Photo from the Blair’s table. Notice all the bread. And oh just wait until I post the French bakery photos next week.
In four hours, we will have been back from France for exactly a week. Seven days. And in the meantime, I spent four of those days in Miami South Beach. Do you hear me, Friends? What I’m telling you is that I’ve consumed more calories in the last 14 days then a grown woman should honestly be allowed in 14 months. Foie Gras & Pain au Chocolat meets Guacamole & Mojitos. It’s bad, y’all.
If you’re paying attention even a little bit, you know that we’re pretty big on food around here. Even the 45-pound skinny kid. He’s an eater. But honestly, this can not stand. We’re all needing to push refresh. To cleanse a bit. And I’m thinking the best way for me to start is to ditch carbs again. I know. It pains me to even type it. But I favor my dad’s side of the family…and they’re all prone to diabetes and heart disease…so my DNA will stand up and take notice when I go cold-turkey cut-out on the carbs. This is happening.
James and Harry rarely even notice a change and usually are just along for the ride. I’m for sure the primary cook around here, but dinner is rarely served at any standard time, take out is as normal as cook in, and on any given day we’re all just glad to have food organized and on the table. Meaning, if I’m trying to cut out carbs, it really just means we’ll have more protein, fruit, nuts, fruit & vegetables lying around. And it means, I get to cook more. So I’ll have more to share here with you.
So the timing of this rad campaign is perfect. (Check it: here.) Hillshire Farm is running this new Inner Voice campaign with Wendi McLendon-Covey from the greatest real-girl-dialog movie since 16 Candles, Bridesmaids.
This is the first in a series of four sponsored posts for Hillshire Farm. And I am all in. Straight up, we need no secret motivation to eat. But I’m totally looking for new recipes that don’t involve my lover carbohydrate. My psychology: If I’m slamming out new dishes, then I’m engaged creatively and I forget I’m leaving out the carbs. It’s all a mind game. And this game ends with new, smaller clothes for me.
Let the games begin.
Last night I made mango chicken spinach salad with the Hillshire Farm chicken sausage. Which is rad. James said our kitchen smelled the best it ever has. But he says that on a routine basis. He’s not picky. However, I am. And this is good.
Mango Chicken Spinach Salad
What You’ll Need:
What You’ll Do:
- For dressing: Combine apricot preserves, cider vinegar and oil in a small bowl; whisk until blended. Set aside.
- Cut sausage into ¼” slices. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray (I used lemon olive oil). Heat over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add sausage and peppers and cook, stirring frequently 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
- Combine spinach, mango and onion in a large bowl. Add dressing mixture and chicken sausage and peppers; toss lightly. Serve immediately.
You can visit Hillshire Farm (here) for all the nutritional information. Spoiler alert: It’s good for you.
Details: I used twice, almost three times, the peppers it called for. I just pulled a ton from the garden, and I love the way peppers smell. The main olfactory memory I have from this old kitchen is bell peppers. I pile them on as my great grandmother did. Oh, I added the tomatoes too because my garden is overflowing with them right now. Also, I had all of these ingredients already…except for the sausage, spinach, and mango. So, this dish only cost me about $4.50. Awesome. And we had leftovers for lunch today.
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 5
Enjoy.
yum-o!
We should be cooking together.
Also, bread is never bad {rinse and repeat}
I’ve been on it for 3 weeks and lost 7 pounds. Can’t wait to see your recipes, i’m getting sick of chicken and hard boiled eggs.
Love chicken sausage. This recipe looks great. Can’t wait to try.
Here’s are my favorite sausage recipes.
Perfect for kids and adults:http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/sausage-apple-kebabs-potatoes-peas-00000000039148/index.html
I also love this one. I made it tonight. Just substitute the white pasta for a whole wheat or whole grain (made of 51% whole wheat) version. What really makes the dish is the sausage and the pesto (not the pasta):
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pesto-orecchiette-chicken-sausage-00000000056394/index.html (i substitute with organic frozen green beans which makes this recipe EVEN EASIER!)
The Roy family motto is actually, “GO MEAT!” so we are already big on Hillshire Farms here – their Chicken Smoked Sausage specifically. I might have to try this! Looks delicious!
Oh goodness. I need to push refresh on the carbs too. You may just be the inspiration I need.
Made this last night and my ENTIRE family (even the picky eaters) ate it up! Thanks for posting it and letting me draw inspiration for a dinner…really enjoy your blog!