Honey Mustard Chicken, Bacon, and Avocado Salad, by Diane

I made this salad after seeing it on facebook to many rave reviews (link here). It was fairly easy to throw together in a large batch for the week's lunches, only the prep of each ingredient was time consuming but the rest came together in a breeze. The dressing was a bit too sweet and I had to double the recipe because there wasn't enough for more than two salads. I also added eggs because I love the extra protein and it went really well with this salad! Finally, I cooked the bacon in the pan first before the chicken (the recipe cooks the chicken first and then bacon) because I wanted more flavor in the chicken. I am posting the recipe below for 2 servings, if you want more for the week just double the dressing part.

Ingredients:

Dressing / Marinade (for 2 servings):

• 1/3 cup honey (I would use maybe 1 tbsp per batch here and then add as you go if you want it more sweet)
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons smooth and mild Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt to season
• 2 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

For Salad (for 2 servings):

• 1/2 cup diced bacon
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed
• 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes (I used sundried for the flavor)
• 1 large avocado, cubed
• 1/4 cup corn kernels
• 1/4 of a red onion , sliced
• 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered

Instructions

1. Whisk marinade/dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken for two hours. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear/grill chicken on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.
4. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade/dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and cracked pepper (optional).

OMG Chili, by Cheryl

Looks too good to be my picture! It's from here

I love this chili! This might be the best chili recipe I've made yet. The beer and coffee base makes this super flavorful (and coming from someone that doesn't like coffee that's saying a lot!). I love the addition of the chocolate and brown sugar as it adds a unique sweetness to the dish. I didn't add too much spice to it since I was serving it to the kids, but some heat would be nice in it! Definitely make this! Yum!

Ingredients (from here):

olive oil
ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, finely chopped
1- 12 oz bottle of beer
1 big can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 serrano pepper
1.5 tbsp cumin
1.5 tsp coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
1 can kidney beans
1 can cannellini beans

Directions:

1) Place a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Brown the meat and transfer to a plate.

2) Add a little olive oil and the onions and cook for a minute. Take two large sips of beer and add the rest. Stir in the tomatoes, coffee, and, tomato paste.

3) Add the brown sugar, chile sauce, cocoa powder, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, salt, and kidney beans. Return the meat to the pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for one hour.

4) Add the white beans, stir, and continue to simmer for 1-2 hours. Adjust salt and cayenne pepper as needed.