my new go-to breakfast is chia seeds. seriously, who am i?
sounds a little more crunchy/hippie than i usually lean when it comes to food (i type, as i devour an entire bar of chocolate, like my true self).
Author: chefmeetsgirl
he's a culinary institute of america grad in medical school. she's a journalist, who prior to their meeting, used the oven solely for storage.
waimanolo beach
our mila loves the beach. the waves smacking her in the face? no problem! sand in her mouth? yum! she’s going to be the perfect little surfer girl.
our day at waimanolo beach was great. the weather was perfect. also, babies in rash guards. i’m not sure there’s anything more cute.
hiking makapu’u lighthouse trail
one thing steven and i wanted to do in hawaii was go for a hike with a great view. major bummer, though, because steven’s knee developed a nasty infection right before the trip. he was on crutches by day two. poor guy.
no one else in the fam was interested in tagging along, so i went solo. the makapu’u trail seemed like a great solo location. google said it would take 15-20 minutes to make it to the top. spoiler alert: that’s wrong. or maybe i’m just painfully slow.
the views were worth it, though.
the best shave ice in oahu
spoiler alert: matsumoto’s is not number one. sorry, obama.
when it comes to shave ice, the most important thing is the texture. it has to be creamy and not the least bit crunchy. then the flavor. natural is preferred. not too sweet — and you have to have condensed milk as a topping.
oahu’s cutest coffee shop
steven and i like to think we are savants when it comes to traveling. we love finding great food, awesome coffee shops and fun shopping. we found all of that at arvo in honolulu.
we crushed their loaded avo toasts, and their salmon toasts.
the matcha chia seed pudding + fresh fruit was amazing.
and then there was the activated charcoal lattes.
we went three times.
mu ryang sa buddhist temple
steven is always the best at picking out places to eat and things to do on vacation. it’s like his spiritual gift. here’s a perfect example: this korean buddhist temple outside of honolulu.
he said he picked it because he thought i would like taking photos here and he was totally right. it was super colorful, and totally secluded from the rest of the hawaii’s capitol city. walking around the mu ryang sa grounds felt like we were in another country, in another time.
when bibbed overalls make you cry
i love seeing mila in these overalls.
when i was 17-weeks pregnant at our anatomy scan, the doctor told us our baby was a girl (yay!) and also that she had markers for a fatal genetic disorder, trisomy 18. i had blood tests to confirm right away, but it took three agonizing days to hear the results. i’ve never cried or prayed so much. thankfully, the tests came back clear — but those three days were dark and full of dispaih. i wrote about my experience over on well rounded before mila was born, but wanted to wait and share until i had a happy, healthy baby in my arms. and here she is!
mama adventures
my mama bff kelci and mila’s little bestie harvey (they’re best friends! i promise! they just don’t know it yet!) took a little adventure this week after our morning workout. it was the sweatiest workout i’ve ever had — my legs are still sore — but our reward was totally worth it!
#skilletbattle
last weekend, my favorite doctor/chef/husband/dad competed in the rei skillet battle and despite the total deluge, it was such a great time! he went head-to-head against nine other washingtonians, cooking an entire meal in a cast iron on a camp stove in 45 minutes. somehow, he pulled off the most delicious paella, full of maryland lump crab, clams and half smokes. oh yeah, and some natty boh.
chesapeake bay paella
steven and i are obsessed with paella this summer and we’ve been trying to brain storm the perfect paella theme. right now we’re workshopping chesapeake bay paella. we’re hoping to include all things soigné (top chef, much?!) about our region.
chef meets girl 