New Recipes Resolution: Chicken Stir Fry with Veri Veri Teriyaki from Soy Vay

It's been awhile since I've posted a new recipe. Not that I haven't been cooking; I have! I just haven't been documenting as well as I should be or as eagerly as I was at the beginning of the year. 

Isn't that how it goes? The new year burst of energy runs its course around springtime? 

Nevertheless, I still am partially sticking to my resolution of trying new recipes, just not as often as I aimed for. Progress, not perfection, my friend says. 

Klout has gifted me with quite a few goodies in recent months and the latest Klout Perk I received from them was the Veri Veri Teriyaki from Soy Vay. The perk came with a full bottle of sauce to try and recipe cards. However, I knew immediately that I wanted to make a stir fry. 

Why? Because it's really tough to screw up stir fry. 

I guess you can't really count this as a new recipe since I've made stir fry before, more like a new product. It's really quite simple, all you need to do is: 

1. Buy cut up chicken (or cut it up yourself) and cook in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil; pepper your chicken, but do not salt if you're using this sauce!
2. After the chicken is cooked, add in your stir fry veggies: snow peas, broccoli, carrots, bamboo shoots. You can buy a mixture at the store. Fresh or frozen, it's your choice, make sure you cook them long enough so they're not raw, but also so they don't become limp either. 
3. Add the Soy Vay sauce to the pan. I would use a little more than half of the bottle. 
4. Served with steamed rice. 

The Soy Vay sauce was tasty, but a bit on the salty side, so do not add any extra salt to your dish. I added a few shakes of chili flakes and then Sriracha sauce to my individual portion. I like things spicy!

Next time I am going to marinate the meat in the sauce first and the cook it. I'm a fan of their product, especially after reading their adorable About Us story from their site. Too cute.

Anyway, here is my humble offering from one of the many resolutions I have set for 2015. Any recipe ideas, feel free to send my way! Comment below or send me a tweet to @mscourtneybeth. 

Klout sent this product for free as part of their influencer program. All opinions remain my own.

50/50 Challenge: Books and Movies Update

image from Pinterest

Currently, I'm reading another John Green book. He's the author that wrote The Fault in Our Stars. I'm a fan of his writing style and how he seems to capture the voice of young adults. 

The book was turned into a movie and I just read that screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are adapting another one of his books to hit the screen this summer and more recently acquired Looking for Alaska. The writers are also working on screenplays for two other book club reads: Where'd You Go, Bernadette? and one my favorites Me Before You. 

On the list of movies I've seen since my last update was another book-to-screen adaptation. "Still Alice" was an emotional book and the movie (which Julianne Moore won Best Actress for) made me teary-eyed as well. 

"Whiplash" was one of my favorite movies that I've seen recently. I was very happy to see J.K. Simmons win the Oscar for his performance and "Birdman" was not nearly as weird as I had heard it would be. I rather enjoyed it.

"Shall We Dance?" is a movie I've been meaning to see for awhile because, I mean, Richard Gere. It's a fun, rainy day, flipping through cable kind of movie, and I love how in this movie they didn't follow a bad cliche of a man struggling in his marriage having an affair. Yay for Richard Gere's character putting the romance (and dance) back into his marriage!

#15 - Shall We Dance?

#16 - Kingsman: The Secret Service

#17 - Whiplash

#18 - Birdman

#19 - Still Alice
I've only read two more books:

#7 - It Was Me All Along - Andie Mitchell

#8 - Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - Susannah Cahalan

Both of these books were interesting because they were based on real events of the authors. The one by Andie Mitchell follows her weight-loss journey in a sincere and inspiring way. Her honesty was refreshing. I received that book complimentary of Blogging for Books.

The book by Susannah Cahalan is fascinating. At times it can be too clinical because it discusses a lot of her medical records, but an interesting read nonetheless. I like the parts discussing her work life at The New York Post.

At the beginning of the year, I had thought I would update my review and book lists on Goodreads. If you couldn't tell, I have failed at this resolution. However, I am still dutifully keeping track and at this rate I predict having my movies covered by June and my books covered late December, per the usual.

Share any books or movies that you think I should put on my list!

January Birchbox Review: 2015. Let's Do This.

I love being part of the Birchbloggers group on Facebook where we all talk about makeup, beauty products, and of course, Birchbox! This is my inaugural Birchbox review and I got an extra bonus this month with the Love, Lashes and Lipstick book, which I haven't had time to read since this month's been a bit hectic. Is there any other way to enter a new year? 

So, without further ado -- here we go:

Essential Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Lotion | Full-size, $19

I am a fan of this product line. When the product description says invigorating, they mean it. It's a little strong at first, makes me flashback to me as a young child having Mentholatum smeared on to help me with congestion (or whatever it was meant to help). But, the smell quickly turns subtle and more spa-like. I have the body wash sample in the shower and the body lotion by my bedside to rub into my arms, hands, and elbows before bed.

Katherine Cosmetics Everyday Eyeliner | Full-size $26

This eyeliner glides on well and doesn't smudge. I liked trying the dark brown color since I usually use black. The color is a better choice for a daytime, more natural look. It's a pretty high price point for me for an eyeliner, so let me know if you have any drugstore recommendations. 

Key West Aloe Gentle Aloe Facial Cleanser | Full-size $16.50

I was excited for this product after several people posted that they liked the line. I've tried this product and the lotion and...I wasn't crazy about either. I don't think the facial cleanser lathers that well and with the wide variety of beauty products available, I'm going to skip this line in the future.

Ren Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask | Full-size $55

Not my favorite mask. The smell was a bit off-putting and I was underwhelmed. I like the thicker cream or charcoal masks. It's not a bad product, just not for me. 

Sweet Science Invisible Daily Tint SPF 35 | Full-size $45

Three cheers for face products with a higher SPF! I love the lightweight feel of this product and how easily it glides on. I would use this as a stand alone in the summer when I ease up on my makeup routine, but in the winter, I still pair it with more coverage from a BB cream or foundation.

Extra January Favorite: Herbal Essences Naked Collection Shampoo, Dry Shampoo and Conditioner 

This did NOT come in my Birchbox, but I was sent samples from Klout for Herbal Essences newest line, which I love, and I'm adding it to my January list of favorites. The dry shampoo is fantastic and I used the BOGO coupon Klout sent to get the full-size shampoo and conditioner. It leaves my hair smelling fresh and it makes my hair feel super clean and hydrated. 

I look forward to getting my Birchbox in the mail every month and it's fun learning from other bloggers and YouTubers about new products to try. Let me know if you have any recommendations of recent must-haves you've used!

Monday Musings: Turning the Corner

Taking a break from my writing schedule to well, write this blog post and keep up with my 2015 goal of contributing more to my own creative endeavors. This week has already begun with good news and I had an impromptu lunch with Mikey, so I'd say I'm off to a wonderful start. 

Do you ever feel like you are five steps ahead of people and just waiting for others to catch up? In some cases, I am guilty of instant gratification. If I need to know the answer to something, I want to know right now. But, usually that's not how the universe works. It's not just going to lay out your life before you, so you can cherry pick the good parts. 

I've felt for some time that I have been waiting and waiting (and waiting!) to see what's around the corner, and I feel now like I'm finally rounding the curve, which makes me think of this quote by Martin Luther King, Jr:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." 

This is so, so true and can apply to almost any situation. Speaking of MLK, for those of you who haven't seen "Selma," I recommend doing so. Despite certain critics who want to focus on the inaccuracies of what is a fictionalized version of this significant time in history, it is still an important film to watch, if for nothing else then to get the conversation going. Inequality and issues surrounding civil rights are still very much a point of contention in 2015. They deserve to be discussed.

Recently, I was waiting for a screening of a different movie to start when I heard a man behind me say he did not want to see "Selma" because he was tired of white people telling the story of black history. He went on to say that no black person was associated with that film and he had no interest in seeing it. 

I wanted to whip around and ask if he caught the most recent Golden Globes when they discussed the fact that the movie's director, Ava DuVernay, was the first black female to be nominated in the category of Best Director. Never mind the support and affiliations with several other celebrities and musical artists who took part in the creation of the film. I also wanted to tell him to shush. But I kept the comments to myself. It was a discussion I chose to skip.

Close-minded attitudes are not my thing. 

Maybe too many times we avoid discussions because it's the fight we don't want to have or the point we don't feel we need to prove. Sometimes we just don't want to fight period, but instead appreciate the opportunity to learn from others, understand how we do and do not want to live our lives, and create the kind of life that makes us happy. 

We just have to instill the kind of confidence and passion within ourselves, so that when we find those things worth fighting for, we won't back down. 

New Recipe Resolution: Apricot Chicken

If you have these five ingredients, then you have a meal: 

- chicken breasts or thighs
- apricot preserves
- soy sauce
- Brussels sprouts
- butternut squash

My friend has been emailing recipes to me to help with my new year's recipe resolution and she sent this five-ingredient meal that was, as you can imagine, super easy to make. 

I bought a package of chicken thighs, since they were less expensive, and took off the skin. In a bowl I combined one jar of the preserves with a few (6-8), strong shakes of soy sauce. Soy sauce is ultra-salty, so be careful with how much you add and taste along the way. Some people may want their glaze sweeter and some may want it to be on the saltier side.

Place chicken pieces in a baking pan and salt and pepper each side, then cover with the glaze. Put the pan in an oven pre-heated to 450 degrees and cook for 25-30 minutes. 

The Brussels sprouts and butternut squash make for the perfect sides, but you can choose whichever veggies you like. Fresh & Easy has packages of butternut squash already cubed, so I bought a bag of that and a bag of Brussels sprouts and laid them out on a sheet pan. I drizzled on olive oil and sprinkled the veggies with salt, pepper, and thyme. I add the tray to the oven and cooked for about 25 minutes. You can serve with rice or pasta if you want to add a starch.

I love when people send me recipes, so if you have any that I should try, send my way! As you can probably tell, I like to take the easy, low-budget route. 

Enjoy the eats!

Image from Pinterest

Monday Musings: A Message from Amy

As a fan of her latest book Yes Please and her last Golden Globes hosting stint with Tina Fey last night, Amy Poehler is my inspiration today. Other musings have been put on hold due to the wonderful craziness that is Monday!

What's In My Influenster #FrostyVoxBox?

For those of you signed up with Influenster, you know how great it feels to get the email that says: You are receiving a VoxBox! I got such an email last month and days later I received a red, festive box of products as part of their most recent #FrostyVoxBox campaign. Merry Christmas to me!

Eight products total, all from quality brands, to help make my holidays merry and bright. 

Let's take a peek inside, shall we?

First things first, I tore into those Fruit Vines Bites. The niblets are from the Red Vines candy family and have the same flavor and texture as the vines. The beauty about this sweet snack is that there are no preservatives.

Since the weather had turned chilly (at least by San Diego standards), I immediately made use of the Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea. Because it's decaf, it turned out to be a delicious way to wind down the day and snuggle in nice and cozy. I was apprehensive about the peppermint flavor, but it was subtle enough that it was light and refreshing. I'd like to get a small teapot and continue to enjoy a hot tea every evening this winter.

I was excited to see the EcoTools Hair Brush since I can't remember the last time I replaced mine. I typically use a paddle brush, so I appreciate the soft bristles of the EcoTools brush. However, my hair is so thick that it didn't feel like it was brushing all the way through. It did increase its shine, but on most days, I need something that brushes out the tangles a little bit better.

There were four beauty products in my #FrostyVoxBox:

- A sample of the No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Sachet, which is meant to help reduce the appearance of fine lines for healthier looking skin. Fortunately, I have not noticed too many fine lines yet, but it doesn't hurt to start good skincare with innovative products early.

- A full-size bottle of Rimmel's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover which is perfect if you use waterproof mascara. It helps clean the entire eye area. I just started using eye makeup remover in the past year and I think it makes a difference with my skincare.

- A jet black Rimmel Scandleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner, which is heavily pigmented and glides on easily. With the vibrant color, keep in mind that a lot can go a long way. Or, if you want a dramatic look, line those rims to your heart's content.

-The NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum is a complementary match for my skin tone. It is similar to my original lip color, but gives a slightly darker hue for depth and a bit of shine. The product is moisturizing, which leaves a smooth finish. I am a fan of NYC beauty products and I look forward to trying their different colors, especially since they're only $1.99 each!

The last product of the box threw me for a loop for a second, but inspired me to search for recipes, so that I could take full advantage of it. McCormick's Gourmet Thyme will be a good seasoning for chicken and lemon pasta or in a hearty stew. If you cook with thyme often and have recipes to share with me, that'd be great!

Can't wait until my next VoxBox, but until then, I have plenty of time to enjoy the products I've received. Cheers my fellow Influensters!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions remain my own.

Monday Musings: About Those Donuts, Calm Down

I'm going to 'fess up right away. In the last 30 days, I have eaten too many donuts. I actually went a whole span of time, something like 10 years, where I couldn't eat donuts.* But, then, one day I could. Again. 

I blame my love, who on more than one occasion has brought me donuts, including my absolute favorite, a caramel Long John (or maple bars or whatever you refer to them as), to me in bed on a lazy weekend morning. Wash that sucker down with a plastic container of ice cold milk and that, my friends, is simplistic bliss at its finest. 

To make matters worse, I just discovered that one of my favorite places in PB - The Baked Bear - now offers Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches! Eep! This place allows you to mix-and-match your favorites cookies or brownies with whatever flavor of ice cream you wan't scooped in between. If you follow me on Instagram, then you've already had a visual of this glorious concoction.

I scarfed that puppy down so fast. So, it's clear I need to cool it on the donuts. Especially since two of my goals for the new year is to walk more and do the abs portion of my workouts. 

I take classes at 24 Hour Fitness pretty regularly, but I often opt out of the abs at the end. I either lie on the mat reveling in my own awesomeness for making it to the gym or hightail it out of there before the torture can begin. This year though, it wouldn't hurt me to stay. Even if I still lay there for half of the time. 

Walking is something I want to do more of because of the exercise, but more for the chance for me to clear my mind. I love a good, long walk either with friends, my guy, or solo. I am fortunate to live in a gorgeous city with near perfect weather year-round, so walking new paths isn't hard to do. 

I took a five-mile walk recently, exploring an unfamiliar to me and discovered another thing I want to do this year: go sea fishing! If you live in San Diego or are just visiting, they have a new open fish market every Saturday morning at the docks by Seaport Village. I have yet to go, but I want to check it out and also befriend a fisherman and experience it for myself. Not sure how I'm going to do that quite yet, but I am confident it can be done.

Should I just leave a note on one of these boats? 

San Diego fishing boats - January 2015

I'm feeling pretty good this first Monday of 2015. With inspiration from the Passion Planner, I am creating a focus for the week and listing all the things that go well, which will help keep things in perspective for me. 

Other randomness -- 

What I'm reading: Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
What I'm listening to: Out of the Woods by Taylor Swift (shamelessly on repeat) and also Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars (because sometimes you just gotta DANCE)
What I'm watching: The Pioneer Woman (always, and all the shows that are coming back from break, including Suits! #TeamDonna)

Hope you all have a spectacular week! Quit grumbling about Monday -- it's almost over!

*When I was a young girl at Girl Scout camp, one of my fellow scouts handed out the donuts we had packed for the trip. She went on to lick her fingers between each donut and all I could imagine was her disgusting slobber all over my glazed pastry. I declined eating donuts that day and for hundreds of days after. Moral of the story: If you want to go on a diet, imagine someone has spit on your food.

50/50 Challenge 2015: I'm at It Again

Yes, I am trying the 50/50 Challenge again! I was so, so close in 2014 that I think that this year is my year to complete it. After hearing raves about Goodreads from fellow book lover friends, I've decided to update my book progress through the site, which hopefully will help me keep better track. 

You can track my progress and become a book friend here. 

Also, by using Goodreads, I can leave all my reviews in one place to help things be more streamlined. For movies, I'll probably update this blog after every five or so movies I see. 

Here's to a new year of literature and film!  


Rooms by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


As someone who is fascinated with ghosts, I thought the idea of writing a story from the perspective of ghosts was interesting. However, there are several narrators throughout the novel, both alive and deceased, which can cause some confusion. There is a lot going on in the history of one house.

A family has returned to settle the affairs of their father/husband who has died. The Walkers definitely is a family with issues and "ghosts" of their own and the whole story is depressing and quite melancholy. The mom is an alcoholic. The daughter is nymphomaniac who may have a daughter that is also maybe (*SPOILER:) a spirit. And, the son is contemplating suicide. If the story relied on their tales alone, it would be kind of deflating to read, but the voices of the house ghosts, Alice and Sandra, add another element of story as it relives their pasts and how they came to haunt the house.

The writing is vivid and descriptive, but there just might have been one too many characters. When discussing a story that spans over decades of years and more than one family, it can be hard to keep track of who's who.

I wanted the story to be more eerie, but it read more like a family history, which began to lose its intrigue over time. In fact, it had the book had a slow start. I like the theme the author used of traveling from room to room within the house and reliving memories that happened there and what it meant for the people involved. I also thought the end was a perfect wrap up to the story and didn't leave the reader feeling unsatisfied. There was closure.

If you do not have any interest in reading about ghosts, then this book may drag for you for reasons mentioned above. Getting the "other world" insight was what kept me reading.

*I'm not sure that this part is actually a spoiler because I am not sure if my interpretation is true or not. It'd be a question up for debate.



View all my reviews

Bye Bye, 2014!

Here it is, the end of another year. And it's been a great one, a prep one, I've been telling people. You know how you feel like you're preparing for something big? Maybe how an athletic team feels in a rebuilding year? That's how I feel about 2014. 

There was a lot of great things that happened this past year. I got engaged for one! How about that? I had never thought about marriage in a real way. Not that I didn't want it, but it was not on my 'things to do.' I thought it would happen or it wouldn't. 

I got to travel to some awesome places I've never been: San Antonio, Nashville, and revisit a few favorites: Chicago, NYC, and the Emerald Coast. There is something to be said about travel, the necessity of it and the fact that the more I travel, the more I want to travel. 

I barely missed my 50/50 Challenge goal, but feel OK about it because it's closer than I've ever gotten before. If you want the truth, this year in movies was kinda crap with a few gold stars. This is how my year ended: 

Movies

#46 - Mockingjay

#47 - The Big Wedding

#48 - Wall Street

#49 - Wild

#50 - The Pelican Brief

#51 - The Gambler

#52 - Big Hero 6

#53 - Unbroken

Books

#40: Mother, Mother - Koren Zalickas

#41: The Myth of Happiness - Sonja Lyubomirsky

#42: Still Alice - Lisa Genova

#43: Swim Back to Me - Ann Packer

#44: Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Duham

#45: Yes Please - Amy Poehler

#46: The Woman I Wanted to Be - DVF

#47: Flawless - Jan Moran

#48: The Happiness of Pursuit - Chris Guillebeau

In the coming year, I will probably be more active on Goodreads as that's an easier way to keep track of progress, but really, there are so many good books out there! I hope more people decide to read in 2015. I'm so happy to be part of a fun book club that makes reading even more exciting. Is that a geeky statement?

As it is now, I'm spending my final hours on a plane from the East Coast (Florida) to the West Coast (California) and thinking about the year ahead and how fantastic it will be. Tomorrow I will meet with my friends as they create vision boards and I create a specific list of goals of all the things I want to achieve in 2015. One of which is to update this blog more often and write more, in general.

So with that, I hope that your NYE is full of everything you want it to be. My personal goal is to stay awake until midnight, but why break tradition?

I write this in the air, after some Pinot Grigio, and a free viewing of "The Social Network." I hope 2015 treats you well. I'll be talking to you soon.

50/50 Challenge Update: Two Months to Go!

Fall is my favorite season. Wish I had taken this photo, but alas, it's from Pinterest.

Hey-o! Less than 60 days to prove that I can read 50 books and watch 50 movies in one year. OK, I'm not really trying to prove anything, but I would enjoy the accomplishment. I'll keep this update short and sweet.

Movies

41. Gone Doggy Gone 

This screened at San Diego Film Festival and it's a fun, twisted movie that pokes fun at just how much people loooove their dogs.

42. St. Vincent

Bill Murray. Highly recommend. I laughed and cried and laughed some more.

43. The Good Lie

I also highly recommend. I was pretty much teary-eyed throughout the whole movie.

44. The Best of Me

Eh. Nicholas Sparks enthusiasts will dig it.

45. Nightcrawler

One of the most original films I've seen in awhile. Not usually a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan, but he is fantastic in this.

Books (a measly ONE since my last update)

35. Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult

Psychics. Paranormal. Mystery. It's like Jodi Picoult surveyed me and asked, "Courtney, what is it that you want?" This was one of my favorites of hers in a long time and is reminiscent of her earlier work. She has changed publishing houses and editors, which may or may not be one of the reasons. 

35 1/2. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

I read most of the beginning and then started to read from the back, so there's a whole middle section I skipped because I couldn't get into this book, but I really wanted to. 

I know I'll reach my movie goal, but can I make it through 15 more books?

Monday Musings

ate another piece for this pic

My intention was to update my blog daily or at least weekly for the month of October. I write all the time for work, so my blog is just for me to ramble and share things and be creative. It has been over a week since my last post, so you can see how well that's working out. I think of this discipline as November nears and I am going to try once again to write a novel for NaNoMo. 

I think if I really wanted to write a book, wouldn't I have already done it? But I don't want to just zip something out that I'll hate six months later and want to redo. I want to be proud of it because should that day comes when it is finished, that might be my last novel effort. I don't want my book to be a one-hit wonder bomb.

Peanut butter on banana bread. A revelation. I didn't think of it. The Patio on Goldfinch has it as part of their dessert menu and as soon as I ate it, I thought, why couldn't I be this brilliant?!

Do you ever hear a witty comeback and hold on to it waiting for just the right moment to say it? I have two of them that I'm dying to say, but don't want to waste them on the wrong person. 

I love TV. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I am a busy person. I do have better things to do, but I CHOOSE to watch TV. To add to this lazy habit, I just began Season One of The Good Wife and I am hooked. My fiance rigged up his computer with Google Chromecast, so that we can watch it stream on our TV. I'm so glad he's tech-savvy and appreciates television as much as me.

I like staying calm when I know it will make someone else madder. If this is wrong, I don't want to be right.

If you haven't heard, the Kansas City Royals are headed to the World Series, which is awesome news! I'm from Kansas City, so it's easy to be excited, but I think it's odd how people not cheering for Kansas City nor San Francisco hate the Royals so much. Can't you just let them have their moment? They've waited long enough for the love!

I've noticed I always try to work talking about food into every conversation. I think it's a better gauge of if you're going to get along with someone rather than asking them what they do. 

This song continues to be on repeat for me for the rest of the week. Chris Messina, you dirty, cutie dog.

"You say I'm crazy 'cause you don't think I know what you've done."