Ms Cool Talks About Going to the Doctor

Our daughter, MK, is VERY afraid of going to the doctor.  I often write "social stories" for her when we are expecting a stressful situation.  The story helps her to know what to expect in the situation.  Sometimes we also use these stories so she'll understand what is expected from her.  For this doctor story, I used her Jump Rope For Heart characters (they encourage children to make regular doctors' visits to be sure they are healthy) and I also built a doctor's office using her Lego bricks. 

Oriental Chicken Salad

Here's a super easy twist on a chicken-finger salad.  The best thing about this dish is the "OrganicVille" sesame teriyaki sauce.  I get it at Costco & I'm finding more & more uses for it!  I probably use 2 tbsp of sauce for the salad, which is 2g fat, 4g sugar, and 40 calories.  So I don't feel guilty about this *I know the oranges are loaded with sugar...

INGREDIENTS, all amounts to personal taste:
Shredded coleslaw with carrot
OrganicVille Sesame Teriyaki sauce
Canned mandarin oranges
1-2 tbsp Greek Yogurt, if desired
2 chicken fingers, cooked & cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp sunflower seeds

There really isn't any explanation to this, other than you can mix the Teriyaki sauce with a bit of yogurt if you want.  But the lone sauce is a yummy salad dressing, too.  Here is the chicken I like to use:

So far, I've only found this chicken at Publix.  But my little girl prefers this kind I think it's pretty good too!  This dish is fast & it's nice if you only need one or two servings for a meal.

Spaghetti Squash Sausage & Veggies

Spaghetti squash is yummy, but I don't like to pretend that it's pasta (i.e., I don't like it with spaghetti sauce.)  But I've really enjoyed this combo of the squash, veggies & sausage.  You can cook on the stovetop or the grill -- 

AND it's super easy...

INGREDIENTS:
Spaghetti Squash
1 lb Andouille chicken sausage (I like this one from Costco)
2 bell peppers (yellow & orange are pretty)
1 medium zucchini
1 medium onion
16 oz sugar snap peas
1/2 pint grape tomatoes 
1/2 cup Basil Pesto (also from Costco)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Wash spaghetti squash & pierce several times with a knife.  Microwave on high in 3 minute increments, until somewhat soft.  *A medium/large squash took me about 6 minutes, then I allowed it to sit before scooping out the insides.  Use that cooking/sitting time to complete other steps.

2.  Cut each sausage into 2 pieces, as in picture.  Cook for 8 minutes or so, just to warm.  (It's already cooked.)

3.  At the same time, cut peppers & onion into chunks.  Slice zucchini into 1/4inch thick slices.  Remove meat from pan/grill & cover with foil to keep warm.  Cook peppers, onion, zucchini, & snap peas for about 10 minutes.  Add tomatoes & cook additional 3-4 minutes. 

4.  Slice spaghetti squash & scoop out the seeds.  Use a fork to remove squash & place in a bowl.  Remove veggies from heat & toss around in the pesto.

5.  Serve veggies on a bed of spaghetti squash, with sausage on the side.