Blue Cheese Chicken Sandwich

Nathan requested a sandwich for lunch today and I was thrilled. He doesn't feel the same way I do about sandwiches, so I always take the opportunity to try and convert him to the sandwich side with something truly spectacular. I pulled out the big guns today with some caramelized onion, melted blue cheese, and avocado. I even added some finely chopped kale to add some health to it. He loved it, I am sure you will too!

You Will Need:

French bread from Trader Joe's cut into sandwich slices

1/2 red onion

1 TBS brown sugar (for the onions)

blue cheese

1/2 avocado

sandwich chicken

a little mayonnaise for moisture

finely chopped kale

a few basil leaves finely chopped

1. In a medium sized pan over a medium flame, add 1/2 red onion with a table spoon of brown sugar and sautee for a few minutes until caramelized. Heat up your broiler and lightly toast your bread. Remove bread and add chicken, caramelized onions, and top with blue cheese. Return bread with toppings and plain bread to the broiler until the blue cheese is slightly golden. Keep an eye on your bread - every broiler is different! You don't want to burn what you have going on. Once broiled to perfection, add mayonnaise, avocado, kale, and basil. You are ready to serve, ENJOY! 

Life through my iPhone Lens.

I am always scouting creative places to take outfit of the day photos. Today I was blown away by how many gorgeous walls my city has. Silly as that may sound I was in awe of the flowers, cactus and other gorgeous shrubbery that covered so many homes' fences. 

One of my best friends, April, visited from Maui! 

Latte from a new favorite in town, Lilac Patisserie. 

Finally, my favorite part of this past week: one of my best friends Jenna got MARRIED! 

Extreme Kale Chop - Parmesan, Pine Nuts, Sun dried Tomatos, and Avocado.

I have to admit, I have not been as healthy as I aspired to be on January 1st. I haven't been terrible but if I am being real, physically, I am not where I would like to be. So in an attempt to make some progress, I went to Trader Joe's, got my usual healthy favorites, PLUS a bag of Kale.

I AM NOT ON THE KALE TRAIN. Truthfully, I really do not like it one bit. I made a salad with it that night and legitimately BARELY chocked it down; I attribute my disdain to the texture. Here I am the next day with a massive bag of organic kale and a dream to eat it all. So I pulled out my food processor and processed that kale as much as I could. When I was done, it looked like a pile of grass. Since I had my processor out I decided to extreme chop whatever I could find which ended up being pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and parmesan. I finished it off by thoroughly mixing in some vegan Cesar Romano dressing from Trader Joe's and plopping half of an avo on top. Now, I want to shout from the roof tops, "I am in love and I am a Kale convert." By eliminating the texture, I have found something close to perfection, the marriage of the flavors is flawless and its my new go to lunch favorite. It doesn't hurt that I ate a half bag of kale for lunch, either. Your body will love you forever, just make it! 

You Will Need (all from Trader Joe's):

Organic Tuscan Kale

Pine Nuts

Shredded Parmesan

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Half of an Avocado

Cesar Romano Dressing 

1. Process all the ingredients, THOROUGHLY mix the dressing in, and top with avo! WAAAA LA. 

Yum!!!!!

black, white & blue

Strawberry Shortcake

Some days I have less inspiration than others, today was one of those days. I opened my eyes to see a  grey sky, which instantly set the tone for my mood. It took me much longer to peel myself from my sheets and even longer to tackle my morning chores. The absence of sunshine brought a noticeable absence of joy to my home. Once cleaning up the house and showering I had two options: sit around and wait for something to change my mood, or do something proactive that I knew would make me happy. Baking is very therapeutic for me; I love the steps and rhythms that leave me with a beautiful result and I always feel accomplished and fulfilled. I scanned through my fridge to see if I even had anything to make, noticing a carton of heavy whipping cream and a box of strawberries - that's it strawberry, shortcake it is, I decided! Strawberry shortcake is traditionally a Summer treat but it was exactly what I needed to pull me out of this foggy funk and remind me of sunnier Summer days! I recommend it! 

Total Time: 1 hr 15 min

Cake Ingredients:

12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temp

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temp

3/4 cups sour cream, room temp

2 tablespoons coconut cream (optional but highly recommended!)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream chilled

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pint fresh strawberries 

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ degrees.

2. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. This is seriously my least favorite part about baking and often deters me from making things that require this step. :(

3. Cream the butter and sugar on high in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Lower the speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time. Once eggs are combined add the sour cream, coconut cream and vanilla. Turn off the mixer. In a separate bowl stir together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Now, at a low speed add this dry mixture to the sugar mixture only until smooth. Do not over mix! 

4. Evenly distribute the batter between cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let the cakes cool!

5. Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla with a whisk attachment on an electric mixer. Whisk until firm. 

6. Use half the whipped cream in the center then cover with sliced strawberries. Use the remaining whipped cream on the top layer covering with remaining strawberries! 

St. Martin

Nathan and I want to travel the world. It is our deepest desire to explore all the crevices of this planet, taste the best food, see the most breathtaking sites, and meet the most interesting people. It is simply what my soul aches for!

Nathan and I have done Europe twice, so we wanted to taste something different, and with limited time off from work, we decided to try the Caribbean!  St. Martin in the French West Indies seemed perfect for us because it is supposedly a foodies paradise along with the most breathtaking scenery and French Caribe vibe. Our trip was wonderful. We hiked to a secluded beach everyday called Happy Bay. We walked through the most gorgeous terrain filled with iguanas, beautiful birds and cows which eventually spit us out to the most picturesque beach line with palms, sea grapes, and the bluest water you could imagine. We swam and basked in the sun for hours only to return home each night sun kissed and covered in white sand that seemed impossible to get off our bodies.  We rented a car and found the most beautiful baths of sea water filled with pink rocks and crashing waves. We spent the evenings watching the sunset with our toes in the crashing waves. It was magical. I would love to visit St. Martin again very soon. Nathan put it perfectly: "The Caribbean is its own beast," meaning you cant compare its beauty to Hawaii or other tropical places because it stands alone in its majesty. Hope you enjoy some snap shots from our adventure! 

Thrift Store Moroccan Makover

While thrifting with my mom a couple of weeks ago, I spotted this seemingly nondescript table. I initially avoided it, but something about its shape kept drawing me back. I decided to ask the price, and when the clerk responded with $5.00, I decided it was worth taking the chance and making the purchase. I ran to the local hardware store, picked up a can of winters grey paint and went buck-wild. Needless to say, I am excited about the results! This little beauty adds a fun, eclectic, and dare I say moroccan vibe to my place, and I am wild about it. For a whopping ten dollars I acquired something interesting and custom for my home.

The moral of the story is, you have to have a vision beyond the dusty thrift store walls and try to imagine pieces in your space. You just never know the magic of a can of spray paint until you try it yourself. 

Tropics Packing Check List

Excitement is an understatement when I grasp the fact that Nathan and I will be soaking up the French West Indie sun in less than 4 days! The desire to travel is something that Nathan and I bonded over deeply at some point in our relationship. I would say we fell into a new level of love when we went to Europe for the first time together in 2013. Since then, travel seems to be the only thing we think about! We have traveled throughout Europe twice, so the prospect of doing something totally different and tropical excites me like crazy!

We recently spent 25 days in Europe for our honeymoon in October and November and I learned something: I suck at packing. I packed TWO suitcases of literally anything and everything you can imagine. Our honeymoon was truly perfection aside from the suitcase situation, which honestly ruined some moments for me. Lugging those things from country to country was NOT fun. I promised Nathan I would never overpack again, and seriously, I am so excited to be in the complete opposite of our last experience; this time I will be organized! I wanted to share with you a few essentials that made it onto my packing list for my Caribbean excursion!! WOOOOP. 

A list!? Who am I? I learned a list has really helped me eliminate all those unnescessary items I am usually so quick to pack. 

I am packing some cute slip on sandals (which I think are an upgrade from the expected flip flop), cute buckle sandals and heels for dinner in the town, and a pair of converse for some hiking trips we have planned. 

I am packing some loose neutral tops to throw on for the beach. I am silly but I want them to match my bikinis! No patterns for me. 

An adorable and over-the-top straw hat from Anthropologie is a must. 

Eggplant and fire engine red bikinis are the perfect contrast for the crystal clear waters and white sand. 

When I am in the sun ALL day, I love going out to dinner feeling sun kissed, smelling good, and being well moisturized. I love this tanning oil; it protects me from burns, but helps me get some color. My favorite Caviar Repair shampoo is a must to help rejuvenate my locks after hours in salty water. Texturizing hairspray to give my hair the beachy, tousled effect. Moisturizer, because my skin gets dry after the salt and sun, along with my favorite perfume, which smells fresh and beachy. 

The last thing you want is to appear cake faced on a beachy vay-k. I've narrowed down my cosmetics to a few essentials that will leave me looking healthy and put together. Skin moisturizer, my new favorite hourglass foundation (I just use a tiny bit and it goes a LONG way), bronzer, chapstick, a rosy hue of lipstick to inject some life into my face, mascara, and of course, my most important cosmetic tool, MY EYEBROW BRUSH. 

Gluten Free Banana Honey Oat Mini Loafs

I am feeling convicted as a wife. Last night, with Nathan's last bit of sickly strength, he went to the kitchen in search of something sweet. Of course, we had nothing, so he returned to the couch with a bag of semi-sweet baking chocolate chips. I used to love baking for Nathan. Every single weekend of college, I would drive home, bake Nathan pies, cookies, and homemade breads to eat the upcoming week. If you followed me on Instagram back then you will remember; every sunday I'd post a photo of the stockpile of baked goods I made for him.

College days are long gone, as is our metabolism, so staying true to our healthy lifestyle, I decided to bake something amazing and sweet without processed sugar, so tonight poor Nathan won't have to resort to the semi-sweet chips again. He already ate a few of these and is absolutely in love. They are suspiciously moist and outrageously yummy. It is safe to say we will be seeing more of these little loaves in our future.  

You will need:

3 large ripe organic bananas

1/2 cup organic honey

1 beaten egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup spelt flour (regular unbleached will do but if you are trying to be extra healthy I like spelt)

1/2 cup oatmeal

3/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Add all ingredients to an electric mixing bowl and beat until combined. Butter and flour mini loaf pan or you can use a muffin tin. If you are dairy free substitute the butter with coconut oil. Using these small pans is better than a large loaf pan because it makes more moist bread. Bake at 350˚ for 20 minutes.  

Green Moment

I ALWAYS have fresh flowers in my house; this is an expense I wont skimp out on. Flowers bring life to your space and add an element of fresh beauty. I always get my flowers from Trader Joe's; the price is right and selection is generally unique. On my usual grocery run this week, flowers was on the list, however, the selection was really picked over, leaving a few bunches of gladiolas and mixed roses which just did not do it for me.

I saw an all white wedding with only greenery on Instagram which I found intensely pleasing to my eye! Inspired by the photo I saw, and instead of purchasing sub par flowers, I decided to go around my yard and clip some greens to create an intentionally all-green arrangement.  This bouquet was completely free, surprisingly gorgeous, and easy! Although I will continue to buy my flowers, I thought this was a fun change up. Be careful while choosing foliage, you want the mixed greens to appear intentional, not random. Happy clipping! 

Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

My poor Nathan woke up with a nasty cold. What better way to sooth a rainy day cold than with some hearty soup? I have had a bag of orzo in my cabinet forever so I decided to take an Italian spin on some good old chicken noodle soup. Using white onion, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, white wine and lemon, we created the perfect melody of flavors that remind me of something we would have seen on the menu at a cafe in Rome. This soup and a side of dayquil should have Nathan better in no time. ENJOY! 

You will need:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 organic yellow onion, diced

2 cups sliced organic white button mushrooms

3 organic crushed garlic cloves

1 organic leek, sliced

1 organic lemon

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup white wine

kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large stockpot over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and cook until golden, add 1/2 cup white wine.  

2. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and add onion, mushrooms, leeks, and garlic. Cook until tender. Add in the thyme. 

3. Add the chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.

4. Add in orzo and cook until tender. Squeeze in the juice of one entire lemon then add the parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. I like to refrigerate mine because I believe soup is better a few hours after making. However, you may serve immediately. 

Blush Cream and Black

Everything I am wearing is Forever 21, except sunglasses by Celine.

Photography courtesy of Natalie Mcivers. 

Mid Week Meal Menu

Picture courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Nothing makes me happier than watching people enjoy healthy food. Watching Nathan eat the giant salads I make him daily gives me odd joy; I simply love the idea of nourishing our bodies!  We had some guests over for dinner, and I decided to make an entire organic feast! Here is my mid week dinner party menu! 

Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Garbanzo Beans

Peppered Zucchini and Butternut Squash

Roasted Parsley Lemon Garlic Potatoes

Greek Chicken

Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Garbanzo Beans

Peppered Zucchini and Butternut Squash

Roasted Parsley Lemon Garlic Potatoes

Fresh flowers throughout the house are a must! 

Gluten Free Farmers Market Pesto Pasta

Nathan and I are hardcore pasta lovers, however, it's no secret that isn't easy on the physique. Since we are on a Caribbean diet, (we are visiting the French West Indies Feb 1st! WOOOOP), pasta is out of the question, but that doesn't mean the cravings go away. We recently discovered quinoa pasta, which is not quite the same, but does the trick of curbing our pasta itch. This pasta is packed with powerhouse veggies, it is gluten free, and is flippin delicious. I could eat this ALL DAY long, and this recipe made so much, I just might. 

For Pesto:

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts)

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)

5 cups organic fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good olive oil

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Vegetables:

1 red organic bell pepper

2 bag of Trader Joe's butternut squash

1 cup of organic peas

1 organic white onion 

Some feta for topping.

Directions:

1. In a food processor, add nuts and garlic cloves, mix until combined. 

2. Add the basil and chop slowly, add olive oil.

3. Once thoroughly combined, add the parmesan, chop until combined. Refrigerate.  

4. Cook quinoa pasta, be careful to not over cook. 

5. In a sautee pan, cook onions, butternut squash, and red bell pepper. Briefly cook - I like to keep mine semi-raw. I hate cooking out all the nutrients! 

6. Add pesto and veggies to pasta mix thoroughly. Top with feta! 

Chocolate Twist Bread (Babka Bread)

I saw this gorgeous loaf of bread on the popular page of Instagram. I knew I had to make it, so I tracked down the recipe, which led me to Smitten Kitchen - a new favorite! I was overjoyed when I realized this recipe made two loafs, one for Nathan, and one for our neighbors! This bread is not the easiest because it takes time, but overall in the end it is pretty dang easy for how gorgeous it is! Recipe found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/10/better-chocolate-babka/

One for Nathan, one for the neighbors. 

Follow me on Instagram: mersierrra for recipe updates and stuff! 

My Favorite Lemonade

I made it to age 22 without a sweet tooth. About a month into my wedding dieting, at age 23, I began craving sugar like it was my career. This whole sweet tooth thing is new to me. I spent my life scoffing at girls who cried into their Ben n Jerry's; I simply could not relate. Today, this could not be any less true as I think of sugar often. I'm lucky, though, because my sugary cravings consist of Trader Joe's dried mango, Chick-Fil-A's diet lemonade, and the occasional chocolate something. None of these are TERRRRRIBLE, and I still prefer salt to sugar, however, the sugar cravings are excessively frequent and unfortunate. 

A friend turned me onto Chick-Fil-A's lemonade, and for the past couple weeks I have been dragging Nathan to the drive through to get my fix. Every night like clock work we finish dinner and I have to ask Nathan under my breath with embarrassment if we can go. This lemonade seemed like an answer from above, because its basically guilt free. However, my cravings were so frequent, I felt like spending $2.50 every night was kind of a waste. I know that's not a lot of money per day, but at the end of the month, thats almost $80.00 in lemonade! What madness; I'd rather buy some shoes or a new dress with that money. I decided by making it at home, using better sweetener, I can curb my sweet tooth all day AND save money! I am drinking a giant glass right now, and dang, it's good. I know this is simple and silly, but I'm excited about my lemonade discovery - it really is the little things in life... 

I fill my Britta filter about half way with water.

Juice of 6 lemons

Stevia sweetener. ( I keep adding packets until its the right sweetness for me! )

Lots and lots of ice. The key is it has to be ice cold! 

Thai Chopped Salad with Sesame Garlic Ginger Lime Dressing

It is really hard staying positive - especially when we live in a world of such pettiness, am I right? Why cant we all get along? I read a good quote last night went like this:

"How would your life be different if...You walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day...You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same." -Unknown

I am realizing with age how people treat you has to do a lot with how they feel about themselves. It is kind of a direct reflection of their insides. ANYWAYS, there is my two cents for this Thursday. 

Let's get to what matters: this salad! My brother in-law and sister in-law are traveling South East Asia for FOUR WHOLE MONTHS, which means I am getting a whole lot of texts with photos of the best looking food ever. Nathan is really jealous; he LOVES Asian food. So I decided to take the healthy route and make a Thai inspired salad ,and let me tell you, it's amazing! It is actually packed with nutrition, and the dressing is just to die for! 

P.S. This salad takes TIME - lots of chopping and peeling. I would suggest this as a main course. Maybe shred some left over chicken and add on top? I'm just thinking out loud. 

For Salad:

5-6 cups organic baby kale finely chopped

1/2 head ice berg lettuce finely chopped

3 organic carrots cut with peeler

2 organic bell peppers thinly sliced

1 cup organic cilantro finely chopped

3/4 cups cashews (I use Trader Joes Thai Lime and Chili Cashews, life changing)

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

3 organic garlic cloves

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh organic ginger

1 tablespoon honey

1 entire organic juiced lime

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Puree all the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and add more of whatever you think or adjust to your preferences, I think its just perfect! 

2. Toss all salad ingredients together, add dressing, and enjoy!

Avocado Lime Cilantro Brown Rice

You will need:

2 cups brown rice, already cooked and cooled. 

2 avocados

1 lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper for seasoning 

chili flakes if you can handle the heat

Mash up all your avocado thoroughly.

All all the ingredients.

ONEEEEEE more picture because that is a glorious sight to me. 

Add it to your brown rice and mix, mix, mix. 

YUM!!!

Brie Avocado Veggie Sandwich

You will need:

Thoroughly toasted Ezekiel Bread. I use the low sodium one that comes in an orange bag.

1/2 avocado

thinly sliced bell pepper

thinly sliced beef steak tomato

thinly sliced onion, white or red

arugula 

brie cheese

mustard

prosciutto 

My Perfect Breakfast

As I mentioned before in my post about my everyday lunch routine, I usually eat the same thing most days. This may seem boring, but to me, it makes the days I go out to eat more exciting and gives each regular morning a comforting routine. In 2014 I ate Fage 0% greek yogurt every morning with a packet of stevia. It may sound unimaginative, but don't knock it until you try it. I loved it and seriously looked forward to my sweet, guiltless breakfast each morn. Even though stevia is the only non-carcinogenic sweetener, I decided for 2015 I would step up my breakfast game with even more natural toppings, ditch the labeled packet, and make breakfast even more exciting. I'm a little silly when it comes to sugar, even totally natural sugars; I just cant help but want to avoid them.  My mind tells me sugar = bad. However, this yogurt bowl is guilt free, satisfies any sweet tooth, and is essentially a blank canvas for all kinds of healthy toppings. To be honest some days I'll opt for Ezekiel toast with avocado just to cut down the sugar, but I think this bowl is pretty darn delicious, healthy, and a pretty start to anyones day!

I use:

Fage total 0 % yogurt

chia seeds

organic honey

strawberries 

blackberries