week of 8.27.23 at the happy apple
Welcome to The Happy Apple's weekly newsletter! Some things for teachers and some things for all of us.
for the teachers
As a whole, this newsletter is taking a bit of a turn this week. So hang on tight!
I’ve been wanting to do a series for a while now. Something I’m calling “The Lunchbox”. Easy-to-eat lunches that are enjoyably healthy! Recipes that teachers can quickly make and easily eat as they go about their school day.
Because if you’re a teacher, you know how hard it is to eat during the actual school day. So if you do get a chance to grab some food, it’s gotta treat you right. That means it’s gotta be filling, fueling, and something you want to eat.
So how about a chickpea chicken caesar sandwich?! I’d actually never made this before but I’ve added chickpeas to a caesar salad and thought why not throw some chicken in there for extra protein! And you know what, why not put it in between two slices of bread to make it easier to eat! And thus, my version of this sammy was born.
the ingredients
I’m going to let you know right now that I do not do exact measurements. I reserve exactness for baking. So here’s a list of all the things I used to bring this sandwich together. I’ll do my best to describe how much of each ingredient I used as we go along:
chicken breast
kale
chickpeas
lemon
Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar dressing (this here is the star of the show!)
salt
oregano (parsley though if you have it)
adobo seasoning
pepper
olive oil
sourdough bread
The Chicken: The first thing you wanna do is make your chicken. You can of course get sliced chicken breast that’s already made. But making your own is quick enough even for teachers I think! Set your oven to 400 degrees. Season your chicken breast with pepper and adobo seasoning. Grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place your chicken on parchment paper and drizzle a decent amount of olive oil. Bake chicken for about 25mins. It’ll fluctuate depending on how thick your chicken breast is. Start on the lower side and then allow the chicken to cook for a bit longer if needed. But you can truly set it and forget it! Once the chicken comes out of the oven, let it rest until cooled.
i actually seasoned these first before mashing, but i do think mashing first is the better approach The Chickpeas: The chickpeas are super important in this recipe. We’re going to mash them just a bit which will help them adhere to the kale and bread better when it comes time to assemble your sandwich! While your chicken is baking, strain and rinse one can of chickpeas and transfer chickpeas to a microwavable bowl. Microwave chickpeas for 2-3mins. We don’t really want to cook them, but we do want them to soften. Transfer to the bowl you’ll use to mix your salad. Mash slightly. The overall goal is the break the peas a bit so they’ll absorb more flavor as you season. Speaking of seasoning….season your chickpeas with parsley (I only had oregano and used that but I learned that parsley is definitely better with chickpeas!), cumin, and salt. Use a generous amount of parsley/oregano. Like, you want to see green! However, just use a dash or two of cumin. Cumin can definitely be overpowering. Sprinkle chickpeas with some salt and squeeze the juice from half a lemon on top. Mix well and set aside.
greeeeeeeen The Kale: Take a few handfuls of kale and place on a cutting board. Take a large knife and chop kale well. Kale should be easy enough to gather and eat with a fork. Once kale is chopped, squeeze lemon juice all over and sprinkle with some adobo seasoning. Mix well.
add your kale to your chickpeas! The Assembly: Add your kale to the chickpea mixture. Aim to have equal parts kale and chickpeas in your bowl. Give a quick mix. Pour a generous amount of Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar dressing onto of salad. Ya’ll this salad dressing is so good it’s literally a staple in my fridge! Mix, mix, mix. Next, pull out two slices of sourdough bread. Cover one slice with your kale + chickpea salad. Grab your chicken breast and cut into strips. Place strips on top of salad and drizzle a little more of that caesar dressing on top. Make your sandwich complete by adding your other slice of bread and enjoy!
This is something that I really think will keep you full for hours. Chickpeas alone have a good source of fiber and protein. Two things that are key to keeping you full without weighing you down. Sourdough will generally be my go-to bread when making sandwiches. It’s often looked at as a better bread option because it’s fermented and therefore is better for your gut!
Feel free to watch me make this on YouTube!
for all of us
This was something on my mind and I think can live here…
What I loved most about Special Education teaching was actually all of the things that needed to happen before instruction began. To me, Special Education is all about people. Serving, learning, and truly understanding people and their needs. Not only for the students, but for their parents, and their other teachers as well. It requires you to think about and plan learning scenarios from an impersonal perspective. Setting your learning/teaching preferences aside and crafting a plan that’ll hopefully reduce the amount of friction between students and their learning goals.
And, in hindsight, I think the Special Education approach to learning is really a metaphor for how we could, and honestly should approach our relationships. An approach that takes a position of curiosity and stands firm in its commitment to understanding the people in our lives. With the hope that understanding will reduce the amount of friction between ourselves and others.
Relationships are complex because we are complex. I know this to be true. But somehow my brain is married to the idea that understanding is the key to authentic, healthy, long-lasting relationships. That if we flip on the switch of understanding and learn each other’s triggers, capacities, likes, dislikes we can come to each interaction with the tools and techniques needed to sustain relationship. Plain and simple.
However, I know it’s not this simple. So many variables, so many broken systems to overcome, just like our schools. Yet still, I think I’ve become a bit obsessed with this idea? The idea that understanding will heal, fix, and solve. Maybe I’ve always been. Years of watching relationships of all kinds descend into disrepair due to what feels like lack of understanding has me convinced that there must be a way to crack the code.
Because I believe understanding disarms us. And even when we disagree or have to step away, we can do so with a spirit of love and compassion. A spirit that creates space for peace instead of what we currently see too much of: hatred and destruction.
So, I hope you don’t mind, if I use this newsletter to explore this concept of understanding. How we can increase it, why it matters, what it offers us. I figure understanding is something all of us could use a little more, right?
for our ears
i don’t know this just feels really meaningful on my ears. hbu?
thanks for reading, engaging, and sharing. see you next week!
<3,
Korie