five ingredient fridays: vanilla and cinnamon fruit salad

sorry... it's saturday. i know.

this salad is sooooo yummy! my 1 year old would eat it by the truck load. it tastes like a treat, but it's good for you. no sugar even.

they were serving samples of something like it at my gym a few months ago and i knew i had to recreate it! here it is!

vanilla and cinnamon fruit salad
4 snack servings

1 sweet apple (so no tart ones like granny smith) , grated
1 pear, grated (peel it if pear skin is too rough for you)
1 banana, grated (has to be ripe for flavor, but still firm... and really grate it, sounds weird but it's a consistency thing in the salad - don't mush it)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
less than 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1. combined apple, pear, cinnamon and vanilla. stir to combine. gently fold in bananas.
2. if you have extra, store in refrigerator and enjoy for 1-2 days.

jamaican chicken

wow, people! i'm really disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm for my last two posts. these are some seriously amazing meals. both 9 out of 10s at our house. i hope you're all too busy making and eating them (or at least drooling over them) to comment. :) you are out there, right?

on to the chicken. i'm always up for a good chicken marinade. it makes for such a simple meal to have yummy chicken to serve with rice, potatoes, veggies, etc.

we love this marinade at our house. really distinct and perfect flavor. it looks spicier than it is. enjoy!

jamaican-spiced chicken
from cooking light, here
(only real modification is same amount of chicken, but more marinade!)

1/2 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon thyme (i use a little less)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (i just use crushed red pepper)
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 large chicken breasts, butterflied

1. combine first 10 ingredients in large bowl. add chicken, tossing to coat. let thighs sit in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes and breasts for 4 hours or so. cook on hot grill until done(or dry pan fry with cooking spray if you prefer). brush with extra marinade as it cooks.

serve with your favorite side dishes and veggies!