WIAW: A Day In The Life

Today was a jam-packed day. Or, to describe it more accurately, it was an apple butter-packed day. I know, I know. Worst intro ever

Anyways, it’s been a busy day, but the fruits of my labor (okay, I promise to stop now) are paying off and I’m starting off my Winter quarter on the right foot and (hopefully) am getting into a pattern of balancing school work with cooking, workouts, blogging, friends, and Kyle

Here’s a look into my busy Tuesday with interjections of my eats courtesy of WIAW! Thanks, Jenn, for hosting! 

My day started around 6:10 a.m and I groggily checked my phone, which I keep on a desk next to my bed. Now that I think about it, I probably am going to end up from some sort of unknown cancer from having all those cell phone rays (is that even a thing) so close to my brain. Anyways, I digress. So I opened my phone, read some emails, promptly read them over again because I can’t understand or compute anything at 6:10 in the morning, and then nimbly dropped it on my face because I have the world’s best motor skills. Not fun, but it certainly woke me up! 

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I crawled out of bed, took a shower, half-did my makeup, read and commented on a few lovely blogs, and ate a breakfast of yogurt, cottage cheese, and fruit. (Too boring to post a picture).

Then, I rushed to my 8 a.m Organic Chemistry class and sat through a long lecture. By the end of it, my brain juices were basically depleted, so I used the 40 minutes between my Chemistry and French class to grab a mocha from our campuses’ cafe and browse Pinterest/answer a few emails on my iPad mini (thanks Dad- I love it!).

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Then, it was off to my French class, followed by an interesting biology lecture on ecology. While I had a busy day, I was done with class by 12:30 and had plenty of time to work on non-school related things!

I came back to my apartment, cleaned up the living room/took down Christmas decorations, started making my Pumpkin Spice Apple Butter while watching Dexter on Netflix, and prepared a fast and easy lunch. I know it sounds like a weird combo, but that apple butter (which tastes like the inside of an apple pie, by the way) pairs AMAZINGLY with cottage cheese. I made a big batch to have as a healthy, protein-packed snack or breakfast.DSC_1828 DSC_1831I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet before, but I recently was contacted and hired by a women’s fitness and health website as a freelance writer (!!!). This is actually the second job opportunity that I’ve had directly due to Apple of My Eye, and I can’t even express how cool it is to have a hobby lead to new work experiences! Anyways, one of my first couple assignments is to create a recipe and write a corresponding post with it.

Here’s a small (unbaked) teaser of the healthy Apple Crumble Fruit Bars I created! 

DSC_1846After the bars were done baking, I walked over to a nearby small gym that is owned by our apartment complex and did 25 minutes of a HITT elliptical workout, followed by a 20 minute interval workout on the treadmill. To round everything off, I did a few arm and leg exercises (holy jump lunges). 

IMG_3983Once I got back, I snacked on a banana while I cooked up some panko crusted salmon, Balsamic Garlic Brussels Sprouts, and brown rice for dinner for Kyle and I. Kyle was off playing tennis till 9 at night, so I wanted to make sure he had a good dinner waiting for him when he got back!

IMG_3990 IMG_3992Post-dinner work included writing up most of the article for my recipe, replying to a few more emails, and studying a bit for my classes. Oh, and a bit of online shopping on Hautelook. How cute is this?!

Cute pink workout topNow, time to sleep!

~Christine 

Garlic Ginger Bok Choy

A couple days ago, Kyle and I went to town with getting a few recipes ready for Apple of My Eye. Let me tell ya, cooking is exhausting. We were both more than ready to take a nap after and recharged by eating a half gallon of S’mores ice-cream while watching Netflix on the couch. We make a good team.

In total, we prepared and photographed four new recipes to share, one of which was this ridiculously easy and tasty Garlic Ginger Bok Choy recipe.
Garlic Ginger Bok Choy- healthy, easy, and done in under 10 minutes!!

It doesn’t get much easier than this! Ready in literally 10 minutes from start to finish, it’s bursting with flavor, color, and nutrition to boot! It makes the perfect healthy side dish and pairs well with so many different main dishes. Kyle and I were definitely thankful that this recipe came together so quickly after all our other cooking endeavors! 

Garlic Ginger Bok Choy- healthy, easy, and done in under 10 minutes

Bok Choy is a powerhouse of vitamin A and C and one cup of the tasty vegetable contains more that 100% of your recommended vitamin A and 75% of your recommended vitamin C. Along with that, it has only 9 calories per shredded cup and is the perfect way to balance out a heavier meal, like the Brown Sugar Glazed Asian Beef I paired it with. (Recipe to come this week- it’s a long-time family favorite!) 

A great asian side dish!If you’re ever in need of a speedy side dish to round out a meal, this is the perfect recipe for you!

 

Enjoy!

~Christine

Marvelous In My Monday

Happy (err… Can Monday even be described like that?) Monday! 

My college starts back up today, which means more late nights in labs and endless amounts of studying. However, it also means that I’m reunited with some of my best friends and get to enjoy a few weeks of an easier course load before my midterms are here.DSC_1650Guess there’s a silver lining in everything- including Mondays!

Which brings us to today’s post: another rendition of Marvelous in My Monday!

 Marvelous is date night! 

IMG_1469Kyle and I spent Friday night at a fancy restaurant by the pier called The Lobster. While neither of ordered lobster, we both really enjoyed our meal and getting to spend some quality time together. It’s always nice to dress up a bit and enjoy a romantic getaway, even if it’s just for a dinner date! 

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Marvelous is good food.

Nuff’ said. Drool. 

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Marvelous is cute new cooking accessories! 

Kyle’s mom got me an adorable cookie stamp as part of her Christmas gift to me. Along with that, Kyle got me the cutest set of measuring spoons from a small store in a town nearby to where we went skiing. Useful and the perfect prop to my food photography!

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I know this was a brief, picture-filled post, but I need to get some rest!

Hope you have a marvelous Monday lovelies! 

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe for hearty and healthy chicken noodle soup!

Hello, hello, hello! Kyle here. A.k.a: Chief of Food Consumption and Secretary of Stealing Sample Bites. 

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It’s been a while since I posted something for you all to take a look at. I’m really happy that you all seem to have liked my previous guest post on a Guy’s Opinion on Body Dysmorphia and What I Find Attractive in a Girl.

This one isn’t about something similar at all, but vastly important nonetheless! This post is about my hearty chicken noodle soup!

Before I go on, let me just say thank you to my wonderful, beautiful girlfriend, Christine (He’s totally trying to earn brownie points here. I’m on to you.- Christine), for letting me submit another guest post!

I’m still new to blogging, although one blog post more experienced since last time, so keep that in mind as I just go for it.

Now, on to the soup! This is a recipe that I have been making a lot (probably once a week) up at Santa Barbara. It’s tasty, makes 4 big man servings (or 6 normal sized bowls), and it’s easy to make and store! Perfect college food, eh?

The story behind this soup begins with my younger brother’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor, or, more specifically, the dinner at said event. Basically Christine and I were left with several pounds of leftover pulled chicken. This sweet-savory chicken was originally intended for sandwiches, and both Christine and I originally planned to use it for just that. However, eating it in sandwich form for a few weeks straight didn’t seem too appetizing, so the plan quickly changed when Christine suggested that I try to make some chicken noodle soup for dinner one night.

We discovered two things that night: an amazing, easy to make chicken noodle soup recipe and a great use for all of our frozen, pulled chicken! I have been making and tweaking the soup ever since, and now I am going to share the recipe with all of you!

Recipe for a chunky, hearty, and healthy chicken noodle soup!Note: Christine and I quickly learned that putting chicken noodle soup in a bread bowl is NOT the same as a chowder. It was necessary to speed-take pictures/stuff it in our mouths because that malevolent bread kept on soaking up all the liquid. You have been warned.

This hearty chicken noodle soup is wonderfully filling and has a well-blended chicken and vegetable taste, along with great textures and colors! It truly has a great combination of flavors which mesh and work together really well. The onions and celery really help to create the vegetable portion of the flavor, which balances out the stronger chicken flavor. The carrots give each bite the perfect amount of crunch. And if you make it with a saucy chicken, like Christine and I did originally, it is especially tasty.

Recipe for chunky, hearty, and healthy chicken noodle soup!Additionally, it’s an extremely flexible recipe. I have prepared it with several slight variations in attempt to make it more or less chunky, salty, and sweet and each time it has come out slightly different but delicious nonetheless!

A chunky, hearty, and healthy chicken noodle soup recipe!

 So, without further ado, here’s the recipe! 

 

I hope you all enjoy reading this post and give the soup a try! It’s really delicious, especially with a baguette or on a cold day. Thanks again for putting up with my shenanigans, and hopefully I’ll submit another guest post sometime soon!

-Kyle

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Thinking Out Loud #1

Today I’m going to be linking up to Thinking Out Loud so I can just type out whatever comes to my brain. Thanks, Amanda, for hosting!

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1. Tomorrow I’m going to be hauling some serious butt and cooking up a storm. I go back to school this Sunday and most likely won’t have too much free time to create new recipes. So, I’ve decided to try to stockpile some for future posts so I can keep Apple of My Eye going with a steady stream of blog posts. 

Kyle is going to come over tomorrow and making his specialty: Chicken Noodle Soup! 

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Also on the to-do list? Dark Chocolate Orange Avocado Truffles (a different take on my original Avocado Truffles), the BEST breakfast hash ever, and Brown Sugar Glazed Asian Roast (a family favorite). 

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 Hopefully I make it out of the kitchen alive. 

 2. How cute is this wallet?

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I got it right before Christmas, but didn’t find a good time to blog about it. I usually don’t like spending money on the thing that holds my cards and cash, but it was calling my name and right next to the checkout line. Way too easy to grab it and go! Luckily, TJ Maxx shot down the price so it wasn’t too pricy. 

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 3. HELP. Kyle’s birthday is coming up this month and I have no idea what to get him. This is a rough time of year for me (first world problem), because I have to figure out what to get him for Christmas, his birthday, and Valentine’s Day- all in quick succession. 

In the past, I’ve gotten him a leather messenger bag, custom man-jewelry, a ski jacket, sweaters, a tennis jacket, a video game, a custom photo book, and who knows what else. I’m at a loss! If you have any brilliant ideas, I would appreciate it SO much if you could shoot me an email! 

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Photo book of memories for an anniversary or christmas gift!

 4. I’m glad my post on How to Increase Your Pinterest Traffic was helpful to you guys! Those posts always take a long time to write and it makes me so happy to hear from you guys that they weren’t a total waste of time to read ;).  

Increase your Pinterest traffic by following a few simple steps

5. I’m thinking about getting a new layout for Apple of My Eye. I’ve been eyeing the Thesis theme, but am a bit hesitant to have to go through the whole remodeling process again. Anyone else have any experience with it?

6. They just released seasons 5-8 of Dexter on Netflix. I know what I’ll be doing the next couple of days. 

7. I went to the gym today and completed my “I Don’t Want to Workout” workout and one round of the “Arm Definer” workout on my Nike Training Club App. HOLY HECK was it hard! Definitely feeling the burn from the medicine ball pushups. 

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Andd that’s all that comes to mind at the moment! Check in tomorrow night for a tasty new recipe!