Having a rough day...

Well folks it was one of those days...you know the kind that completely overwhelms you.  There are so many tasks to do and yet you don't know where to begin.  There doesn't seem to be any time to put off anything and to top it off you are hit with a blinding headache, almost like a migraine that literally stops you in your tracks.  A couple of Tylenol and a half hour nap later you seem to have recovered, but just barely, and the majority of those tasks that you needed to complete have gone undone.  Your work day has come to an end, there is one kid waiting to get picked up from school and another who will be arriving via bus shortly after that.  Then there's your husband who is on a "diet" and will come flying through the door ravenous, because those salads that you've been packing for him just aren't enough to sustain his six foot three frame.  After the kids are home and settled you take another half-hour to rest on the sofa and then it's off to the kitchen to prepare dinner, surely standing behind that stove will invigorate you, give you the strength to carry on.  But you need something fast, what you actually need is take-out...lol

You take those four chicken leg quarters, sprinkle them with a healthy dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika.  They go uncovered into a 375 degree oven where the skin will crisp up and turn a golden brown. Now what else, your head feels a little fuzzy, you're thinking too hard.  A glance at the counter, a quick peek in the fridge and you come up with this...

Photo: Instagram Feed, love those fancy filters

What you see in the photo has become my new fall go-to salad.  This is what happens when you combine a little baby kale that needs to be used up stat, two cups of cooked farro, a quickly roasted acorn squash and one sliced apple.  Throw together a vinaigrette of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and a splash of maple syrup and viola! You have a side salad that is savory, sweet, filling, satisfying and the cure for my lingering headache. Not convinced, well I'm back at the computer trying to get a few things done before my evening of television watching commences.  Yes television, my respite from everyday life.  I no longer live in an exciting urban area where there is always something "to do", no dinners out, cocktails with friends, etc. Those happenings are usually reserved for special occasions and particularly on weekends. No tonight it's all about Greys Anatomy and trying to watch Scandal and Elementary at the same time (thank goodness for Hulu).   So next time you're having a rough day, give this salad a try, if it worked for me and I can be a miserable little mistress when the mood strikes then it can certainly work for you.

Happy Cooking!

*Oh and if you were concerned about the headache, wish I could tell you where it came from.  If I was to take a guess I would say it was some combination of eye strain (damn computer screen), dehydration (I never drink enough H20), stress (it should be my middle name), and the barometric pressure (say what you want but 80 degrees one day with 90% humidity, then 60 degrees the next has my sinuses doing the river dance).