Kale is the New Black

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Kale is the new black. You heard it here first.  I expect we have a few more weeks with Kale on top until it really heats up and the new black is yellow watermelon or some other fancy fruit at the farmers market.  Seriously though, I am obsessed with kale, so much so my husband has asked for a break from eating it…

Here are some of my favorite recipes.  The ones I got from actual websites are easy to follow and awesome.  The ones I make up are going to be less easy to follow but equally as awesome.  I will warn you measurements are estimated – I like to cook off the cuff.  I would also like to say that I am not a professional photographer and a lot of my food does not look like a fancy well lit cook book photo shoot but what it lacks in superficial beauty it makes up for in taste.  Tasty is what I do.

Kale Potato Potpourri
1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3-4 Russet potatoes cubed SKINS ON (I like the organic ones from TJ’s)
1/2 an Onion (whatever color you have works although I prefer yellow)
2-3 pieces of garlic pressed
2-3 cups of Cauliflower cut into 1 inch florets
2-3 stalks of Celery chopped
2-3 cups of Broccoli cut into 1 inch florets (use a bag if you don’t feel like chopping)
1/2 bag of Kale (3-4 cups)
2 cups of cooked or canned beans (I like lentil or black)

Spices (season to taste how you like it. I’ll do my best to give estimates)
1-2 Tablespoons Tumeric (new fav spice)
1 teaspoons Paprika
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder if you’re feeling spicy

Add the olive oil to the pan. Saute’ the potatoes and onion over medium heat until they are almost done (approx. 15-20 min depending on how big you chop them).  Add the seasonings and garlic. Add the cauliflower and celery continue to sauté for a few minutes, add the broccoli and cook a few more minutes until they are almost done (still slightly crunchy if you bite into it). Add more seasoning if you want after you taste it. Add the kale and beans, cover the pot to cook the kale down for about 5 minutes.  You want to make sure the kale is soft and completely cooked so it isn’t bitter.

A good rule I use while cooking is constantly tasting my food as I cook. That way you know if it’s done, how much more seasoning to add and you wont be starving while you work.  Also with this recipe if you don’t have broccoli or one of the other ingredients (besides the kale & potatoes obv), make it with whatever you’ve got.  Got half a red pepper in your fridge? Throw that in.  Be creative.  This is a great way to use the stuff you have around the house and to make it taste good.  As far as I know this is a vegan delight, it also might be gluten free but I’m new to that distinction so maybe someone can help me out with that one?  As with all my recipes you can probably get all the ingredients at Trader Joe’s.  I rarely shop anywhere else.

Here is another great kale recipe made with chicken sausage.

Here is a simple recipe for to just cook kale.  I actually used that recipe, omitted the vinegar, added a can of fire roasted tomatos, garbanzo beans and served it over some baked slices of polenta for dinner and it was fab.

Last, I have been wanting to make kale chips and just haven’t gotten around to it yet so if you have a good recipe please post it my way!

 

Birthday Suits

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Yesterday was my birthday and as most people who are reading this probably already know I LOVE my birthday!  It’s not so much that I adore getting older (although I am starting to feel a bit wiser) it’s more that I enjoy the celebration, getting together with loved ones, family and friends and of course the all important birthday outfits.  Oh yea, OUTFITSSS or as I like to kid, my birthday suits. Pun intended.

Saturday night’s party dress.  Purchased recently at a SF based boutique called Ambiance.  I love a tight sassy mini dress. This one caught my eye for so many reasons:
Bright colors
Nautically inspired navy stripes
Shoulder pads
Sleeves!
Generally, my policy on dressing up is if you’re gonna show a lot of leg and booty cover up your arms and cleve (or vice versa.)  There are exceptions ie. Las Vegas, trashy teenage rebellion, vacation, unexpected unrelenting heat waves.  It’s why I said generally.  My goal when styling a festive evening outfit is to achieve a look that says “tasteful trollop” (thank you Allison) and not streetwalker although as anyone who watches the fashion police and Joan Rivers it’s a fine line.  I paired this frock with black sheer tights and black suede boots.  Can’t wait for it to warm up so I can skip the tights and rock my cream booties.

Sunday, my actual birthday, I went for a more casual dinner ensemble pairing a cream lace top with a purple tank, my new favorite Habitual jeans and some metallic flats.  I have the back of the top pictured here because it’s my favorite part.  I love pieces with little surprise details like this and things that look like they were made out of your great grandma’s doilies.

So that’s the b-day outfit breakdown.  I would like to give a shout out and say how excited I am about all the new yoga gear I got this year.  Big thanks to the Huz, my parents, Robin & Dave for raiding the local lulu to make sure I am as stylish in the yoga studio as out.  Muah!

 

Riding the Yoga High

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It’s been awhile since I last wrote.  Something that depending on my mood or state of being I either lament or just try and let go of, trust the universe, I will blog when I blog….  As you know from my last post a couple of weeks ago I have started Yoga Teacher Training and it is INTENSE.  It is not only way more time consuming that I originally anticipated but it is energy consuming, physically exhausting, and mentally challenging.  My brain and body have not been this stimulated in a long time.  I am all consumed.  All yoga.  All the time.  And you know what?  It’s AWESOME.  Sure I’ve had my days where I think I can’t possibly do one more Chaturanga without my triceps snapping or the only energy I have left after four hours of practice teaching is to stand silently in front of my fridge, staring into space, and drinking a beer, or how I can’t imagine how I will ever learn 9 different ways to cue down dog.

And then I have nights like tonight where I leave class bursting with love; consumed by the beautiful positive energy of my peers and teachers, and I reaffirm I am doing exactly what I should be doing.  That blog or no blog I am in the right spot and I shouldn’t worry about what’s not happening.

Tonight I participated in my first group OM energy circle (not sure if that is the technical name so I’ll explain).  Roughly 60 of us formed two circles around the room, facing each other and for five minutes OM-ed continuously switching places half way through so that you got to spend time on the outside of the circle, giving energy, and on the inside of circle receiving energy.  It was incredible.  I could literally feel all the energy, the emotion, and the vibrations.  I literally got lost in OM’s not knowing which one was mine, and at the end of class I had tears running down my face.

I have known I have loved chanting for a while now and have been fortunate enough to have someone in my life who has brought a new level of chanting into my life.  But I have never experienced the glory of a big group OM and group chant like tonight.  I can’t wait to do it again.  I am certainly predisposed to embracing this kind of thing and I realize chanting may seem very foreign to many people but it is such a positive and powerful experience I recommend trying it.  I would LOVE to chant with you.  You know where I am and until next time take a nice long inhale breath and as you exhale speak OM.  It just feels good.

Let Go of Expectations

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Yesterday I attended my very first class for CorePower Yoga’s, Power Yoga Teacher Training program and I feel cooler already. Ashley, what do you do? I’m a Power Yoga Teacher. BOOM!  OK, so I am definitely getting ahead of myself here but it was fun and I’m excited.

Class began with breath, we all closed our eyes and as a group took deliberate inhales and exhales.  This is probably a no brainer for yoga training but I think it was genius.  I was pretty anxious walking in that room, wondering what to expect, how I’d measure up, if I should just quit now and spare myself the certain embarrassment that awaited. And then we started breathing. I can’t say my anxiety was whisked away but I was substantially calmer.  I started to feel united with everyone else in the room, that we were in this together and it wasn’t a competition.  We opened our eyes, felt the yummy effects of our breath and prepared for what we all knew was coming: The Ice Breaker.

Of course it was awkward.  After mingling for 15 minutes you had to introduce someone you met, include their favorite yoga pose, and something interesting about them.  Everyone was a good sport about it, might as well right? (We are all paying to be there.) And honestly it’s a pretty interesting bunch. There’s a sky-diving instructor, a female pilot, a 17-year-old, lots of dancers, (belly, ballet, and burlesque!) all sorts of students, professionals, people who’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time like me and a guy who decided to go 15 minutes before the class started.  As the evening continued we learned a lot about what to expect over the next 8 weeks, and engaged in another group activity where we acted out and discussed the 10 principals of CorePower Yoga.  All in all it was a good first class, it was informative without being overwhelming, it was interactive, and we got to meet a lot of new people.  What really struck me though was this:

Let go of expectations. This was highlighted at the end of class and I realized just how important it was, especially for me.  I decided to do this program with the goal of becoming a yoga instructor, which is great but I see how that is also limiting.   I have no idea what is going to come out of this process, what is going to happen after I finish or how I am going to feel and I am going to stop trying to figure it out. (My inner control freak is really having a hard time with this one.)  My new goal is to enjoy the process, work hard and get whatever it is I am supposed to get out of this experience.  I sound like a yogi already, don’t I?

I am also super excited to explore a new niche in fashion, Yoga Teacher Training Chic, YTTC, if you will.  It’s a boho athletic mix of, let’s practice our down dog and then get drinks kinda outfit.  Dressing for wednesday nights is gonna be FUN!

Glee & Cardio

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I often struggle to find the motivation I need to work out.  Especially after a weekend filled with fun, tasty adult bevvys and fried feasting, like TODAY, when I know I need a real sweat-fest to shake that last bit of sunday funday out of my system.  My secret cardio-sustaining weapon? Glee.  Now I realize that a lot of you probably have the same secret by a different name be it Real Housewives, or the Kardashians or right – you get it.  Perhaps you’re a gym gleek too.  I just have to say watching this show on my phone actually makes me excited to hop on that elliptical machine and do some work.  I even find the song and dance numbers conducive to interval training – Bonus!  On occasion I can ride the high of the latest episode into a post-glee-cardio weight training session. Switching to one of my many pop playlists, I start rocking out Mariah Carey’s Number Ones, while actually lifting a couple of 8lb-ers and picturing how I would choreograph a Glee routine to Dreamlover.  And now I’m stoked because I turned what was sure to be a very lackluster, emo-monday, attempt at working out into something that actually did some good based on my silly beet-red face and the scent of sweaty stale beer.  Thanks Glee!  Please don’t make fun of me too much if we ever meet at the gym.

Get Warm. Get Frisky. Drink Whiskey.

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It’s rather chilly here in San Diego tonight.  55˚ and windy, burrrr!  For all you east coasters that’s right around freezing in so-cal.  In any case, it’s a perfect time for one of my favorite toasty treats, a Hot Toddy. Tonight I made said toddy with Trader Joe’s Hot Spiced Apple Cider & Makers Mark.  A recipe borrowed from the fabulous Katie B.  If cider is not your mixer of choice you can also brew some hot tea, I prefer black or ginger but whatever you’re into will work.  Add equal parts Makers and honey (give or take a shot each) and you are good to go.  This tasty bevvy is sure to make you feel warm and fuzzy in no time.

Fine Print: More than one toddy might make you frisky and I certainly can’t be held responsible for anything that happens after that.

Bonus: If you have a cold a just add a squeeze of lemon to your hot toddy, take your cold meds and get ready to knock out. (I am not a medical professional just creative)

CHEERS!

Friday Night Sassy Casual

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Heyo! It’s Friday and you’re leaving your house so you better start thinking about what to wear like yesterday.  My advice, put down your jeans, not that I am against jeans, but they are just so predictable.  Sure, sometimes they’re great blah blah but humor me and answer the following questions:

Are you going bowling or to a rodeo?
Is it snowing?
Are you riding some sort of motorcycle to your destination?
Are you a man?

If you answered NO to all of the above take off your pants immediately and grab a skirt.  On of my favorite looks is Friday Night Sassy Casual or FNSC.  This is an outfit that is comfy and casual and yet has a healthy dose of, Hey there girlfriend you’re lookin’ good! Look at you sassy in your skirt. 

Here’s the breakdown:

I love pairing neutrals with a pop of color.  Any bold color will work and it can be in any piece if you have say a bright blue blazer or a hot pink cashmere sweater, just keep the rest neutral.  Flats in this outfit are also key because it keeps your tight mini in check.  The tights help too and with a sweater/blazer combo you’ll be toasty warm. What are you waiting for?  Start sifting through your closet now and give it a try sassy gal.  You’ll be smashing!

 

 

Starting a blog is like building an outfit

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It takes more time than you expect to get each piece in place. That said, welcome to my blog!  Smashingley.com a site dedicated to chronicling the stylish, insightful and witty nuggets of info in my life relevant to fashion, food and fitness.  Well that is at least what I aspire to – turns out blogging isn’t as easy as it looks especially when said blogger is ME.  I have been over-thinking and obsessing over minute details of this blog for a few weeks now (not unlike my process for choosing an important outfit) and enough is enough -it’s time to plunk my pink nails on this keyboard and do some work.  *sigh*

What to expect?  My goal is to write about what I’m into, passionate about.  That might take the form of tips, how-to’s, how-i’s, likes, dislikes, trial & error, reflection, and rants.  As far as overarching topics go there are three things in my life that are constantly driving me.

Fashion:

Life is my runway.  I was 18 months old when I started instructing my mother on my fashion preferences, as she picked out a sporty little pants outfit for me to wear, with one word, “Dress.”  From that moment I have cultivated my love of fashion and sense of style with dramatic ensembles, habitually being overdressed, shopping, seeking out designers, brands, and boutiques, sporting enormous accessories, and taking 2 hours to coordinate the perfect outfit for any occasion from sunday brunch to formal affairs. But it’s not ALL about me, I jump at every chance I get to help style family, friends, co-workers, strangers in the dressing room, and now, you!

Food:

This one started at a young age too.  According to family legend my first solid food was El Dorado Casserole - try it.  Starting there and building upon a family tradition steeped in the joys of seeking, tasting, and making a dizzying array of cuisines, (5 stars for that one mom and dad), I have cultivated a pretty adventurous pallet.  I love all things food from cooking, and baking, to restaurant hopping, and stalking food trucks. Most recently, in an effort to put my talents to healthy use, I have been experimenting with creating fabulously tasty vegan fair. Bringing us to number three…

Fitness:

In a world full of tasty muffin tops and skinny jeans a girl has got to do something to stay in shape, right?!?  Joking aside, being healthy and feeling good is something I continually strive for and I’ve found a few ways that make doing so fun and sustainable.  Dance! I relish any opportunity to shake what my mama gave me be it at a club, a cardio hip-hop class or in front of my closet mirror microphone/hair brush in hand, “baby I was born this way.”  Additionally in the last few years I have found a great deal of physical, emotional and spiritual benefit practicing yoga and will chronicle my journey to becoming an instructor right here.

So that’s me,  wearing Pronovias, Givenchy earrings (now 50% off – your welcome) and borrowed 1950′s vintage bracelets from the Nancy collection.

Smashingley yours until next time…