Chili lime chicken romaine salad & more rabbit drama!

Good morning Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I sure did…hubby & I finally celebrated our anniversary with an overnighter (no kids)…but that’s another post for another day. Last week was a big week…two different nights I’d gone to bed without my whole family home and safe. I’m sure you other moms can relate. It’s an unsettling feeling, especially for me “a night owl” by nature. I’m always the last one up making the rounds, checking to be sure that everyone is cozy and things are locked up tight.

 Since I’m not a morning person, I never thought I’d be awake enough to formulate coherent thoughts…let alone write. And even though I was a night owl…I was always a little too tired to write at night. Plus I’ve read over and over how much better it is for our bodies to get to bed before midnight, and the hours you get before then really aid in weight loss. Nice bonus! Anyone else learn to switch their natural sleeping rhythms around like that? I’d love to hear your experience.

I’ve been getting to bed much earlier than my normal, and setting an alarm…yes, an alarm. It’s amazing the pull I have to get up early and write while everyone is fast asleep. It has been unbelievably easy to jump right out of bed! I’m lured by the peace and quiet of the house, and the guarantee of a good 45 minutes to an hour of alone time to write.

Now on to the rabbit drama…“Ruby the rabbit” that is. Within a week or so of my hubby bringing her home (without my permission or knowledge…remember that story?), he realized that she’d have to get spayed. Though we have no other rabbits in the house, it turns out she has a much better chance of not getting cancer, and it keeps her easy going as she gets older. Originally hubby could not find a vet that was under $300 for the surgery, and he then realized his big mistake getting a rabbit. When he got Ruby, he really had no idea that a rabbit for a pet is much like the commitment to having a dog or cat. Turns out she’s much easier than having a dog or cat care wise (she’s completely litter box trained), but she still needs vet care on occasion.

So thankfully he found a place that would do her surgery for $65, and they are volunteers that perform surgery during off hours. So he had to get her dropped off around 6:15, and her surgery wasn’t until 9pm. He drove out in the country to a house and dropped her off. They told him they’d call when her surgery was done. So it was strange in that regard that it was night time out at a gated compound way out in the country.

What really freaked me out a bit was when he called on his way home from picking Ruby up. After 17 years being cat owners I was not prepared when he told me, “surgery went fine, but she’s still asleep.” I was like, “huh, they let you take her?” He said that it takes a bit longer for rabbits to wake up. Really?? Scary, right? What ever happened to making sure they WAKE up and monitoring that? Guess that’s what bargain price of $65 bucks gets you….haha. So I asked him about the instructions they’d given. Get this, no instructions…not a handout or even verbal. Can you believe it?

Surprisingly, I went to bed before they got home. It was 10:20pm, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I really must have been tired to go to bed before my honey was home safely. Even more surprising was that I conked right out. The next morning I was freaked out that I was going to be the one to walk out and see if she were alive  awake in her carrier. I didn’t know she woke up in the presence of hubby the night before, so I was afraid of what I’d find. Thankfully Ruby was alive and well, and is now doing great!

And since she’d to stay in even more of a confined space (the carrier on the way there), she’s now back in her original large dog kennel crate cage instead of her 3 story rabbit condo. I’m excited that hubby has said he’d disassemble her too big for our house mansion, and she can move back into the living room in just her smaller cage.

When she’d moved in the girls’ room it was out of sight, out of mind. Though we’d still have her roam the living room a few hours every night, it was a huge deal to remember to bring her out. Somehow her mansion became her prison, but now she’ll have even more social time with the family…and the girls can reclaim their room.

An even bigger adventure was this past Friday night when my 12 year old spent her first night away from home that she wasn’t at a friend or family member’s house. She had a “lock-in” at the church. I thought we’d be fine, but I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of emotions I felt off and on throughout the evening, but mostly right before bed. I wasn’t crying, but had a bit of anxiety on the inside. Can you mamas relate?

At times the feeling was so strong I felt liked I’d just have to go pick her up. I didn’t…I went to bed at 11:15, so tired but also feeling unsettled that my sweet girl was not home with us! I’d wished we’d sent her with her daddy’s phone so I could just check in and hear her voice…and know that she was feeling okay with the situation. Hubby reminded me that she’d call if that were the case, and that’s she was having a blast. She never did call…I slept through the night, and got a text from her around 7am the next morning to remind me to pick her up. She managed to stay up ALL night, and said it went by really fast! And she was all smiles when I picked her up.

So onto the recipe…worth the wait I promise. Last week I was looking for a meal using the chicken breasts I’d pulled out of the freezer. When thinking of flavors I wanted to use…lime kept popping up. So I put a little olive oil in my skillet and began to heat it over medium low. With the chicken breasts laid out on a plate I squeezed lime juice over the top, and then I sprinkled them with chili powder, cumin, sea salt, and pepper. I then placed them in the skillet seasoning side down, turned the heat to medium high and seasoned the other side. Cooked them for about 3-4 minutes on each side, and was still a bit paranoid about whether they were done. They were about an inch thick, and I’m not used to cooking whole chicken breasts. More often than not, I cut chicken up so it cooks faster….and so I don’t have to deal with trying to figure out whether they are done. 🙂

I sampled them as I cut them up for my girls to eat, and realized that though tasty I’d rather have them as part of a salad. So as I washed and chopped romaine, diced red onion and a tomato, I began thinking of a sauce or dressing I could use. I started with about ½ cup mayo, then added in about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and about 2 teaspoons or a little less of ketchup. My first time using ketchup since it’s not allowed in Atkins induction, but I figured only about half that sauce or less was ending up on my plate. I added in a sprinkling of sea salt. You can always mix up anything you want and taste as you go.

My huge plate full of salad ended up being amazing!! I can’t wait for my leftovers for lunch today…



4.0 from 1 reviews
Chili Lime Chicken Romaine Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad, Easy, Chicken
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5
 
An easy refreshing salad for the summer!
Ingredients
  • Chili Lime Chicken breast, sliced
  • for Chicken ~ 1 lime, chili powder, cumin, sea salt, pepper)
  • Romaine Lettuce chopped
  • Red onion, diced small
  • Tomato, diced small
  • Mexican cheese, shredded
  • Special sauce (1/2 cup mayo, 1 Tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tsp ketchup, sea salt)
Instructions
  1. Heat a bit of olive oil in skillet. Squeeze lime over chicken breast. Sprinkle chili powder, cumin, sea salt and pepper over chicken breasts. Place chicken in skillet.
  2. Cook chicken over medium heat 4-5 minutes per side or until done, and when you flip season the other side.
  3. Slice cooled chicken for salad.
  4. Chop romaine lettuce, dice tomato and onion.
  5. For sauce ~ mix ½ cup mayo, 1 Tbsp dijon mustard and 2 tsp ketchup.
  6. Assemble salad as desired and enjoy! Save any leftover dressing for another salad.

 

Sauces are so easy!! Don’t be scared to experiment in your kitchen! What special dipping sauces do you like to create?

This recipe linked up with Hearth and Soul Hop, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, What’s on the Menu Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s on Your Plate, Works for Me Wednesday, Waltz on By Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Recipe Swap Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Cooking Thursday & Simple Lives Thursday.

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11 Responses to Chili lime chicken romaine salad & more rabbit drama!

  1. Aww, that bunny is so darn sweet! This salad sounds like the perfect way to put a meal on the table quickly.

  2. Natasha says:

    That looks like a really delicious salad. I am quite looking forward to summer again so that I can eat more salads. I do love winter but heavy comfort foods are sometimes just a bit too much!

    Take care and best wishes,
    Natasha.
    Natasha recently posted..Wordless Wednesday Family

  3. I love the Ruby pic…. kinda made me want a rabbit!
    I’m glad Sarah had fun… did she sleep all day after pulling an all nighter? LOL!
    I can relate to the mama worry…. oh boy. 🙂
    michelle@the domestic mama and the viillage cook recently posted..chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts

  4. JulieD says:

    She is so adorable. Of course, I remember the story of how you got her…I just hope she has found her way into your heart. The salad looks great too!
    JulieD recently posted..Tuna Pasta Salad with Celery and Egg

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  6. Sheryl says:

    This looks so good. Would come over and share some of your recipes at my link party Cast Party Wednesday tomorrow?
    Thanks,
    I hope to see you there!

  7. Wow, I’m so glad that gorgeous bunny woke up okay! That must have been pretty scary. And yes, I can totally relate to how you felt the first time your daughter spent a night away from home. It’s a long time ago now (my son is 18) but I still remember how it felt!
    This sounds like a perfect salad recipe for a hot summer evening – lovely and fresh but a little bit spicy too! Thank you for sharing it with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

  8. Loretta Chasteen says:

    getting ready for a big neighorhood dinner on Aug 1 to celebrate our 63rd wedding anniversiary. Your Granpapa said I should us your recepie for Buffalo chicken dip. Sounds good, but of course I am sure to put my own signature on the recipie. Can,t help it, just can’t follow a recipie 100%. Guess you come by it honestly.

  9. Eva says:

    I’ve had bunnies all my life; my last one, Dustie lived to 11 years old (#4). She was such a sweetie! It’s a real shame that people don’t think of them as commitment pets, I guess it’s because they’re so inexpensive at the pet store!
    I love how a little lime juice just freshens things up!
    Eva recently posted..Wild Mushroom Velouté

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