oh, how i have missed u

So, I noticed I have been a bit neglectful to my dear blog in he last week. :o(   So much has happened. I finished my Welcome to Bavaria class. It was amazing & I left the class [sad it was over] but feeling much more knowledgeable about the area I am in and even feeling a bit better about my language skills. I still have tons of work to do if I plan on learning Deutsch but I am doing pretty dang good. Next week I will start the language class. I'm ready to get through the 1st part of it b/c I have the #, colors, & greetings down packed & I do pretty well at the food part. That was top priority so I could make my way though the grocery stores on the economy!

On Monday I had to get our car inspected so we can get rid of these ugly red temporary licence plates that get me weird stares as I drive through these villages everyday. After waiting in line for 2 hours the guys have to break for lunch & wouldn't you know the last car they take at 1130 is the car in front of me. UGH. So an hour later they finally ask me to pull through & all that time wasted to just find out our car failed. As the guy is going through all the things that failed.... the handbrake, the tires, the lights, the stickers, & even the first aid kit we had was wrong. I just stare at the guy like a deer in the headlights. Except for the 1st aid kit and stickers I had no idea what he was trying to tell me. So finally he filled out a paper and said just take this to any car place and give it to them. & still not knowing what exactly I needed to pass inspection I did just that, went to the car care center on post  they understand all he had wrote & fit me in at the next date available....... July, 24th. Well thank goodness it was this year huh?!?! It is times like these when I want to scream * F  * YOU * DEPLOYMENT!!!!! ;o)

One good thing [& there aren't many] about the hubs being gone is that there is no junk food in the house that temps me (well, except my good friend Dr. Pepper). I've been trying to cut out processed foods & eat a lil better. This has led me to eating many more salads. It is always great to find a new recipe that gives these salads a lil kick. I thought I would share this one. Since it's just me eating this, I didn't mix the dressing with the salad so it will keep longer (but here is a pic of what it looks like when you mix it). Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
Dressing:

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well. [I just loaded it all in my Ninja (food processor) & a few spins of the blade later, wha-la, salad dressing yum]
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad.
Yield: 4 Servings Servings Size: Approx 2 1/2 cups

Nutritional Information
Calories: 249, Fat: 8.2g, Saturated fat: 2.8g, Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g, Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g, Protein: 23.3g, Carbohydrate: 25.1g, Fiber: 7g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Iron: 2.2mg, Sodium: 650mg, Calcium: 106mg WWPP 6

Adapted from Cooking Light AUGUST 2006