Southwestern Chicken

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 14, 2012 in Fashionably Organic, Meat, Organic | 0 comments

About a month ago, my husband and I went to a Red Bulls soccer game with another couple.  We were all so excited to go to the game, but we wanted to first stop to eat.  We decided to meet our friends at their favorite Mexican Food restaurant, before we walked over to the game.  This restaurant was unlike any other Mexican food restaurant I had ever eaten at.  The menu was full of surprising dishes.  Of course they had taco salads, burros, enchiladas, tostadas, tacos and tamales, but their specialties were surprising difference.  Their specialties included, shrimp veracruz, adovada ribs, relleno dinner and my favorite Victoria’s chicken chili plate!  Granted I am not saying these dishes are low in calories, but I was in love with this restaurant when my Victoria chicken chili plate came out and it was a juicy grilled chicken breast on a bed of lettuce and Mexican rice with a side of whole pinto beans and I did half red sauce and green sauce!  It was delicious!  I have never had such a healthy Mexican food in a restaurant before.  This recipe was inspired by the fabulous Victoria’s chicken chili plate.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  Be sure to have a good red sauce or green sauce, its key ton this dish!
Ingredients:
3 organic chicken breast
1 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Mexican Seasoning Blend
1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
3 cups red sauce (or green)

Recipe:
Begin by seasoning both sides of the 3 chicken breast, with salt, pepper and Mexican seasoning blend.   In a skillet drizzle EVOO and place each chicken breast in the pan, cooking each side about 4 to 6 minutes until golden brown.  If the chicken breast are thick, you may need to fillet them open and cook the filleted side for an additional 4 to 6 minutes.  While chicken is cooking grate 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and set aside.  Once chicken is fully cooked pour the red sauce (or green sauce) into the pan and  turn stove on high and reduce red sauce, until thickened.  Sprinkle about 1/3 of a cup of the pepper jack and cheddar cheese mixture to each chicken breast.  For presentation and a perfect weeknight meal prepare Mexican rice and pinto beans.  In a large serving platter create a bed of Mexican rice and layer each chicken breast on top.  Drizzle the reduced red sauce over the chicken and rice; add pinto beans to the sides of the platter and garnish with the remaining cheese and fresh cilantro.

Hope you enjoy!

XO,
Rachel Ashley

Oh, I could write a sonnet…

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 11, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 0 comments

This past Sunday I spent the day celebrating Easter!  Easter is a very important holiday to me and my family.  We reflect on the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life!  God’s grace is enough for all of us, which is amazing!  Knowing that God loves me so very much and that he died for me is at times overwhelming, but all I can say is “I’M BLESSED”!  Well, I was very excited for Easter morning, because I spent all day Saturday shopping with my mom for an Easter dress and hat!  My friends and I decided to bring Southern Style to the West.  I was so excited to wear my hat, which I didn’t even want to take off!  I spent most of the day in my Easter Bonnet and I truly felt like the song should be playing as I walked up to church!  I would love to wear hats more often to church; they are so classy and add just the perfect touch of Southern Style to an outfit!  My new dress was by Spense and I paired it with my Calvin Klein heels I purchased this past fall.

XO,
Rachel Ashley

Color Therapy

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 9, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable, Fashionably Interior Design | 0 comments

Is there a treatment more effective in chasing off any remaining winter doldrums than a session of color therapy?  After a weekend of pastels, are you ready for tangerine, aqua, neon pinks and greens?   I don’t know why I feel like color today, but I am wearing a bright orange dress and thinking of summer!  Now, I am not one for crazy colored interiors, but I do love splashes of bright and bold colors in both my wardrobe and my home.  After a long weekend of spending time with family, cooking, dessert, and Easter egg hunts – I thought you might need some therapy…lol.  Here are just a few fun pics I found on Pinterest to brighten your day!

Enjoy!
XO,
Rachel Ashley

Please Note: These pictures are NOT property of Fashionably Living’s

Ricotta Lemon Pancakes with Homemade Berry Jam

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 8, 2012 in Breakfast, Fashionably Organic | 1 comment

INGREDIENTS

(makes 10 small pancakes = 2 to 3 servings)

For the Jam:
1 cup blueberries, raspberries and blackberries medly
1 tbsp Stevia
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp organic strawberry jam

For the Pancakes:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp Stevia
1 tbsp Chia seeds
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup almond milk (or your choice of milk)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 organic egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp canola oil or grapeseed oil (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
Egg Whites – 2 (optional: well whipped for more fluffy pancakes)

Recipe:

For the jam put your stove on medium-high heat, add berry medly to a small pot. Add the juice and lemon zest of 1 lemon and add the Stevia. Continue to stir and let the berries break down.  Once the berries have been heated through, about 4 minutes, add strawberry organic jam.  Cook for an additional 3 minutes to reduce and allow the mixture to thicken. Once the berry jam has thickened, remove from heat and set aside. The jam should thicken enough, that when you put some on a spoon you can run your figure down the back side of the spoon and the jam will stay sperated.

For the pancakes mix your dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl: whole wheat pastry flour, basking powder, baking soda, salt and Stevia.  Add the chia seeds and mix.  Set bowl aside.

In a seperate bowl combine the wet ingredients: ricotta cheese, almond milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, canola oil, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well.  Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix with a whisk.  Do not overmix.  In a seperate bowl wisk two egg whites until frothy and then gently mix into the batter.

 Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat.  Use a little oil or spray to coat the bottom of the pan.  Use a 1/4 cup to drop the batter onto the nonstick pan or a ladle.  Allow the pancakes to cook on each side until golden brown.  Make sure you cook these through to avoid uncooked batter in the center. Add a stack of pancakes to a plate.  Top with berry jam (or maple syrup)!

Enjoy!

 XO,

Rachel Ashley

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

Generation Flashback

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 5, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 0 comments

I was so excited to wear this outfit, because it was my grandmothers!  I felt like a little girl playing dress up in my grandma’s closet.  I remember her wearing this orange coat and scarf all the time during the winter months.  I don’t remember seeing her in this dress, but I fell in love with the dress, as soon as my mom showed it to me.  The dress has beautiful structure and pleating, making it very flattering!  I love the bright royal blue color with the orange, one of my absolute favorite color combo’s!  The dress is by SCARLETT and its 65% acetate and 35% rayon.  You don’t see acetate used in clothes as often as you use to.  Acetate is  more frequently used to make occasions clothing such as bridal attire and party dresses, due to its excellent drape, lustre and  dye-fastness.  It also breathes well and is very comfortable to wear!  I loved pairing my grandmother’s dress with this chunky pearl necklace, that looks vintage, but I purchased it a Francesca’s this past year.  My bag is from Nordstrom’s (long time ago) and my initial appeal to this bag was how it looked very similar to the bags carried in the 1940′s (sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era!).   A little vintage and a little new is always a fun way to dress, especially when the vintage pieces were worn by your family!  I know my grandma would have loved to see me in her dress, but really she did, because I could feel her smiling down upon on me from heaven.

Have a fabulous Thursday!

XO,
Rachel Ashley

Waldorf Chicken

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Apr 3, 2012 in Chicken, Fashionably Organic, Meat, Side Dishes | 0 comments

This yummy salad is perfect for Easter brunch or a bridal or baby shower!  The recipe is very simple and you will have the dish ready  in under 30 minutes!  I love that such a simple salad can be so elegant and the presentation can be just as amazing too!  To be honest, I made this for myself one night.  The night before I had grilled extra chicken breast and because I don’t like to reheat chicken, I asked myself what I could make with cold chicken… a Waldorf Salad was the perfect choice!

Ingredients:
2 celery Stalks
1 cup seedless red grapes
2 grilled chicken breast
1/2 cup of organic light mayonnaise
salt and pepper – to taste
Italian seasoning (optional)
rice crackers (optional)
butter lettuce (optional)

Recipe:
In a strainer rinse your grapes and then make sure to rinse the dirt off the celery stalk too.  On a cutting board halve each grape. Take the two celery stalks and cut long ways down the center and then chop into bite size pieces.  Take the grilled chicken breast and cut into bite size pieces, as well.  You want to make sure all the ingredients are similar in size.  Then in a big bowl mix together the grapes, celery and chicken.  Add 1/2 cup of organic mayonnaise to the same bowl and mix thoroughly, making sure each piece gets coated with the mayo.  Add 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt and mix.  You can add more salt and pepper if needed.  Store the ingredients in glass Tupperware in the refrigerator, until ready to serve.  You can present the Waldorf salad on crackers for an appetizer or an even healthier option is to make lettuce wraps filled with the Waldorf chicken, instead of a sandwich.

Enjoy!
Xo,
Rachel Ashley

Over Zealous with Nail Polish

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Mar 31, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 0 comments

I can’t believe how tired I am right now!   But I guess I always expect a lot from myself, because I went to bed after midnight last night and I woke up at 8 am!   Today is all about getting glammed up!  Getting my hair done, painting my nails, and getting my skin to just the perfect golden brown!  Its exhausting being a woman, but its so much fun too!  Yesterday, myself and three of my girlfriends from work, went out to lunch and then dropped by a nail store on our way back to the office.  We stepped into a small stuffy overcrowded store with walls covered in nail polish in every shade and hue of the rainbow.  I had a few nail polished I definitely wanted to add to my collection.  I needed to purchase a soft pink, a mint green and a gel top coat, but I wasn’t planning on buying 5 other nail polishes too!  All the girls were teasing me that they needed to give me a nail polish limit.  I was having way too much fun and I could have purchased more, but I figured nine polishes were enough for one day!  My nails are now a pretty shade of soft pink called “pink slip” and my toes are about to be a minty shade called “jealous,much?”!  I love all the bright and pastel colors, it reminds me of when I was a little girl and lavender and baby blue were the cool thing!  We just keep getting cooler, now don’t we?  Anyways if your not getting glammed up today, I sure hope your enjoying yourself!

Have a fabulous Saturday!

XO,
Rachel Ashley