Herb Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
Recipe for crankiness:
- Eat a small breakfast and late lunch
- Run catering errands with a two-year old that screams, “I’m cold!” the whole time you’re in Uwajimaya
- Go to Costco at lunchtime while everyone and their mother are there for Polish dogs
- Bring home a rotisserie chicken whose aroma in the car makes your already acute hunger unbearable
- Beat yourself up that you didn’t charge your catering client more for enduring the last 3 hours
I hate the feeling of driving home at noon–a car full of groceries, a sleepy child or children–and thinking, “The next hour is going to seem like a year.” Lunch, getting kids down to naps, putting food away. The witching hour. But Loretta fell asleep in the car and I put her to bed without lunch.
Nirvana. Now, no boiling water for Top Ramen or picking up flung rice. A quiet lunch by myself.
And this is what I had. Despite the chaos, you know I’d been deliberating for at least an hour–what to do with the chicken. Quesadillas? Panini? Fried rice? I settled on salad, seeing as my lettuces are no longer baby and I must eat salad every meal for the next 3 months in order to justify all the greens in my veggie patch.
I left groceries in boxes and bags, opened the laptop to check for your comments, and savored every bite. My salad and your comments. I know you won’t believe me, but this took me five minutes to prepare. I promise.
Herb Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
serves one cranky (but about to be blissed-out) mother
Go pick some adolescent arugula, assorted lettuces, basil, mint, and oregano from your garden (or buy some assortment of them). Tenderly rinse and dry. Toss everything but the oregano together on a plate. You can leave the basil and mint whole. Cut a small tomato into wedges, crumble a bit of feta, and dice half an avocado. Arrange these with some chunks of rotisserie chicken on top of your herbs and greens. For dressing, whisk the juice of 1/2 small lemon with salt, a handful of chopped fresh oregano, and 2 Tb. of olive oil. Pour over the top and sprinkle a little zaatar, since you’re putting it on everything this week. Quietly ooh and aah so as not to wake sleeping children.
Hey sister. Sounds like a refreshing way to end the crankiness! Thanks for watching the kiddos last night. Can’t wait to try the fresh garden greens you brought me. What did you say they were? Chard? xo.
Rotisserie chicken is one of those you wonder how the world did without. I love the versatility of chicken anyway, and when you’re in a pinch for time they are awesome. And I can’t say that I miss the hecticness (is that even a word) of little ones. Just be prepared, the craziness only gets magnified as they get older…it’s just different.
OK, this is where I’m going to advocate for eating while standing, walking, or driving. Surely you had something edible without additional prep with calories after Owajimaia? Or picked up some kind of prepared food bar while you were there? Or something you might have packed for snacks for your kids? Cram 100 calories in your mouth of something when you’re putting groceries in the car, and swallow.
It will give you a much better chance at a happier morning.
Have I told you yet that I unintentionally lost 50 lbs during my first year of parenting?
I had it to lose, but still, not a good sign. Feed the mom-me!
I’m glad you ended up with a peaceful lunch! That scenario would have never ever happened in my world…
I too have “fond” memories of shopping with the children in their various stages. Things like standing in line at Chubby and Tubby and Cassidy asking very loudly “why does that lady look like a witch?”….fun things like that. But you do eventually miss the sweaty, sticky, sleepy sweetness….thanks for writing about it in the solidarity of motherhood way that you do! We are ALL amazing!