Blackened Chicken with Cilantro/Lime Quinoa and Avocado Cream Sauce

we had a delish dinner tonight...i mean it was the best healthy dinner we have had yet.

the recipe called for

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

½ Teaspoon of Paprika

¼ Teaspoon of Salt

¼ Teaspoon of Pepper

¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder

¼ Teaspoon of Cumin

1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil

2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock

1 Cup of Quinoa

Juice and Zest from One Lime

A Dash of Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped

1. Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.
2. Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.
3. Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed.
4. After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.
5. Add the warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.
6. Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the quinoa. If you find the blackened seasoning too spicy, you can add a quick and easy avocado cream sauce to cool it down.
7. Just place the flesh from an avocado along with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth.

 we decided to pair ours with brussel sprouts baked and lightly tossed in a balsamic vingarette.  For dessert, we had a combination of fruit which included apples, oranges, blueberries and a banana.

why is it?

in the words of carrie, my favorite tv/movie character...why is it...when you are sick or facing a life threatening illness or a major change in your life, {you} are the one comforting others?

when updating friends and family of illnesses in our family, i often {feel} the need to omit words and feelings because {someone} may get offended or upset.  i try to sugarcoat things to calm {them} so {they} don't in turn upset us. 

and why is it...when people say "i don't know what to say" or "i wish i had words of comfort" that they just can't leave it at that?  the moment some people say those words, they immediately vomit the worst possible thing a person could say.  why does there have to be {something} to say?  in an effort to say the {right} thing, all the wrong things comes out. 
 
in {your} time of need, you hear often "if you need anything, let me know".  i used to be {super} guilty of this.  i mean the last thing on anyone's mind when facing an illness, a death or catastrophy is what can {you} do for them?  but what if you did something for someone without them asking?  what if you could recognize a need and act on it.  could it be that there are people who do not need the recognition, the thanks?  just simply knowing you did something nice for someone else would be enought to put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart. 

here is a hint when you don't know what to say or do in someone's dark times:  keep quiet.  if you really want to help, be there to listen when we finally let loose all that we have bottled up from the many times {we} have had to comfort {others} in {our} time of need.  don't wait to be asked.  put yourself in the shoes of your friend or family member.  what would be something that would be helpful to you?  what would put a smile on your face.  then do it.  and don't make it about you...don't expect a thank you.  remember why you are doing it in the first place...because they probably have so much on their plate, they aren't thinking clearly. 

oh, and it doesn't always have to be a time when someone is hurting, it can be any time. 

a whole lot of cuteness!!

i have been so busy with thanksgiving and editing photos, i have been slack on posting.  here are a few pictures from a recent photo shoot i did.  this little girl is one of my favorites to photograph.  there ought to be a warning label on the following photos....she is just so darn cute....i can not get enough of her.

from the beginning

this family has been with me from the beginning.  i can remember when this precious sweet girl was born.  my how the time flies.  this little girl {loves} her brother.  everything he did, she did too.  she is not afraid of {anything}.  these are just a few moments i captured of the two of them.

these next two are probably my favorites of the day:)!

Salomi with aged gouda and crackers

both jj and i had a super long weekend.  i had a few photo shoots, meetings and family events.  jj tagged along to all but then snuck off to the shed to work on a secret thing for what i hope to be an amazing well thought out anniversary gift:):). 

sunday keeps us pretty busy with cooking for the week.  in a previous post, we discussed smoking a turkey and using that for sandwiches.  this week, we boiled a chicken and made a very large bowl of chicken salad.  everyone has their own way of making chicken salad, so i didn't include our recipe.  but i am saving the chicken broth for a yet to be determined occasion.  i find chicken broth in place of water makes {just about} anything taste good. 

because it was such a busy weekend and i was kind of over cooking, we had a mouthwatering treat...not even remotely good for you....but oh so delightful.  we had this yummy trio on sunday as an appetizer before our yummy tomato and cheddar soup.  i won't take credit for any of it.  earthfare made this delish din din.  it was quick and easy...just heat it up!!!

race to end women's cancers

recently jj and i visited our nations capital to participate in an 8k race to end women's cancers.  it ended up being a {mini} africa reunion.  some of the peeps we met while climbing kilimanjaro came to dc to run with team teal diva.  i am humbled and honored.  it was so much fun catching up and re-visiting stories from the trip {the experience}.

we stayed up a little later than we probably should have because we were having so much fun catching up...many glasses of wine later...we were off to sleep.  the next morning after eating a bagel, drinking a gatorade/water and taking my daily allowance of advil to help the hangover, we were off to the race.  here is our fabulous team {not pictured are our very good friends benjy and arinn but they were there in full spirit}.

pictured from left to right is deborah, mickey, lisa, myself, jj and scott

Lisa lost her mom to ovarian cancer and is a chemotherapy nurse in boston...wow! scott and his wife deborah live in nc and were on the climb helping raise funds and awareness for clean water.  we all bonded with each of our reasons for climbing and the fact that we all made it.

leading up to the race, jj had {maybe} run like 3 times all together and none of which was a consistent mile.  i was running 3 miles pretty consistently, but i had not gotten up to 4 or 5.  i kind of just thought...well, i will walk if i need to.  scott is an iron man and his wife deborah is a cross fit instructor.  they lead the team.  mickey and lisa had intended to walk because {like jj} had not trained really.  mickey ran with jj and lisa ran with me.  and as it turned out jj and mickey did awesome and while he did walk some he finished the race {ahead of me}.  i did great too...lisa and i actually ran the entire time.  

i don't know if jj has found his running legs, but he wants to do another run with me...maybe a 5k.  we will see.

the rest of the trip {the rest of the day} could not have been better. spending time together with a group of people you shared such an amazing and intimate experience with is an unbelievable feeling.  And I am so very proud of jj for his unconditional love and support.

surprise myself

not even a month after treatment, i decided to run an 8k trail run...not the best decision i have ever made. i think my time was 1 hour and 45 minutes or maybe even 2 hours.  i had a large team of supporters and a sister who stayed with me the whole way.  looking back i can not believe i did this.  i was fresh out of treatment and wanted to prove cancer had not taken over my life...that i had control.  this was day 1 of learning i need to slow down, listen to my body and don't over do.

since my cancer treatment ended, i have a desire to be healthier and push myself to do things i would {probably} not have done before.  i have had a desire to run a 1/2 marathon, complete a long distance bike race from the {nc} mountains to the coast and participate in a triathlon sprint.  i have learned that i am a lot slower than i used to be.  that is not an excuse.  i have learned to pace myself.  it is ok to be slow.  over time, i have improved greatly and by listening to my body, i have actually not gotten frustrated and have stuck with it.  this was in the spring of 2010...later that year, i took a running class.  i was able to get up to 3 miles through the class and actually completed a few 5k's with my sister in 2011.  i was on track to cross off the 1/2 marathon.  but then plans changed.

i never had the intention of climbing mt kilimanjaro, that was a suggestion made by a friend.  but i am beyond glad i did it and i am forever changed by it.  after climbing, i took a few months off from exercising all together.  knowing i needed and wanted to get back into my track of completing my 1/2 marathon, i slowly started back up in the spring of 2012.  i hate running or exercising {period} when it is hot outside, so i took the summer off.  i started back up again with one goal in mind...run the diva 1/2 marathon in april 2013.

so i started back up slow again.  this time i alternate my running with a cross fit type of class {fight gone mad}.  it is unbelievable how much this has improved my endurance.

i ran a race in winston-salem recently in support of a friend and fellow survivor {katie} and was so surprised at how well i did.  i hadn't yet trained back up to 3 miles.  that day, i not only ran 3 miles, but did so in my best time yet.  here is a picture of katie and i.

next up {race to end women's cancer} in dc....an 8k....that is 5 miles.

iron anniversary gifts for 6 years

do any of you follow the anniversary gifts by year thing?  well jj and i do and while it can be fun and creative, it is also hard at times.  we are celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary and the gift is {iron}.  i have searched {google} all over the place for super cool and creative ideas.  most of what i found dealt with iron maiden {the band}, a golf club or an actual iron {really?}.

if you are like me, i like to give a well thought out gift...one that shows i went the extra mile.  i like giving gifts that not everyone will have.  here are a few ideas i found that are unique and off the cuff a bit (these are simply ideas i found to be different after hours of searching).  if you don't find any ideas that you love here perhaps it will get you thinking outside the box a little.  good luck:)

i know what you are thinking....wth? but it really brings together a fabulous look and combines the traditional gift of iron with the modern gift of wood.

the above is made from horseshoes and the company has a variety of things they can create.  you can combine initials or whatever.  horseshoes are said to bring good luck:)!

this is a vintage pencil sharpener made from cast iron and perfect for the office

iron man cuff links

i don't know if a guy would love this but i sure would:)!

Gibeon Iron Meteorite Cuff links

bottle openers in the shape of tools

an iron puzzle....in this {easy} scenario you must figure out how to release the heart.  there are more puzzles to choose from and they can get pretty difficult.

whole foods...not the grocery store:)

jj has been going back and forth to the doctor because he has had some issues with blood pressure, etc.  today he went and was told he had high blood pressure and was prescribed medicine....yuck:(.  we were trying to avoid that. i picked up some magazines that have a few recipes on cooking whole foods and making it through the holidays eating healthy, whole foods.

we have cut out a lot of sodium and processed foods from our diet anyway, but there is always room for improvement.  the specialist told him he needed to lay off of red meat....bummer.  red meat is a biggie.  we love it! so i went by the grocery store {home economist} and picked up some salmon, asparagus and carrots.

i seasoned the salmon with freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice and freshly chopped basil.  we cut up the carrots and tossed them in a tablespoon of EVOO, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.  It turned out to be pretty good.

White Chili

ok so this was my very first time making white chili. my friend at work gave me an off the cuff recipe. i went by a local grocery store {home economist} and picked up a few ingredients.  i bought a whole chicken, poblano peppers, heavy whipping cream, organic white navy beans and ingredients to make cornbread.  i boiled the chicken and created a stock.  i let the chicken boil for a while, took the chicken out of the stock and then added the meat from the chicken back into the stock.  i added the poblano peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, sea salt, white pepper and a yellow onion.  i let that cook for a good while {90 minutes} and then added the beans and heavy whipping cream.  it was really good, but i think i could have gone a little heavier with the chili powder.  just a little bland and a little runny, but all thing that can be fixed.  it was really good and a great finish to a chilly day:)!

1st Annual Teal Masquerade

 Recently my friend Elaine and Float Pool Bar hosted an event for Teal Diva.  It was so much fun!!!  It was a Teal Masquerade for charity. People came dressed up in costumes and all sorts of fun masks.  I rented my costume and paired it with a super cute pair of teal glitter converse.  The staff got so into it. Morris Costumes donated masks and decorations, a local decal shop donated signs with the Teal Diva logo...there was so many wonderful things about this event.  The most exciting was how supportive The Blake Hotel was in every facet.

This is truly an event we hope to have annually.  Thank you to everyone who showed up in support.

love the little ones

here is an organization i am interested in learning more about {love the little ones}.  love the little ones is a 501c3 non-profit organization who provide birthday parties for kids who have been abandoned by their family.  they are based out of concord, nc.   gotta yoga is hosting a holiday fundraiser for love the little ones on november 30th from 6-9p. this will be a fun night that includes candlelight slow flow yoga and an auction.  then wine, chocolate and connecting with amazing people.  for more on this event and this great organization, please visit their facebook page www.facebook.com/gottayogauniversity or www.gottayogastudio.com or www.lovethelittleones.org.

Teal Masquerade

Teal Masquerade Halloween Party & Charity Event

The Blake Hotel │ 555 S. McDowell St. │ Charlotte │ 28204

October 26th │9pm until 2 am

Open to the public

 

 

This Halloween, a Local Non-Profit is Unmasking a Killer

 

Join Teal Diva at The Blake Hotel on Friday, October 26th from 9pm until 2am for a Teal Masquerade Halloween party for charity. We are exposing a killer among women. It’s a party you won’t want to miss. We will be accepting donations at the door and throughout the night.

 

Teal Diva is a Charlotte based 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate the life of survivors and the sisters we have lost to gynecologic cancers. Breast Cancer Awareness month is a great time to remind everyone to be aware of the symptoms of all women’s cancers. If there is a family history of breast cancer, there can be a higher risk for developing ovarian cancer. There is currently not an accurate screening test in place for ovarian cancer. If caught in an early stage, the cure rate increases by 90%. Sadly, the symptoms are often ‘masked’ by what, we as women, face on a monthly basis making it hard to detect and has given it the nickname, Silent Killer. The primary beneficiary of our fundraising efforts goes towards research in finding an accurate screening test much like what the Pap smear provides for cervical cancer.

 

We chose the theme of a Masquerade because let’s face it; no one likes to talk about ovaries…not in public, anyway. Unlike the breasts, they are not visible; they can be a personal and/or embarrassing topic. We thought an event like a Masquerade would create a fun atmosphere to get people talking about ovaries and create an opportunity to learn the symptoms associated with the disease.

 

No one likes to face the reality that it could happen to you. Until a screening test is in place for ovarian cancer, it is up to all of us to know the symptoms and ask questions. Because the reality is: it could happen to your mother, your grandmother, your sister, your aunt, your wife, your daughter, your neighbor, your friend or it could happen to you! It’s time to break the silence.

 

Facts about Ovarian Cancer

• 1 in 71 women will develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime
• 22,000 new cases diagnosed each year
• 15,500 women will die each year, 1 in 95 women will die from ovarian cancer
• 9th most common cancer
• 5th cause of cancer-related death in women
• 1st cause of gynecologic cancer deaths
• 93% of women diagnosed in early stages survive five years; fewer than 20% of cases are diagnosed early

 

Costumes are welcome and a prize will be given to the best masquerade mask. There will also be a 50/50 Raffle. We look forward to seeing everyone dressed up.

 

a healthy alternative

jj eats sandwiches just about every day.  so when we decided to switch up our food to include more organic foods, we needed to plan for his lunches.  there just so happens to be a new neighborhood produce place that we love {noda produce market}.  we bought homemade bread from them and they even sliced it for us. we then bought a turkey breast and seasoned it with a dry rub.  we fired up our green egg, through in a few apple chips and smoked it for a few hours.

while the turkey was smoking, we made a batch of mayonaise.  although, this recipe needs some tweaking...it is not perfected quite yet.  lucky jj got to go back to using duke's for the rest of the week.

here is our turkey all sliced and ready for sandwiches.

look at these yummy sandwiches!!