Well, hello! It’s been a while … I know. But I have good news! I’m back.
This blog has proved to be a life-changing experience for me, and I can’t thank you enough for your continued support. I’m excited to announce a new chapter: I’ve started a new site, bysarahashley.com! I hope you’ll check it out and continue on this journey with me.
I was with my hair stylist the other day and we got to talking about hard work. We both agreed that whoever came up with the phrase, “Good things come to those who wait,” was full of it. I saw this quote and I laughed because it represents our sentiments exactly.
The funny part is, I’m pretty sure I used to use this quote. In my head it made sense that if you keep on trying, eventually it will come back around to you. But, the truth is, there is no waiting. You can’t wait for things you want to happen – you have to make them happen. You have to keep on keepin’ on and force things to come back to you. Waiting just isn’t part of the equation.
P.S. Hi! I still exist, I’m here. 
My life has stopped and taken an incredible turn and I can’t wait to share every ounce of it with you. Until then, I’ll be working my ass off – never giving up.
xxS
Oh, how I enjoy fried oysters.
It’s like biting into a little pillow from briny seafood heaven. Creamy oyster surrounded by a crispy-crunchy deep-fried coating? Can’t go wrong with that!
If ever I see them on a menu, I order. Love them on a sandwich, po’ boy-style, and I also love fish tacos – so fried oyster tacos seemed like a perfect idea.
The fried oysters are so good on their own, you just might want to eat them that way. And they’re easy to make at home, as long as you don’t mind getting down with a big pot of oil.
You could serve them on their own as an appetizer with the salsa (probably better more puréed than chunky as it is used in the taco) or the crema as a dip. And really, you could even play with the flavors in the coating to give the oysters a different spin. As in, use 1 cup all-purpose flour and then your own favorite spices to replace the adobo. If you wanted to keep it true to New Orleans, you could make a rémoulade sauce, for example. Major yum.
And of course, you can go with the Mexican route I’ve provided here. I love the tangy tomatillos and creamy avocados with the crunchy oysters, and the smoky-spice and coolness from the chipotle crema adds another layer of flavor.
These bad boys are just begging to be enjoyed over a pitcher of margaritas, don’t you think? And don’t forget to buy some tortilla chips in case you’ve got extra salsa.
First off – I’m all about a quinoa salad. It’s super-easy to make, the quinoa gets your protein in, and you can throw in whatever veggies you’ve got on hand and call it dinner.
But because that’s all been said and done in my kitchen, I chose to go a different route with this week’s quinoa inspiration à la The Food Matters Project. Perfect timing because I’ve been craving stuffed zucchini in a major way.
You could take this basic idea and go a number of ways, but since I had some chorizo on hand, I went with that. Chorizo adds crazy flavor to the whole mix, since you’re cooking the vegetables in the fat that renders from it. You could stick with all veggies if you prefer – remember, the quinoa makes it a complete meal for you – or you could… who can guess where I’m going with this… use bacon!
I’m pretty sure goat cheese cheesecake is one of the seventh wonders of the world that I’m just a littttle upset to be just discovering.
I mean, where have I been? It’s been a long 27 years without goat cheese cheesecake.
Cheesecake should probably be my favorite dessert, right? Considering that cheese is my numero uno food group. I do love a good cheesecake, now that I think about it. Sometimes I get a craving and send Daniel down the street for this ridiculous “30th Anniversary” crazy-town chocolate number from The Cheesecake Factory. It’s so rich and indulgent and just totally NUTS. Have you ever had this sucker?
It might happen only once a year for me, for said reason – it’s so over-the-top sweet and indulgent that I have it once and I’m good for, um… a year. Such is not the case with this very distant relative of that cheesecake.
Today, we’re on a health bender. Are you ready?!
“to keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” –buddha
Or better yet – have you ever gone on a health bender that actually works? Please, don’t say the “d” word around these parts. I don’t believe in dieting, and I never will. Dieting is deprivation, and it only lasts until you starve yourself enough to binge eat an entire box of Cheez-Its again.
{That would totally my binge food of choice, anyway. What’s yours?}
When Danielle reached out to me about reviewing her program on my blog, I was skeptical. I’ve done cleanses before, and … well, I’ve done a cleanse before, and it was not for me. 3 days of drinking mostly kale and other vegetables and fruits didn’t seem like a bad idea, but my stomach didn’t agree. Beyond that, I was mentally and physically miserable during those 3 days. And perhaps worst of all, there was no pot of gold at the end of the vicious rainbow. When it was over, it was over – I went right back to my old ways.
Still, when I saw that most people lost an average of 5 pounds on this program, I had to try it out myself. Everyone is familiar with those last 5 pounds. And guess what? It happened!
As if {whole wheat} bacon-blueberry waffles weren’t enough, today I offer you something more.
How about a waffle iron so that the 64% of you who don’t own one can actually make these beauties?
Pretty maj, if I do say so myself.
Up until the super-awesome folks at BigKitchen offered me one of these bad boys for a review and giveaway, I had never made waffles before. Impossible without a waffle maker (well, unless you’re Alejandra and get crazy-creative with your grill pan) and Daniel was not about to allow me such a luxury into our already cramped kitchen. No, I’m afraid there’s no more room between the ornaments and the cake dome under our guest bathroom sink.
Easy. Healthy. Delicious. And guess what? There’s practically no cooking involved.
Summer eating at its finest.
This is … a Greek take on nachos. How fun is that?! I’ve been eyeing this recipe in The Food Matters Cookbook since we began and so I was more than pleased to help fellow member Megan out with her selection when she asked me.
The original recipe is titled Greek “Nachos” with Feta Drizzle, and because I was so into the idea, I stayed pretty true to it. The general theory is that pita chips replace the tortilla chips, and then summer veggies like tomato and cucumber form a salad on top. Mark combines the feta with yogurt to form a drizzle, but instead I opted to melt the feta over the chips with chicken. Hello, store-bought rotisserie chicken! You could brown up some ground lamb instead if you’re feeling extra Greek. And if you want to keep things meatless, add hummus or roasted chickpeas in place of the chicken.
I made fried rice once before, and I was very “ehhh” about it.
Now, fried rice is not something to be indifferent about.
No! Fried rice is something to crave. On a bad day, a good day … most definitely a hungover day.
Seriously. This fried rice does it for me. Why? Well, let’s start with the fact that we’re really eating a big bowl of vegetables. I have nothing against eating such things, but other people might – so I know this is a big deal. And as much as I enjoy vegetables, sometimes I’m not exactly satisfied after eating them on their lonesome.
This is a big bowl of vegetables that I’m happy to eat with a hangover. Tell me you’ve got veggies with that going on! No, really – tell me. One can never have too many healthy hangover cures.
How often do you get a craving for Chinese food?
For me, it’s easy to define: When the hangover strikes. It’s either Chinese, or something Italian with red sauce like lasagna or pizza. Every time.
Eating after a night of drinking is, for me, why I’ll always carry an extra few pounds. This is why I’m convinced I’ll be at my thinnest when I’m pregnant – no drinking so no hangovers so no gorging myself for an entire day every time. Ha!
One thing I’ve been trying to work on is not to give in to this vicious cycle any longer. Or at least, clean it up a bit.
Enter healthy(-ish) Chinese food you can make at home. Score!
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