Lettuce-less Salad Series: Cabbage Slaw with Peanut Sauce

This salad is a great side or it eats like a meal too. It miiiight not be the most picturesque but I couldn’t not share it. Think crunchy purple cabbage and carrots with peanut sauce and some shredded chicken- or skip the chicken. Either way, it is great and so fast.
The Three Bite Rule - Cabbage Slaw with Peanut Sauce

Cabbage & Carrot Slaw with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients: (for ~4-5 as sides, or ~2 as a meal)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 inch grated ginger
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 large carrots, shredded
~1 cup roasted chicken, shredded (optional)

Directions:

Shake the sauce together in a jar (or whisk together in a bowl) the soy sauce, peanut butter, ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Refrigerate until serving or make and serve.
Mix the cabbage and the carrot.
Drizzle in the peanut sauce and mix well. Add in the chicken – if using- and stir gently.
The Three Bite Rule - Cabbage Slaw with Peanut SauceEnjoy!

I loved this! Know that brown sauce – like peanut sauce – is not beautiful but so tasty. We had it with sesame noodles and edamame- that’s on the regular rotation here. This slaw was great for a crunch and for the peanut flavor. My 5-year-old pb lover liked it and ate a bunch. My ~2-year-old pb lover only ate a little.

There you have it, my salads without lettuce:
this cabbage and carrot slaw with peanut sauce
Watermelon Mint Salad
Peach, Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

Lettuce-less Salad Series: Watermelon Mint Salad

All these lettuce-less salad series will not be exclusively with fruit, but this was too good not to come next. Also, we bought a whole watermelon and the kids are just not as into it as other fruit so finding all the ways to use it was necessary. I chopped it up really finely to use the salad as a relish/topping, but it would be great on the side!

The Three Bite Rule - Watermelon Mint Relish

Watermelon Mint Salad

Ingredients: (for 4 as a side, for 6 as a topping)

1 cup watermelon
1 cucumber
1/2 shallot
~10 mint leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

Chop the watermelon, cucumber, shallot, and mint and add to a bowl.
The Three Bite Rule - Watermelon Mint Relish
Add in the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice plus some salt and pepper and chili powder. Stir well and chill until serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Watermelon Mint Relish
Enjoy!

This salad is so fresh and light and flavorful. It could be spiced up with jalapenos or other peppers. It would be great as salsa with chips too or in larger pieces as a side. We had it on top of grilled chicken this time.

The Three Bite Rule - Watermelon Mint Relish

Lettuce-less Salad Series: Peach & Mozzarella Salad

July brings us a lettuce-less salad series! Lettuce is often my least fav part of salad and my kids are not so into lettuce- maybe for the texture? This salad is all summer with peach, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and cucumber with balsamic reduction. When I say peach, I often mean nectarine but you do you. This was a hit for all of us! It may have turned Mr. J onto nectarines!

The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Mozzarella Salad

Peach, Mozzarella & Tomato Salad

Ingredients: (for 4)

1 peach/nectarine
1 8 oz fresh mozzarella ball
1 cup grape tomatoes
2/3 of a cucumber
1 tablespoon balsamic reduction

Directions:

Chop the peach, mozzarella, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Mozzarella Salad
Mix and drizzle with balsamic reduction.
The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Mozzarella SaladEnjoy!

If making it ahead of time, chop only the peach, tomatoes and cucumbers. Then chop the mozzarella and drizzle just before serving. Mini mozzarella balls would work well for this too!

The flavors and textures here are so perfect for summer. We ate it as a side with dinner and all of us loved it- we’re very into nectarines right now! I bought balsamic reduction since we’ll eat it a lot this summer and it just makes life a little easier but it is also so simple to make. Just bring balsamic vinegar to a boil and simmer for ~10 minutes until thickened. Then cool before using. That’s an easier way to have a smaller amount too.

I have a few more lettuce-less salads coming. Stay tuned!

Easy Chocolate Mousse

This is totally cheating- this isn’t true mousse, but everyone needs the easiest dessert ever, right? YES. Kids could definitely make this. It seems silly to share given how little cooking is involved, but it is a great one to have in your back pocket- especially something quick and cool. The other night we did a friends call where everyone picked a drink and food item. I went with a riesling and this chocolate mousse. It was a great paring!

The Three Bite Rule - Easy Chocolate Mousse

Easy Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

1 box instant chocolate pudding
milk (as the package instructs)
6-8 oz cool whip
mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles

Directions:

Prepare the pudding according to the package.
The Three Bite Rule - Easy Chocolate Mousse
Once cooled and set, mix in 3/4 of the cool whip.
Serve with a dollop of cool whip and garnish.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Easy Chocolate Mousse
Mr. J chose a white wine and boursin with melba toasts. We had a great variety!

June 2020 Recap

Somehow June zoomed by! Maybe it was the wrap up for T’s pre-k class or the hurry of the end of the fiscal year at work. The unknown of what’s ahead is just so strange. Being patient to let time pass, to find out what elementary school and daycare will do, and to hear what is ahead for work is just hard. The limbo is hard to not let possibilities feel stressful.

I was so happy with Mr. J’s birthday burger! This BLT Burger has bacon ground into the patty and a tomato jam.
The Three Bite Rule - BLT Burger w/ Tomato Jam
This Pink Grapefruit Refresher was totally out of the ordinary for me and is addicting. The touch of tart from the pink grapefruit with sweetness from the grenadine is delightful.
The Three Bite Rule - Pink Grapefruit Refresher
The little ones aren’t into shrimp lately so I whipped this Chipotle Shrimp Rice Bowl up just for myself. My love for grain bowls runs deep and some leftover brown rice and some leftover black beans were screaming to become a bowl!
The Three Bite Rule - Chipotle Shrimp Rice Bowl
I’m kicking July off with the easiest dessert ever and maybe a series. This tends to be a slower time for blog readership but maybe that’ll be different now that nobody’s going on vacation? We’ll see. I mean, we’re eating 3 meals a day at home and we love the occasional surprise so I’m still at it!

The Pre-K Guy:

He was sad for his class to be over. It was a drawn-out time of “being over” but he loved it. He’s honestly so happy to be home 24-7. He loves getting dressed in shorts, playing outside most of the day is great for him. I wish he could play with friends. Our home routine works well. I don’t push the worksheets, crafts, etc but I try to have some things ready. That pre-dinner rush or post-nap or needing a cool activity inside is prime time to have something ready. He’s thoroughly appreciates getting to watch a show- his favs are Floogles, Muppet Babies, and DinoTrux. He is obsessed with playing music from the ipod- Say Something by A Great Big World and Manic Monday by The Bangles. I love that he picks out bedtime stories and we close our eyes and try to guess the books by feel. I’m maybe 50% guess rate. His fav foods are pb&j (still), bread & butter pickles, and craisins. There’s a lot of life lessons happening- racism, honesty, consent. Bah. It is hard.

The Toddler Girl:

She so easy-going. Any chance for an adventure and she’s sold! The possibility of a car ride is her dream. She misses errands. She likes a few licks of an ice cube and knows the remainder goes into the dog’s water bowl. She is happy to give the dogs treats – moreso than big brother is! I’m noticing a few two-year-old moments- she turns 2 in August. She’s so chill until she isn’t. Her fav foods are cheese (and more and more cheese) and jelly and teddy grahams. Her fav tunes are Wheels on the Bus and Uptown Girl.

This Year’s Goals:

Year of beauty/selfcare – Ehh. Not really. I repaired my pedicure tool- does that count?
Prep intentional sides and veggies: Ehh. Nope
Eat more fish: breaded fish sticks
Blog some series: Nope.
Focus decluttering/organizing to an area: I was on a roll giving away a bunch of attic stuff. We’ve probably cleared out the last of the baby stuff.
Share more books on instagram: I’ve shared the collections I pull for the kids and what I’m into.
Prioritize workouts: I’m almost through Barre Blend. I’m not sure what’s next. Maybe running more.
What I’m reading: I finished The Most Fun We Ever Had and thought it was ok/good. Then I loved Clap When You Land
What I’m listening to: 
only the occasional podcast – A Beautiful Mess is a fun one after following their blog and instagram.
What I’m watching: We finished Schitt’s Creek and are so sad it is over. I’m loving the Bachelor Best Seasons Ever for a whole season in one night!