I realized something about myself today. I love getting to set the table like this . . .

. . . with a bowl in the center of the placemat. More than likely, if the bowl is at the center, then the meal was probably pretty simple to put together. It may even be a one-pot meal. Think about it -- you may fill a dinner plate with a meat from the grill, a side dish or two from the stove top, a bread from the oven, and a salad from the fridge. That's a lot of juggling during meal prep time. But, if the bowl is at the center, the meal is probably a soup or dinner salad and not much else is involved.

Which means that during the usually harried 4:00-5:00 hour, there can be a lot more general silliness, like this. We were actually playing cards, but Girl 2 wanted us to make silly faces. Somehow she looks more gangster than silly-little-girl, but, oh, well.

So, when you're looking for something fresh and super easy to get to the table, try this:

Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad

Throw all of the following into a big serving bowl:

2 c. shredded chicken (this was our first meal with our own backyard chicken!)

1 bell pepper, diced

1 can or 1 c. black beans (I used leftovers from last night's Spicy Black Bean Soup)

1 can or 1 c. sweet yellow corn

2 Roma-sized tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, sliced

1 head lettuce (whatever variety you like) chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Mix up your dressing:

1/2 c. mayonnaise

2/3 c. Greek yogurt (or, in our case, goat milk yogurt)

1 Tbs. Ranch seasoning

1 Tbs. taco seasoning

Start by adding 1/2 your dressing to the salad mix. Then, you can add more to achieve the desired consistency. Top with some crushed tortilla chips for serving.

The pic above was of the salad dressed.

It's actually even prettier naked, don't you think? ;)