemble the salad: Place the spinach and arugula greens in a large bowl. Add the strawberries and blackberries. Pour in the dressing and toss to combine. Add chunks of goat cheese, and slices of the balsamic chicken on top. Serve and enjoy!
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