protein salad

In the spirit of trying to be healthy during these feastly holiday times, I created this delicious and nutritious salad that's packed with protein. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

chicken breasts, balsamic vinegar, apple, candied pecans, goat cheese,

rosemary, olive oil, onions and spinach (if you want to get really snazzy,

add a few pieces of bacon, too)

First, marinate chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar, rosemary and olive oil for several hours. Then, top with a little extra balsamic vinegar and roast in the oven (covered) on 350 degrees with chopped onions for 30 minutes, then uncovered until lightly browned and cooked inside.

For the salad, put spinach, candied pecans, apple cubes and goat cheese in a bowl. Once chicken is finished, top the salad with the chicken and use the juices from the chicken as the dressing for a warm and hearty meal-in-one. 

i feel like i'm going through a break up

an irrelevant but nonetheless tasty-lookin' photo from the san rafael farmers' market

There's really no other way to say/write it except that I've seriously sucked at blogging lately. To give myself a little credit, I have been going through a bit of a break up... with San Diego. Like I mentioned, I'm moving to the Bay Area after five years of calling San Diego home. I'm excited for a more motivated and fast-paced city, one I've always adored, but still so much of me feels like I'm letting go of something great; like I'm giving up on a difficult relationship... though the relationship isn't with a guy, it's with a city.

I think it'll be a good thing, though. A fresh start where I don't have to pay rent for a while and where I can concentrate on myself and my career... whatever that may be. I know I should be excited and hopeful but instead, I'm anxious and confused and really just plain scared. Mostly of failing. But isn't that what holds people back in the first place? Fear? And isn't overcoming the fear the first step in being successful? I'm hoping that's the path I'm on.

One of my family's Thanksgiving traditions is to go around the table and say what you're grateful for. While family, friends and education were popular answers, what I found myself truly grateful for opportunity. How blessed am I to have the opportunity to succeed; to have a family who will bail me out of my failures and cheer me on regardless; to have causes and hobbies I'm passionate about (almost to a fault) when most of the world might never ever know the giddiness and satisfaction I feel when my writing is published, when I make a small difference in the life of another or when I get praised for this blog.

I think the worst part of this whole transitional phase, granted I have been frantically packing and trying to sell a majority of my possessions (anyone want to buy some furniture?), is that I've abandoned my dear blog, which just a few months ago was the number one love of my life. This blog makes me happier than most things and gives me sense of productivity and accomplishment even in a time of unemployment. So why did I stop writing? Even if just for a few weeks, it hasn't seemed right. As of now, I'm vowing to myself and to you all (if anyone is still reading) to make this space a priority.

Thanks for sticking with me, blog world! Good material coming your way... I promise.

a quick quote

image courtesy of revelment

{Tehe. I like this. Hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!}

things i'm afraid to tell you part two

You can read part one here.

I tear up every time I hear "Your Hand in Mine" by Explosions in the Sky.

[it reminds me of growing up in Texas]

Seeing Dr. Dre at Coachella this past year was one of the highlights of my life.

I'm a food hoarder and I've recently realized that it stems from the fancy lunches my mom used to pack for me when I was growing up and that every other kid at my lunch table would ask for a bite.

I'm unemployed [it's a long story] and I have no idea what this next chapter will hold. Hence all of the trips I've been taking.

I'm moving to the Bay Area [SURPRISE!] at the beginning of December.
Job leads in the editorial world are much appreciated.

In the past year, I feel like I've really learned to stand up for myself and not settle. I feel good about that.

I've recently developed a major love for make-up. Post on my favorite products coming soon!

There are few pieces of clothing I enjoy wearing more than my bathrobe.

I have three pairs of moccasins.

This is the first year in about five or six years that I haven't left the country and I'm dying to get out. Anyone want to accompany me on a trip?

I've never eaten a Twinkie.

24 hours

Head over to Tammy's blog to see what I'd do if I had just...