If you follow me on Instagram, you may be tired of me talking about my hair fiasco last week. But, for those of you who don’t follow me on social (what’s up with that?!), I’m going to share my story… again.
Why do I want to share it again? Because I have a point to make about the good ‘ole Internet.
And before I forget, I’m so glad you all liked the latest YouTube video I put up – I’m definitely going to do more of them! Thanks for the feedback, y’all rawk.
So first, my hair fiasco story. I’ve been toying with the idea of dying my hair for a couple of years now. Mind you, I’m 28 years old and I’ve never dyed my hair – and I have naturally dark dark dark dark dark brown hair (basically, it’s black.)
Finally, on Sunday, I bit the bullet and went into a salon where I get my haircut and asked for some “caramel highlights.” All went well, I really digged them – it added a little punch of color to my hair. The only problem was that there weren’t enough of them – I felt like it wasn’t drastic/noticeable enough, especially considering how much dying your hair costs.
So, on Monday evening, I went back to the salon and asked for “more of the same color.” Unfortunately, I also showed the sweet stylist pictures like this, which, I believe, confused her. And she was so rad, so accommodating and very experienced.
As she painted on the color, I was getting excited to see the final product. Then, when she took me over to the chair and started towel drying, I saw a horror: BLONDE HAIR. My heart sunk into my stomach and I panicked. Luckily, she had just the fix: toner! Thank God for toner, my friends! After a few minutes, she brought me back out and voila – my hair was much darker.
Now, I’m not sure if I like my hair color. In some lights, I’m like, “work it girl,” but others, I’m like, “ick.” From everyone’s advice through Instagram, I’m giving this new look some time and seeing how it works on me, once I style it and go out with it, etc.
My whole purpose for telling you this story is because the Internet just amazes me every day. It’s amazing that people from all over the world rushed to comment and offer up their kind advice and hair dying wisdom on my photos. Honestly, I was so touched, I wanted to cry!
On one hand, there can be trolls who post such nasty, unwarranted comments, but on the other hand, there are people who are filled with positivity, kindness and compassion – and that’s what keeps me going and sharing my life with all of you!
So, thank you for being there for me, as always.
Now for this recipe- the onions are spiralized! If you’ve never seen an onion spiralized, watch this video and you’ll never dice/slice another onion again.
I love the spicy, garlicky flavors of this dish – Kung Pao calls basically for soy sauce and red chiles. It’s pretty basic, but I omitted the thickening agent (cornstarch) and honestly, you don’t miss it – plus, you feel good afterwards! Win, win!
This dish can easily be made into a side dish by removing the chicken. Or, you can swap out the chicken and use whatever protein suits you best – shrimp, quinoa, edamame, pork, whatever!
Also, it saves well in the fridge – so make a big batch (it serves four) on Sunday and enjoy for dinner or lunch all week!
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers PointsPlus*: 5 points
*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers PointsPlus® calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.
Kung Pao Chicken and Snap Peas with Spiralized Onions
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes
- 1 medium Vidalia onion Blade A, trimmed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz snow peas or snap peas
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 4 dried red chiles stems removed and then halved
- 3 scallions diced, white and green parts separated
- 3 tablespoons chopped roasted unsalted cashews
- For the kung pao sauce:
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the coconut oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Immediately add in the onions and stir-fry until just wilted, about 1 minute. Add the snow peas, garlic, ginger, chiles and white scallions and stir-fry until snap peas are nearly crisp-tender, about 2 minutes more.
- Add the prepared sauce and stir-fry to coat, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to a platter or divided into bowls, sprinkle with the nuts, remaining scallions and serve.
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