Gotta love that
Hey guys! I am flying home today. We have an 8 hour flight home to Dallas, a two hour layover and then a 45 minute flight to Austin. I have had an amazing time but I am ready to come home. The comforts of home have been missed and KEITH! I can not wait to see his face at the airport tonight. CAN. NOT. WAIT.
While I am up in the air I thought I would share a recipe that I make a lot. In fact this might even be one of my top five favorites. That’s a bold statement but I am a big Chinese food lover and this recipe hits the spot.
In a completely healthy kind of way.
That’ll get you attention, no?
HONEY ORANGE CHICKEN
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. honey
- 4 Tbsp.orange juice concentrate
- 1 orange, peeled and segmented
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish; set aside.
Heat oil in a small skillet and saute garlic and onions until soft but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add honey, orange juice, orange segments, and soy sauce, stirring evenly until honey is completely dissolved.
Pour sauce over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting once or twice, until chicken is cooked through. Serve over 1/2 cup brown rice and steamed broccoli, then drizzle extra sauce on top! Makes 4 servings.
Bam…healthy Chinese food! Gotta love that.
blogging, it’s kinda like high school
Well hello there What Kelly Said readers! I’m another Kelly, and I blog over at MyVerbal Vomit. While the other Kelly is off gallivanting in Europe on vacation, she was kind enough to ask me to write a guest post for her. Since, I’m a big fan of hers, I happily agreed, and now ya’ll are stuck with me today! I hope you like me :).
I am just shy of my two year blogging anniversary, and I actually started before I even knew what a healthy living blog was. Once I found those, I started trying to fit in as a HLB. However, I don’t like peanut butter or oatmeal or green drinks, and I curse, a lot, so I was swiftly kicked out of that club. Now I write more of a lifestyle blog, and talk about things like, Losing my shit in the Harris Teeter produce department, the 10 year
detailed history of my relationship, the trials and tribulations of long distance relationships, and oh yeah the occasional recipe and workout. I’ve run a few races, the occasional 10 miler and 5k, and one half marathon, but lately my workouts are more about fitting into my jeans this winter.
So, in the almost two years I’ve been blogging, I’ve come to one major realization. Blogging, is just like high school. Now, as someone who hated high school with a fiery passion, you would think I’d also hate blogging. Not so the case, but I’ll explain that in a minute. You see, I wasn’t popular when I was younger, not even a little. In fact, I chose my high school solely based on the fact that the “mean” girls from grade school were all going to a different high school. I started high school trying to make friends with the “popular” girls, but as with blogging, quickly realized I didn’t really fit in with them. I didn’t drink, I didn’t go to parties, I didn’t live in the city (Philadelphia), and I had a boyfriend I spent most of my weekends with. Every year when it came time for student council nominations (the all girl’s school version of a popularity contest), I always submitted my name, but never even received enough votes to make the ballot.
As my high school years went on, I started to stop caring whether the “popular” girls liked me and eventually found a core group of girlfriends I did fit in with. The same can be said about my blogging history, and once I stopped trying to be like the “big bloggers” I found a group of readers just like me, who I really fit in with. They curse, they snark, they booze their faces off (sometimes), and struggle through runs hungover and dehydrated. While they occasionally eat oatmeal, they’ll also house a cheeseburger.
However just like high school, bloggers still fall into the category of “mean girls” or “popular girls” and there’s a fine line between wanting the mean girls to like you (so you don’t get made fun of) and not wanting the popular girls to actually think you’re mean. And you thought you left all this drama behind you! Can I tell you a little secret though? Remember in highschool, wondering if said group of popular girls even really liked each other,and then realizing they didn’t? Well guess where that still remains true. Trust me, I’ve heard the gossip and talking behind each other’s backs firsthand.
Starting a blog, gaining readership, and joining this huge group of people can be intimidating. The important thing to remember is that eventually, just like in high school, you’ll find bloggers who like you for what you write and relate to you and who you can be real with. Through blogging, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and hang with awesome ladies like Amy, Steph, and Kacy, who live all over the place, and consider each and every one of them “real” friends now. Kacy and I even hit it off so well she move 1.5 miles away from me!
When I first started blogging, I just thought it would be a place where I could share my thoughts and talk about things my “real life” friends had no interest in. Luckily it has turned into so much more than that. It’s a place where I’ve made real friendships with girls I talk to every day, meet up with when they’re in town, and even make plans to go visit. You just have to get through the awkward, not knowing anyone phase first :).
5 easy dinner ideas
Today’s post comes from Jessica! She is one of my favorite bloggers even if she causes me to drool onto my computer keyboard daily. I have also had to extreme pleasure of meeting Jessica in person. She was one of the first blogs I ever read and meeting her in person was a lot of fun. I cemented the friendship that we already had!
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Hi friends! I’m Jessica and I blog at How Sweet It Is, where I share a balance between healthy meals and indulgent desserts, heavy on the “indulgent.” Today I’m going to tell you about five of my favorite dinners – specifically ones that can be made in 30 minutes or (much) less. I know… how Rachael Ray of me.
But seriously, these are crazy quick and can be easily modified to your tastes. When I cook I rarely use a recipe, so these first four meals are completely customizable. Get creative with the them. The fifth is one of our favorites and a frequent at our dinner table.
Enjoy!
1. Homemade French Bread Pizzas
I used to live on those Stouffer’s French bread pizzas when I was in high school, and I felt like I hit the jackpot when I realized uh, duh… I should make these myself. I have made every flavor from buffalo chicken to BBQ chicken to margherita to four cheese. Also makes a tasty snack!
These sliders are made with caramelized onions, gouda, avocado and BBQ sauce, but you can easily change that to your favorite burger flavor. I usually saute the portobellos in a bit of olive oil, and they are also delicious when marinated. Pick up a bigger “fun guy” to make regular-sized burgers too.
This quinoa has been an absolute staple in my lunches and dinners this summer. I have an inkling that I will be handing out big bucks until next June just to keep my basil obsession going. I add a bunch of heirloom tomatoes, tons of fresh basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and baby mozzarella pearls. So cute.
As long as you have salmon (fresh or frozen->thawed), you can make this in a pinch. But what I really love is using this idea for leftover salmon the next day. We always grill more than we can eat, and it’s a great way to change up tomorrow’s meal. Add your obvious BLT ingredients, but top it off with some avocados and scallions and a drizzle of your favorite condiment.
While this dish may not be just like the one that comes in your take-out box, it’s always a crowd pleaser and quick to throw together. I love the bursts of flavor and crunchiness – and it tastes better the next day.
Cashew Chicken
serves 2-3
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup shelled edamame
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle cornstarch on chicken pieces and make sure each piece is somewhat coated. (You can add a little more if needed.)
Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and add chicken. Brown on both sides until cooked, about 5 minutes per side. Add garlic, red pepper, edamame, half of the green onions and cashews and stir for 30 seconds. Turn heat to medium low. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce and honey. Pour into skillet, coating chicken and vegetables. Serve with jasmine rice.
baby hope
Today’s guest post is from Katie at Yes I Want Cake. I have followed Katie’s blog for several years now and just love her. She used to entertain us with her stories as a third grade teacher and now she is equally entertaining as new mom! Enjoy!
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Hi there! I’m Katie from Yes I Want Cake. I’m so thrilled that Kelly asked me to guest post on her blog. I’ve been following her for over a year (back when she was Healthy Living With Kelly), and I’m tickled pink to be here.
Kelly has mentioned in the last few months, that she and Keith want a baby.
I have a baby. That’s my baby’s pudgy little hand.
But as I’ve told Kelly many times, it wasn’t easy to come by. In fact, it was a long, frustrating, 18 month journey. But now I have an adorable, chubby, giggly little girl – and I’ve almost forgotten about all the heartache and disappointment I experienced month after month for over a year.
Almost forgotten, but not completely. I’m here to tell you that if you’re having trouble (or just worried that there might someday be trouble), there is hope.
A year after Meeker (my hunky husband) and I were married, we decided it was time to expand the family tree. I have wanted to be a mama for as long as I can remember, so even waiting a year after marriage seemed excruciating. But we were careful not to let it happen for a year. We needed to graduate college and get jobs…you know, grown up stuff.
So we pulled the goalie. In other words, we weren’t trying, but we weren’t not trying.
For a year. Nothing.
So I buckled down. I tracked my temperature. I used ovulation kits. I gained 5 lbs. I stopped running so much. I drank the tea.
For five months. Nothing.
So, I made a doctor’s appointment.
I got the (millions of) tests, a few false diagnoses, then I got the news. I don’t ovulate.
Turns out, there’s a pill for that. And three weeks later…I was knocked up.
All written out like that – it doesn’t seem very long or arduous. But let me tell you…finding out that I wasn’t pregnant (when I desperately wanted to be) for 18 months straight was painful. I cried a lot. I was angry a lot. And I gave up hope more than one time.
There are so many options out there. Everything from acupuncture to Clomid – and I know people who have had success with both. Take it from me, those sob fests where I threw myself on the bed and declared that I was barren and dried up (at age 25) were not fun. I prayed constantly. My bible study prayed for me. My mom prayed for me. Meeker prayed for me. And almost two years later, my prayers were answered.
What Kelly Said 