So...ensalada

Tonight I did NOT feel like cooking.
There's something about being sick and not having Husband home that makes me not want to do anything. Especially cook.
I haven't eaten much in the past couple of days.

Tonight I was really craving a big yummy salad, from Cafe Rio or Rumbi - you get the idea.
As I was looking up the phone number to Rumbi to place my takeout order, my conscience got the better of me. I realized that I could buy a salad from Rumbi and spend about $9, or I could take a trip to the grocery store and buy the ingredients for somewhere around $6 (I already had the chicken) and have enough for more than one meal.

So, we went to the store.

We started by making homemade tortilla strips.
This is how we did it:
- bought corn tortillas
- cut them in strips
- sprayed them with cooking spray
- sprinkled them with salt
- cooked in a 450 oven for 8 minutes

Yum!
The kiddos LOVED them.
I'm thinking about making a big batch, storing them in a Ziploc, and serving them instead of chips.

Then we made the dressing.
This was our attempt at a Lime Cilantro Ranch:


Then we grilled the chicken.
Yes, I grilled. By myself.
I even figured out how to turn on our malfunctioning grill without lighting my hair on fire.

I marinated the chicken in a Lime Vinagerette that I LOVE.
I definitely could've used that as the dressing the lighten up on the caloric intake, but what's a Cafe Rio style salad without the Ranch?!

Now here's the salad:

1.) start with a bed of beautiful romaine lettuce. yum.


2.) add black or pinto beans. I always go with black.

3.) then comes the corn.

4.) fresh cucumber from our garden. double yum. (someday the black beans and corn will come from our garden too!)

5.) grilled chicken

6.) garnish with cilantro

7.) top with tortilla strips.

8.) of course, add more lime. I can never have enough.

9.) top with dressing.

10.) devour.

Oh, and I did.

This was delish.
And my craving was more than satisfied.
Plus I felt better about the money I saved.
I think I might just need to make another one of these babies tomorrow.

Oh, and by the way - the kiddos LOVED it.
I put all the ingredients in bowls on the table and let them serve up their own plates (which I hardly ever do). They gobbled everything right up!


First Daughter even asked if we could have this for dinner again another night.
(??!!!!!)
OF COURSE!!!! Is what I said.