So, school has started and we begin the balance of lessons, classes and homework. Dinner once again needs to be thought out and planned ahead of time. Yes, I plan my meals a month at a time but you really can do it with just a week worth of meals if you want.
If you have been following my blog for a while you know that it is about recipes but more about my family and the dinner game we play. I have been making a different meal every week night for quite a while now. I allow repeats on weekends and birthdays. I try to balance quick, easy meals with basic ingredients that my family will eat.
What have we learned over three years? My family has gone from pizza, tacos, spaghetti and hot dogs to my daughter trying Ox while in Germany. I eat more vegetables and am willing to try more foods than ever. My Autistic, texture adverse, son now tries everything. He may not always like it but he at least tries it. Both kids are more confident in the kitchen and are willing to help make dinner, set the table and clean up afterwards. We eat dinner at the kitchen table at least 5 nights a week. We use this time to talk about anything from politics to musical theater. We play words games or debate current events. It is the time I cherish the most and some nights we sit at the table for over an hour together talking and eating.
So, this dinner may not be the most creative one I have ever made but it fits the rules for our game and got us to the table quickly and easily.
Verdict:
I was surprised at how well the kids responded to having just salad for dinner. Usually my son is asking for a side dish or more meat. But he seemed happy with this dish. I made sure to load up the plates with lots of greens to help fill him up too. He is at that teen-age boy stage where I think he will never stop eating.
The salad dressing for this salad is very simple. You can use your favorite bottled Caesar dressing but it is so much fun to make your own and you can control what you are putting in it – more garlic or less, no salt, or extra pepper, it is up to you!
Chicken Caesar Salad
Ingredients:
Salad Dressing:
- 6 cloves garlic, minced finely and mashed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- lemon juice, to taste
- anchovy fillets, minced finely, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions for Salad Dressing:
- Combine garlic, mustard and vinegar in a blender until mixed well. Add mayonnaise to make a paste.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the blender on.
- Scrap into a bowl and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. If you are adding anchovies add them at this point. Stir until well combined.
for salad:
- 6-8 chicken thighs, I used boneless, skinless thighs
- Morton’s Nature’s Seasonings
- greens (traditionally Romaine lettuce but I wanted darker greens for our salad)
- garlic croutons
- Caesar Salad dressing
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pan with non-stick spray.
- Dry chicken with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with Morton’s Nature’s Seasoning (or salt and pepper). Bake for 35-45 minutes until cooked through (this will depend on the size and thickness of the thighs).
- Remove pan from oven and allow chicken to rest while you assemble the salads.
- Place greens on a plate followed by a sprinkling of croutons and Parmesan cheese. Top with a sliced chicken thigh. Drizzle entire plate with the salad dressing (homemade or bottled).
- Serve.
What's for Dinner Moms? 
A month ahead of time? That’s amazing! And maybe one day my boys will do salad for dinner, I’d love that!
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All I can say is keep trying. It wasn’t easy to get to this point, it has been 3 years of repeated exposure to all different foods to get my son to eat a salad for dinner and it be ok.
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So yummy
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Thanks, Lynn!
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most welcome
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I am so proud of your accomplishments with the family time and meal planning! I love that you made your own dressing too and also love chicken Caesar salad. 🙂
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Thank you! It is important to me. Growing up we very rarely ate together or even ate the same meal. I wanted something different for my family. 😉
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Kudos to you and your family for making dinnertime a priority! It’s amazing what comes up at the dinner table and how precious that time is!
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Thank you! It is important to me. Growing up we very rarely ate together or even ate the same meal.
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I love that you eat together 5 nights a week. It’s a wonderful tradition!
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Thank you. Even on nights like tonight where one had a class until 7:15pm we all sat down together at 8:00. It is not the best but we make it work.
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You’re doing a great job Whatsfordinnermoms. Love your dishes.
I am following your blog and would like to know if you may be interested to be a Guest poster with us, and share some of your awesome recipes on our blog?
Have a look at:
https://cookandenjoyrecipes.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/update-fellow-bloggers-sharing-is-caring-recipe-exchange/ and leave me a note in the comments of this post, with a link to your recipe, if you’re interested. That will be just fantastic. Hope to hear from you soon 😊
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