Probably My Favorite Salad Ever.

As I was eating my salad at lunch today I began to feel guilty for partaking of something so yummy and not telling somebody about it.

A salad this simple, yet delicious, should be shared.

So I grabbed my cell phone and snapped a photo for you. I was too lazy to take a real picture.

It is my go to meal when it is just me and the kids here at home during the day. Or for dinner when my husband is away and I don't want to cook a big meal.

I was inspired by the "Strawberry Pecan Chicken Salad" at Longhorn. But was less than inspired by their salad's calorie count so I decided to try and create my own version.

This is what I came up with:

I'm not an iceburg fan so my favorite mix is this one by Fresh Express Salads.

The perfect mix of Baby Spinach and Spring Mix.

Next I slice up some purple onion...lots of it. I heart purple onion.

Then I half a whole slew of seedless red grapes.

*When in season I add strawberries as well and they only sweeten the pot.

Then I add some Reduced Fat Feta crumbles. Yum.

Then I top it with my favorite salad dressing.

This dressing is to die for in my opinion.

I love it so much I take it to restaurants. Don't be afraid to do this. Most restaurant dressings are oozing with pointless fat. And in my opinion they are tasteless. So I take my own and whip it out when my salad hits the table. It is light and delicous. Perfect.

*Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for any embarrasment or shame you bring to your family by whipping out said salad dressing from the black hole that is your purse. It will be your responsibility to tell them to get over it. Be strong.

Lastly I top it with a few sprinkles of almond slivers.

And there you have it. A simple yet healthy and delicious salad. Enjoy!

PointsPlus for this meal:
Salad:0
Grapes:0
Purple Onion:0
1/4c. Reduced Fat Feta:2
2 Tbsp.Kraft Light Done Right Balsamic Vinaigrette:1
1 Serving (7grams) of Almond Accents:1


I'm linking up here:

Operation House Restoration...OVER! {InstaFriday}

After three long, grueling, testing of every ounce of patience in my DNA months, all of our house restorations are over! Our tile shower is now properly installed and we were even able to get a little creative with the flooring this time around.



The final touch was putting our kitchen ceiling back in.

I kept expecting men in white suits, breathing heavily, to come trekking through my doors looking for an alien in my bathtub.



Girls Night Out.

Need I say more really?

I will add one disclaimer here: the dark blob on my ankle in this picture is not a tattoo. I do in fact have a tee tiny tattoo on that ankle, but trust me you would need a magnifying glass to see it here. I have no idea what this is.



Last week I declared one whole day be "unplugged"...copious amounts of whining and groaning ensued.

But shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon this in my living room.

All 3 of my kiddos...including the teenager...engaged in a game of Monopoly. Star Wars Monopoly.



They were having such a good time that Nick just had to get in on the fun.

After seeing this I was halfway tempted to put the t.v. on the street. Along with cell phones, iPads, and iPods.

But I remembered that hockey season is just around the corner and I decided I kinda like being married.



While dad was out of town, we had a Redbox movie night and watched Mulan.

My favorite Disney "princess" movie by far.

I have never been a fan of the fru-fru princess movies.

Never.

Give me a gutsy tomboy defending her country and her family's honor any day.

My Aidan was inspired that's for sure. He went upstairs and came back down sporting a warrior garb made of belts.



We found this on our screened in porch last week.

The kids ran to fetch the magnifying glass faster than I could say "homeschool momma's dream."



Speaking of homeschool, we are stocking the bookshelves and gearing up for year 5 here at McManus Academy.



I lost our homeschool room this year to the teenager, so I've decided to move it all downstairs to our reading area in our Living Room. I was inspired by Jamie who also has her schoolroom in her living room. Except she doesn't have her kitchen ceiling fan laying in hers.

It's more practical. Half of it ended up down here by days end anyway. Now I just need to find the perfect table on Craigslist.



OOPS?!?!?!

Oh no Mr. Quaker...you finally got it right!








"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"