Lake House Effect

Oatmeal, chicken salad and guacamole - oh my!

I read an article in More last summer and according to a nutritionist, oatmeal causes “substantial weight gain", so I have tried to avoid it since. The problem is oatmeal is actually a low-fat, healthy choice for breakfast, so I ignored this theory and made it for breakfast this morning. It was exactly what we needed to get us through until lunch.

Peanut butter oatmeal

Combine 1 c milk or water (I used a combination of soy milk and water), 1/8 t of cinnamon, 1/2 t vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add 1/2 c old-fashioned oats, 1 t of sugar, honey or agave nectar, 1 T peanut butter and cook for 3-5 minutes until oats are soft. Top with sliced bananas.

After the gym and errands, I made rosemary chicken salad to bring to a friend with a new baby and guacamole to accompany our taco dinner.

Rosemary chicken salad recipe (circa 2007)

Chicken salad canapes were served at our wedding and I could never find the recipe, so I had to combine a few recipes to come up with one we love.

Prepare chicken mixture in large bowl:

3 green onions chopped (green parts only)

3 c cooked chicken (I purchase a rotisserie chicken and chopped into bite-sized pieces)

1/2 c red grapes halved

1/4 c toasted, chopped walnuts – to toast, put walnuts in pan over medium heat for a five minutes stirring frequently (and don't forget about them - as my husband will attest, walnuts burn quickly if left unattended) until lightly browned

In small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise mixture:

1/2 lemon squeezed (approximately 1 t juice) or use an entire meyer lemon (which is sweeter than a traditional lemon – my love of meyer lemons will be reserved for another post)

1 1/2 t mild dijon mustard

1 t fresh rosemary finely chopped

3/4 c low fat mayonnaise

pinch of salt and pepper

Combine mayonnaise mixture with chicken mixture. Add salt and pepper as desired. If you refrigerate the chicken salad before serving, be aware that it dries a little and more mayonnaise may need to be added.

Guacamole, mock-a-mole

After I finished the chicken salad, it was onto the guacamole. Guacamole is the only vegetable (vegetable? yes, check out the recipe) we can get our daughter to eat willing. 

This is not an original recipe – it’s borrowed from Bethenny Frankel’s book. Yes, I am a Bethenny fan – not so much for the recipes and diet ideas, but her show is fun and often parallels the problems in our own household, but I digress. 

Her mock-a-mole recipe is a keeper even for non-pea lovers like myself. 

Hidden veggies are the key to a healthy toddler.