Spinach Apple Sugar Crusted Almond Salad

A good friend told me once they way she plans dinner for the week is by ingredients that need to be used up from other ones.

If she uses half a can of tomato sauce, she will try to plan a meal around that can for another meal.

I love the idea and love when I can plan around ingredients and use them up perfectly too!

We had some leftover velveeta cheese and not much time so I made a recipe for chicken enchiladas using velveeta, chicken, fresh tomatoes, onion and jalapenos and cream of chicken. 

It was great!

(We also have a shake at dinner every night too for extra veggies and fruit:))

But the reason I'm writing this is for our favorite quick and easy salad.

Since names for food lately seem to include every ingredient, I will call it a

Spinach Apple Sugar Crusted Almond Salad:

Bunch of Spinach

One chopped apple

Raw Almonds (+ Sugar)

Favorite homemade viniagrette 

(or we love Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing!)

While I chop up the apple I turn on our slow-as-molasses stove to medium and let it start heating up the almonds.

I only had a few this time, but it's totally worth it.

Throw in a bunch of sugar (again, I don't use exact measurements:). I would say start with however many almonds you use, then add half as much sugar. (1 cup almonds - 1/2 cup sugar)

The sugar starts to clump up, just keep stirring until it starts to melt, 7 or 8 minutes total.

Once you add sugar, stir constantly or very frequently or the sugar will burn.

Adding cinnamon is GREAT too.

 A bit of the sugar always clumps up on the almonds when they're done. Maybe it's because I'm not a professional chef, but they taste delicious so I declare it's fine. 

The kids LOVE them!