The Week of Trying New Things

Hi, friends! Welcome to my first post. I am a newbie to the blogging world but I have recently found thousands of blogs that I look forward to reading every day. Between blogs and Pinterest I have been completely inspired to get out of my I-love-routines-and-am-not-spontaneous rut & start trying some new things. A little something that provided some extra motivation for Perfectly Happy Life is the fact that we (the hubs and I) are moving to a place that looks like this:

It's our first-ever move away from our hometown, away from our friends & family, and I was inspired to start PHL & share my sarcastic, but always positive insight as I undertake new DIY projects, attempt recipes, "try on" new fashion trends, and try out new "hobbies". So here we go...

3 things I was new to this week:

• Blogging!

• Kale. 

Never tried it. Never bought it. Never cooked it... until this week. Did you know that a grouping, bunch, bushel (?) of kale is huge & leafy and is a gigantic amount of foliage that one could not possibly consume before it goes bad?

A smoothie recipe in SELF magazine (Speedy Smoothie) inspired me to try kale. The smoothie itself was not my cup of tea but it didn't completely scare me away from this odd vegetable.  Any great ideas on how to use it??? Please please PLEASE let me know! I have oodles of kale...

• Post-workday sweat session followed by a healthy, home-cooked meal. 

The hubs and I started getting in a good workout at the end of our work day and we're loving it.  Remember my love-hate relationship with running? Well, this week I have been attempting to give it the attention the needy little bugger thinks it needs.  What this means is that we get home between 6:30 and 7:00 and need some quick, healthy, DIY weekday meals.  Favorite of the week so far - Chicken stir fry:

1.  Chop all your veggies and choice of lean protein ahead of time.

We used onion, mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots. Next time I would also add cauliflower.

2.  Cook your lean protein and set aside.  {I chose to use bite-size pieces of chicken breasts and cooked them in my skillet with a little olive oil.}

3.  Heat your skillet to medium-high heat.  Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat.  Add veggies. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. {Tip: Add tougher veggies, i.e. carrots, first and cook longer than others.}

4.  Add lean protein and stir-fry for one minute.

5.  Add your sauce. {We made Teriyaki Sauce out of my Cooking Light magazine}.  Toss & stir-fry for about 1-2 minutes.

6.  Serve with cooked noodles or rice.

I've read that in order for something to become a routine you need to stick with it for at least 4 weeks.  Blogging, I can do. Making friends again with running & cooking dinners will be tougher but I WILL do it. Kale, I will try 1 more time but I'm not making any promises ;)