Chicken Santa Fe Salad (AKA chicken nugget salad)

So what do you do when you spent all day hosting a birthday party and you come home tired?  The last thing I want to do is cook.

Brycen received the greatest present ever in his mind

And so I looked through the fridge and turned this into this:

The funny thing is - everyone raved about it.  The kids are calling it CHicken NuggET Salad

ingredients from the fridge:
spinach
red and yellow peppers sliced
Diced tomatoes
a can of corn
a can of black beans

top off with cooked chicken nuggets cut up in slices

Dressing: Ranch (Hidden Valley Homemade) mixed with some Tostitos Salsa

Thai Peanut Salad

I Love this salad.....first of all because it's so colorful and healthy.  It's a perfect summer meal.

How Pretty is that?

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

8 oz Linguine Fini (or regular linguine)
4 C shredded greens: any combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or even spinach
2 C thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing 

Thanks to the girls at Our Best Bites

and now for the dressing

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt*
2-3 t sriracha chili sauce*
2-4 T water*