Recipe- Egg-in-a-Hole Avocado Toast

Hey Cats!

I’m getting a bit of a late start this week with the blog posts-sorry! I had every intention of posting on Monday, but I got home later than I had hoped on Sunday night, and it just didn’t happen. Also, HEB was closed for Easter, which honestly sent me into sheer panic. I had to go to Kroger and could not find brussels sprouts and nearly lost it. But I digress.

Today, I’m sharing one of my latest breakfast favorites with you. I got on an avocado toast kick a few weeks ago, and one Saturday morning when I had some extra time, I decided to kick it up a bit. Take it to the next level. Pretend I am the Pioneer Woman (that happens every time I cook, but whatever). I made an egg-in-a-hole, and smeared avocado on top. Yaaaas.

Here’s what you need:

-2 slices of bread. You can definitely use plain sandwich bread, but I bought whole-grain seedy bread from the bakery section, because it’s extra delicious.

-2 eggs (or one per slice of bread if you’re making less or more!)

-1/2 avocado, mashed

-Sriracha to taste

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. First, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and either melt a tablespoon of butter or spray with cooking spray.

2. While the butter is melting, prepare the bread by cutting out a hole in the center of the slice. You can brown the excess or just go ahead and eat it (that’s what I do).

3. Next, place the bread in the skillet. I like to put one side down and then flip it so each side is buttery!

4. Then, break an egg into the hole of each slice of bread. It will probably ooze out of the edges, but that’s okay!

5. Let the egg cook for a while, then flip to cook the other side! Warning-this is difficult and messy, but if I can do it, you definitely can too! Just use your largest spatula and both hands.

6. Cook until the whites are set, flipping again if necessary.

7. After the eggs are done, in a small bowl mash up half an avocado. I use about 1/2 of an avocado per two slices.

8. Smear a thick but even layer of avocado on each piece of egg toast. Be generous, avocado is the good fat! Apparently.

9. Drizzle with sriracha for a kick! Another option is crushed red pepper, but I love how the sriracha literally sets my lips on fire.

10. Enjoy!

I love the combination of the creamy egg yolk, crisp bread, and smooth avocado. So yum! Give this a try the next time you’re craving a healthy, savory breakfast, and if you do, let me know how you like it!

That’s all for meow!

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Friday’s Few

Hey Cats!

Happy Friday! And happy Good Friday! I was unexpectedly given the day off, so I will be driving home this morning to spend time with my family this weekend. I went home last weekend as well for a dentist appointment, but I hadn’t been home since Christmas, so it will be good to see my family again!

Previously, I titled my Friday series “Friday’s Five”. Now, “Friday’s Few” isn’t exactly a drastic change, but I still want to explain. You all know I don’t appreciate being put in a box, and I don’t want to be tied down to the number five. Sometimes I struggled to find five “things” and I didn’t like putting up something that wasn’t my best, but I did it anyways to fulfill the “five”. So I’ve decided to make it a “few” instead. Maybe three, maybe five, maybe fifteen! Flexible  Friday’s Few. I love it.

So here we go, the first edition of “Friday’s Few!

1. College Town Glasses

Some of us are still mildly obsessed with our college towns, and are unashamed. These glasses have maps of your favorite place on earth etched onto the surface, to remind you of how you used to walk those streets during your three mile hike to class and were in the best shape of your life. Just me? Okay. But seriously, these are adorable keepsakes to have and bring out on gameday! You can find many towns from Auburn to Waco and everything in between at Bourbon & Boots!

2. Strappy Sandals

I am loving this strappy heel trend for spring. Especially this pair in “Bubblegum” from Sam Edelman! The tassels on these shoes make them extra fun, and I will definitely be on the hunt for this or a similar pair. These would be adorable with a solid pastel dress, or white jeans and simple top.

3. Hannah Montana

This week was the ten year anniversary of the premiere of Hannah Montana, apparently. I found this Buzzfeed article that shows each of the cast members in their first and last episode, and it’s precious! Honestly, I only posted this because last weekend when I was at home, we saw Oliver/Mitchell Musso eating frozen yogurt in Tyler. My sister and I lost. our. minds. Quietly, of course. While we didn’t have the courage to talk to him or ask him for a picture, I tweeted him. He, unsurprisingly, did not respond.

4. Easter

I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend, and remember what it’s all about. It’s about Jesus, who died for our sins, gave us grace, and rose again! Enjoy your weekend with family!

That’s all for meow!

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Recipe-Broccoli Cheese Quinoa Cups

Hey Cats!

When it comes to planning ahead, sometimes I’m really on top of things, and sometimes I find myself winging it. Actually, that’s most of the time. One instance in which I have found myself without a plan and in a pickle is when it’s 8:34 and I’m pouring my coffee to-go thinking, “I should already be in the car, and also what am I having for lunch today?” Granted, there are a few fast food restaurants within walking distance of my office, so it’s not like I’ll starve or anything, but I like to bring my lunch as often as I can, because getting lunch every day can get pretty expensive, and I can only eat so much Chick Fil A before I start to feel like an actual chicken nugget. So more often than not, I’ll throw some quick items into my lunch box and hope for the best. This can include at least three of the following: a cheese stick, packaged crackers, almonds, fruit snacks, or yogurt. I realized that this was an issue when I opened my lunchbox one day to find yogurt, a cheese stick, and cheese sandwich crackers. Straight diary. Whoops.

I decided that the challenge was to make or find something healthy that I could throw into my lunchbox when I was already running late. I also wanted something that wasn’t too expensive and wouldn’t make my grocery list excessively long. Quinoa, my favorite superfood was on the forefront of my mind, since I had recently made pizza quinoa bites for lunch. But I was out of pepperoni and Parmesan. Then I found the broccoli, and this recipe was born!

Here’s what you’ll need:

-2 cups of cooked quinoa (1 cup dry)

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-1/2 cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped.

Here’s what you’ll do:

First, cook your quinoa. You can make it just for this recipe, or this is a great way to use leftovers!

Next, mix in the eggs, cheese, and broccoli until fully incorporated. For the broccoli, make sure you chop it into very tiny pieces. I did not, and didn’t love the taste of biting into a broccoli tree. I also removed most of the larger stems.

After it’s all mixed together, scoop into a greased muffin tin. If you fill each one about 3/4 of the way full, you should be able to make a dozen!

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until set. The egg should be completely cooked but still a bit fluffy, with kind of a quiche-like texture.

Optional: top each bite with a sprinkle of cheese and place back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Simple, right? I divided them into portions of 3, so I had lunch for 4 days! I placed each portion in a Ziploc bag and stuck them all in the freezer door. I zapped them for about 45-60 seconds at work for a yummy, healthy lunch! You can also bring marinara sauce to dip them in for a little more zest. This takes about 45 minutes on a Sunday afternoon, and you’ll have lunch for (nearly) the whole week!

That’s all for meow!

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A New Direction

Hey Cats!

With the exception of the rushed Instagram Round-Up I threw up on the blog a couple of weeks ago, it’s been quite a while since we’ve chatted! And to be honest, I have missed this little blog SO MUCH. I’ve been wanting to get back to it for months, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to write one post and then fall off the face of the Internet again. There are a few reasons I’ve been absent:

Time. I have been way too busy the past few months. Between work, Junior League, friends, family, and just being tired, there wasn’t any time to blog. When I was at home, it was only long enough to sleep and maybe do a load of laundry. However, the crazy has died down some, and I’m confident that this blog is something I’m ready to make a priority again.

I was a little discouraged. To be frank, comparing myself to other bloggers got the best of me for a while. I’ve been blogging since 2011 and have yet to “hit it big”. Granted, this blog is more of a hobby for me, but I felt like I was producing top-notch content and no one was noticing. Not to step on any toes, but it’s almost like blogging has become a competition of who has the prettiest pictures, not the best writing, and that really bothered me. I wanted to work with brands and it just wasn’t happening, and it was frustrating. I forgot that I started Sweet Cats! to share my ideas with the world, not to become Instagram famous. And I had to get over that.

I was in a creative rut. My job now takes the largest chunk of my time, and I also write at least one blog post per week, and run multiple social media accounts. So when I get home, I don’t have any words left. Sure, I write about the healthcare industry all day, but I can only string together witty sentences for so long. Also, I felt like I was outgrowing my niche, “Styling the Single Girl Closet on a College Girl Budget”, but I didn’t know what direction I wanted to take the blog. Did I need to launch a complete re-brand? Can I just change the look of my site? Is this even something I want to do anymore? Basically, Sweet Cats! had an existential crisis and I didn’t know how to handle it.

That’s why it took me a while to come back to blogging. I wanted to be at a place where I’m sure that it’s something I have time to make a priority, something I do because I love it, and something that reflects who I am at this point in my life. And I believe that now I can say with confidence that all of those things are true. So here’s what you can expect from the “new” re-directed Sweet Cats!:

A more grown-up feel. I started this blog when I was 18 and had college-girl taste and an annual income of roughly zero dollars. I feel like in the past year or so, my tastes have changed and there are things I’m more willing and able to invest money into. I’m at a point where I draw more inspiration from Southern Living than I do InStyle. I care about my clothes still (duh), but I’m also interested in home decor, a healthy lifestyle, helping others, and succeeding in the professional world. So you’re going to be seeing more of those types of posts from now on.

A more lifestyle-focused approach. My vision for this blog is to become almost an online magazine, something that captures every aspect of life. Not every aspect of my life, because privacy, but life in general. Like I mentioned above, there’s more to my life now than just school and social events. I want to be able to share things that will resonate with girls in my stage of life, and maybe beyond! That’s why I’ve changed the tagline for my blog to “A Modern Southern Belle: Dressing, Eating, and Living Well”.

The same sass, snark, and Sweet Cats! writing style you love. Well, I don’t know if you love it, but I do. One thing that will never change no matter what is the focus on wording. If we’re being honest, it’s never really been about the crafts, or the outfits, or the inspirational quotes, or the lifestyle. For me, it’s always been about telling a story about those things. I love to write, and that will always be the most important part of this blog. It will always be about the words for me. And I hope you will stick around to read them.

I’m so excited to see where this new direction takes me. That’s all for meow!

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