Mini-update & Teriyaki Chicken Salad Recipe

I was just re-reading some of my last posts and noticed the past few recipes I posted were quite well-received!  I loved all your comments and that some of you tried the recipes and even reported back!  Thanks for the motivation to keep blogging!  

We've had a lovely past few weeks - sprinkled with a dab of stress.   Since we spoke last some friends of ours from Saipan came to visit.  Their 6 days here were absolutely wonderful for us.  Of cours we have made friends on the island, but there just isn't anything like friendly faces who travel so many miles just to see US.  We LOVED having T&S here and are hoping to head their way next year!!  

Also since we spoke last, Dozer became a VERY sick little kitty and underwent quite a bit of testing as we tried to figure out what was wrong.  The short version of a very long story - he quit eating & drinking completely for 4 days... he had absolutely no desire for ANY kind of food.  After putting him under anesthetic, inserting an IV, multiple CT scans, a GI test, an ultrasound and lots of drugs he is better.  :-) It seems something had been blocking food from getting from his stomach to his digestive tract.  After day 8 of no eating or drinking, we had made the decision that it would have to be up to him whether he'd live or not.  Since there is not a veterinarian on island (only a vet tech), our ONLY option was to put him on a plane to Hawaii to see a surgeon who could perform the endoscopic surgery needed to remove what was blocking his stomach... and mind you that was WAY more pennies than we have left in our wallet.  So - we medicated him heavily with drugs that would give him the munchies... cleaned up lots of vomit, and on day 9 he started showing interest in food again.  We're about 2 weeks into the entire ordeal now, and he's finally eating mostly normally again and drinking on his own.  He lost about 25% of his body weight, but I have no doubts he'll find it again.  

Tomorrow we're eagerly awaiting the arrival of another friend, one of our ministry workers who will spend a few nights with us!!  P.C. arrives tomorrow night (our Wednesday) and catches a flight to Hawaii on Friday evening.  So it's  quick trip, but we're glad for any time we'll get to spend with her!!

Now, more food talk... :)

One of my very favorite recipes that I typically whip up once a week is a super EASY Teriyaki Chicken Salad.  It's really not a recipe - rather, it's all in my head (the Dr. says this too!), but I'll try my best to get it down in writing and maybe you can replicate a tasty version also.  :-)

Teriyaki Chicken Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (thawed)
1/4 Cup Teriyaki Marinade (or more if you prefer)

1 Package Coleslaw Mix Salad
1/2 Package Ramen Noodles, crushed (discard the seasoning)
1 Large Bunch of Grapes, washed and cut in 1/2's
1 Avocado, sliced

1 Package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream + 1/2 Cup Water (or 1 Cup Skim Milk if you're health-conscious, not taste-conscious)
1 Cup Best Foods (or Hellman's if you're on the EC) Mayonnaise

1.  Cut the chicken breasts up into bite-size pieces.
2.  Cook the chicken in the teriyaki marinade on your stove-top until chicken is fully cooked.
3.  Toss coleslaw mix with crushed ramen noodles and grapes in a medium bowl.
4.  Toss in cooked chicken and any extra marinade with coleslaw mixture.  
5.  Top with avocado slices and serve with ranch dressing on the side.

DELISH!

If you make more than enough for one meal, I'd recommend not mixing in the ramen noodles with the entire salad and instead adding them to your individual salad servings.  That way, the noodles won't be soggy when you serve it again tomorrow... and believe me, you will DEFINITELY want some tomorrow... it's FANTASTIC as leftovers.

(please excuse my spelling errors - my eyeballs are fuzzy tonight!)