WUTUP

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been eating pizza and m&ms for dinner. You’re depressed. No one is there to judge you.  …You’ve been doing this because you have to squeeze into sequin gowns six nights a week and sometimes you DGAF.

Your cat has lost hope.

 

This is sort of where I’ve been for the past little while. We switched up the show (again) and so I have this new slew of costumes and very few of them fit properly. And if you ever want to doubt your ‘hot bodness’ try being under a spotlight in a dress that doesn’t zip MULTIPLE NIGHTS IN A ROW. I could go into detail about why this continues to happen, but I like my paycheck, so I’ll spare you. I’m just frustrated.

But here’s the thing. I’m old enough to know better than to do any drastic dieting. I work out. I eat well (most of the time.) But when I work hard to feel good about myself only to be forced to wear unflattering things in front of hundreds of people every night– I crash a little. Enter pizza and m&ms night.

 

My favorite accessory to a fat filled dinner is, of course, a good Korean drama. I took a break after my last one to be productive (which turned into obsessive video game playing) but I had been recommended “My Love From Another Star” by a bunch of blog friends so I decided to check it out on Viki.

 

It only recently finished airing in Korea, so the fashion is top notch and the filming is more NCIS and less Telenovela, if you catch my drift. And everyone was right! (Shout out to Enabalista!) It’s HILARIOUS! I’m only a few episodes in right now, but the main story revolves around a handsome alien who continues to bump into a bratty, unhappy actress who can’t seem to get her life together. (I’m pointing at myself right now.)

The thing I like best about this show so far is that the comedy is carried, entirely, by the female lead– which never happens. She is absolutely stunning– which makes it especially great to watch her fall down drunk or sing terribly into a hair dryer. If she wasn’t such a nutbag I don’t think I’d be able to relate to her as well as I do.

So let me set up the scene for you:

I am watching the first episode, probably pantsless, eating a personal pizza for dinner. The main character, Cheon Song-yi is singing terribly in her bathroom, and it’s late at night. Her handsome alien neighbor, Do Min-joon, comes over to complain in his cold and distant way, and Song-yi just UNLOADS on him. She says, in regards to her being cranky, “I’M ON A DIET! I HAVE HAD AN APPLE AND HALF A LEAF OF LETTUCE ALL DAY!”

I am totally relating to this character. I am nodding along with her melodramatic rant. And then the ‘half a leaf of lettuce’ thing happens and I stop, mid-bite, and look down at my pizza. My gross, microwave pizza. Do I want to run for six hours because of this pizza? No. Have I already had pizza this week? Yes.

I pause the show. I go to my fridge. I say to myself, “Self? We need to eat well. We need to nourish our bodies. We need to lay off the pizza.”

A friend of mine had been talking about healthy recipes using pesto, and I happened to have some, so I came up with a totally satisfying, inspired ‘chicken’ bake.

 

In conclusion! This is a recipe that is not Korean but motivated by one of my new favorite shows. It’s healthy, low on carbs, and as easy as microwaving a pizza. (Like…in a really slow…microwave. I dunno.)

PESTO ‘CHICKEN’ BAKE

2 (Fake, I prefer the brand Quorn) Chicken Breasts

1 Zucchini

1 Squash

1 Vidalia Onion

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes

Olive Oil spray

1 Tb Pesto (I used Trader Joes!)

1 tsp Korean Chili Flakes (You see what I did there?!)

1/4 cup low fat mozzarella

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with olive oil. Chop onion, zucchini, squash and grape tomatoes. Microwave your fake chicken cutlets for two minutes, with papertowel on top to hold in moisture. (If you’re using real chicken, cook through until not pink on the inside or whatever.) Place ‘chicken’ in center of pan, surround with chopped veggies. Baste your ‘chicken’ with pesto. Sprinkle veggies with salt, pepper, pepper flakes. Spray everything lightly with olive oil spray. Bake for twenty to twenty five minutes, until pesto is firm and veggies are browned on the edges. Take out the baking pan, turn the broiler on low. Sprinkle with cheese and broil for NO MORE than five minutes. You only want to crisp things up a little.

Serve hot, eat while watching beautiful people argue about dieting in Korean. Feel no guilt.

 

There you have it!

I miss y’all! I’ll post again soon, okay? And send me some more KDrama recommendations!

❤