Thursday, May 29, 2014

Thank you Lauren Conrad

Dear Miss Conrad,

Thank you for dinner tonight.

You can do no wrong.

If you ever want to hang out sometime and make them together,

I promise we are the same person, you're just the famous version.

Love, me



 My favorite blue corn chips & Chipotle guac copycat recipe found here

 Lauren's Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe found here

He's the guac to my chip, the chip to my guac

xoxo

Friday, May 23, 2014

Life According to my Camera Roll

Greta Gregory stealing the show once again! Her and I both danced at the same company at the same age, AED.
A new restaurant in Provo my mom and I tried last weekend. Their acai bowls were incredible! 
We took the boys to Spiderman 2. Ez may have held my hand and kissed my neck the whole time. But don't worry, I have a crush on him too.

Go to Greek City Grill. Order the D-Will: Pita, hummus, grilled chicken, green pepper, onion, lettuce, feta cheese, and vinaigrette. Watch your life change. 
Tennis + treats is our kind of date night.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Brennan's Favorite Meal

The Dodo & Porcupine Grill are two of our favorite restaurants in Utah.
They are owned by the same people,
and although their menus are different,
they have this particular item on BOTH restaurant menus:
Cajun Chicken Alfredo.
Brennan orders it almost every time.
I wanted to try to recreate it,
so I googled it,
combined a few recipes,
and wanted to share it with you!
And no, it's not Whole30 worthy,
but it's worth the splurge
and a whole lot better for you than canned alfredo sauce!
It's definitely worth a try.

You will need:
2 boneless chicken breasts cut into strips (I buy mine pre-cut at Harmons)
McCormick Cajun Seasoning
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 package linguine noodles
3 cups milk
3 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese


Start a pot of boiling water, and add the linguine. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. To start, season the strips of chicken generously with the cajun seasoning. It won't be too spicy, don't worry!
(Don't mind Bren, he wanted to be included.) Heat 2 tbs olive oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken. Cook the chicken, flipping it often to make sure it's fully cooked and doesn't burn.
Turn down the heat to medium, move the chicken to one side of the pan, and in the empty side, add the butter, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and once the butter melts, flour. It will become a thick paste. Grab a wisk and add milk in slowly, cup by cup. Turn the heat back up to medium high and bring the milk to a boil. Add the parmesan cheese and mix in. Then, drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water so they keep their form and don't stick together. Then add them to the sauce. Add a few more shakes of the cajun seasoning, and maybe a little more cheese. Taste test it and add whatever you think it needs!
Serve with asparagus or broccoli and garlic bread. 






Heaven Is Here

I promise I won't write a post on every book I read.
I've read 4 books so far this month
but I'll spare you the details
on all but this one.

Remember when I said The Fault in Our Stars changed my life?
That was just scratching the surface.
This is a true story
with an outcome that could leave someone bitter and miserable for life (and rightfully so in my opinion)
but this woman does the exact opposite.
She is the LDS mom who burned alive in a plane crash.
She is my hero.
There is not an hour of my day that goes by now that I do not think about her
and what she has taught me.
I am praying I can run into her one day and thank her.

You should really read this book.
And then read her blog. Her post today is especially good.
And then follow her on Instagram. (Her house is AMAZING!)
A big thank you to Liv and Gracie for recommending it to me.




Just a few of my favorite quotes from the book...

"I still have to remind myself to choose happiness almost every morning when I wake up in pain, and I expect I will need reminding throughout my life, but the amazing thing is the more I make the choice to see and feel joy, the more joy there is to see and feel."

"Now I face trials with a better understanding of who I am, and the strength that comes from knowing I've survived worse. My body was scarred and disfigured, but just the opposite happened to my heart. Today, my heart is triumphant, my body is strong, and my life is full of everyday blessings."

"I know, now, without a doubt that the true source of happiness, self-worth, and authentic beauty doesn't come from the outside. Women are constantly being persuaded to want something unachievable, to look younger or thinner and above all to fit in because being different is too painful and embarrassing. I have accepted myself in a world that does not accept me, because I have learned- and more than any of the lessons of my accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody- that our hearts matter most. Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself, and their hearts matter most, too, so be kinder and more compassionate to others. It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life."




Strawberry Pina Colada





Don't let the color fool you like it fools my husband...
I know it doesn't look like your typical strawberry pina colada
But I promise you'll feel like you're at the beach while drinking this
but with a tenth of the calories of a normal Pina Colada
and some added veggies too!
It's a win win
and my new favorite breakfast or after work snack.

6-8 frozen stawberries
a couple handfuls of spinach and/or kale
2 cups fresh or canned pineapple (fresh is better)
a few spoonfuls of coconut flakes
2- 2 1/2 cups coconut milk
bendy straw (this is key)

Maybe one day I'll get fancy and throw some protein or chia seeds in there.
But for now
xoxo!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

To my boy



Dear Brennan,

I am missing you at work right now.
Thank you for being the best husband I could ever ask for.
I don't think most husbands are as good at it as you are. I think you are superhusband.
Thank you for working so hard for us.
Thank you for never complaining when you have to wake up at 6:30 a lot of mornings.
Thank you for having me laughing seconds after waking up and seconds after you walk through the door from work.
Thank you for your little songs you make up every morning. I especially loved the tune of this morning's.
Or when you knew I was having a hard day, and went and put this on before the Real game and tried to convince me you were wearing it, then saying, "I know just how to make you laugh."
Yes you do, Mario.
Thank you for caring about my happiness more than your own.
Thank you for loving me. I don't know why you do sometimes.
Can't wait to see you in less than 2 hours!

Love,

Your Ash


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

My Sister the Senior










Just wanted to take a minute to show off the sibling who got alllll the genes. But guess what- she's even more beautiful on the inside. I love you Ari! (Oh, and a big thank you to our good friend Jess who took these while she was very pregnant. She is amazing!) 

Monday, May 5, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars

I am not a reader.
I read this book in 2 days.



Call me if you want to talk about it.
I think it changed my life a little.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

As We Go On


*Cue Vitamin C's Graduation*

A day worth documenting!

I just think it's all so important. The rite of passage of completing a huge life goal and now moving on into the real world is something to be celebrated. And if you only knew how hard Brennan has worked to get to where he is in school today, you would understand just how proud of him I am.

And that's why I forced him to walk in his graduation, even though he has a couple classes left that start next week and end in July. (That's when the rrreal celebration will begin.)

I knew the chances of him going back next spring and walking were a big fat zero, so I'm so glad he finally agreed to walk this past Friday so our kids can look at these framed pictures sitting on our mantle one day. They'll be so proud of their dad for graduating college and will want to follow in his footsteps so they can be just like him.





Our brother-in-law Ted also graduated that day! Him & Bren split the cost of one cap and gown and shared- are those some smart graduates or what?


Best friends since they were five. We love Jeff! 

I love my little graduate. 


Thursday, May 1, 2014

A change

Yesterday morning, the day of my hair appointment, as Brennan was playing with my extensions, he started singing this little song. He comes up with songs almost every morning, but I must say, this is one of his best. I think he was excited about the change I had been talking about doing for a few months.

An Ode to the Extensions:

"Goodbye long hair.
Thanks for the good times.
Thanks for getting married with us.
Thanks for being pretty up on her head.
Except for the flyaways- you know who you are.
But see you later.
Because you make Ashy look like a cartoon with all that hair."





So then this happened.



A
much
needed
change.





Thanks for the inspiration Julianne Hough & Jessica Alba. Can I be a part of the long bob club now?