Reduced Ebook pricing!

Now that we are well into the new year, I wanted to re-post OUR EBOOK at an even lower price to help you keep going in your resolutions. By the end of January is when I'd rather let go of some of the 'uncomfortable' changes I've tried to make for myself. I hope that our book can give you some motivation to keep going, eat clean, add more fruits and veggies. You are worth it and I know you can do it, because you can do hard things.

Baby steps remember. Maybe add a few more vegetarian meals, a few more salads and work up from there. It doesn't have to be cold turkey on every guilty pleasure all at once!

Keep going, and hopefully this $0.99 book can help you along your way!

Lemon Garlic Quinoa

 

 

 

Well this whole food week has gone pretty good. I have really tried to put a lot of thought into my meals. I usually start the day with  a shake, then I have a lunch with a lot of fruits and veggies and maybe like a string cheese or something.

 

I ended up making some awesome steamed asparagus and baked chicken with a lemon, garlic quinoa!  I just kind of played around with some ingredients a I had so we didn't just have plain quinoa, it turned out really great! Super easy and an awesome healthy side for an awesome dinner.

 

Whole food living can be difficult, especially when you work or are chasing kiddos everywhere. I'm a big fan of pre planning and even pre- packaging your lunches...it's easy and all ready for you. The number one tip to remember is to stay as close to nature as possible and you'll be golden!

Lemon Garlic Quinoa

 

1 cup uncooked quinoa

 

1/2 lemon

 

1 garlic clove, minced

 

2 cups of water

 

Add quinoa and water to a medium sized sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 lemon and garlic clove. Reduce to a simmer for another 10-15 minutes until water is all absorbed. Serve warm~ Enjoy

 

 

 

 

 



Cheesy Cauliflower Quinoa

This may sound like the most random meal...however if you are strapped for cash this holiday (I feel ya) and looking for a fast, healthy, meal that your kiddos even husband will eat...then look no further! This meal came from looking in the fridge for inspiration to come to me...to our plates within 30 minutes! It was very tasty.

After I explained to my husband my idea for dinner...he gave me the nose wrinkle! Yuck! Well I am happy to say that after the first bite (because he's a trooper) He said..."This is really good!" My husband can be like a kid and if he doesn't like something he'll push it around his plate and he won't finish the meal...this was gone with no leftovers! This equals a happy mom!

Cheesy Cauliflower Quinoa

1 head of cauliflower, chopped

1 1/2 c uncooked quinoa

2 c vegetable broth

1/2 c cheese of any kind, I prefer white cheeses (you can add more if you'd like it really cheesy)

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp italian seasoning

dash of parsley 

Add cauliflower and Quinoa to a large pot*. Add broth with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover with lid until liquid is absorbed. Add, shredded cheese to pot, mix until melted. Mix in seasonings and top with parsley! Serve immediately. Enjoy!

* if you like more firm cauliflower, add it after you bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer

Chicken Lentil Soup

Fall is here and soups comfort my soul! I had a friend who asked for a soup that used lentils. I love lentils, and I love lentil soup...some though find lentils an acquired taste. I admit if you don't season things good when using lentils they can be quite bland.

This soup is chuck full of stuff! It's hearty, healthy and perfect for a chilly day. I felt mine had a good flavor, a good consistency. However my basil kind of spilled into the soup so I had a little too much basil. I'll put the correct amount though- hopefully you don't have the same problem! Also, this soup is so easily turned vegan/vegetarian...just leave out the chicken. What other soups do you like? Do you prefer really hearty soups with lots of textures, or do you prefer a really smooth soup texture?

Chicken Lentil Soup

6 cups vegetable broth

4 small potatoes, cubed

1 1/4 C lentils

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 T basil

1 T garlic, minced

 salt and pepper to taste

dash of red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken

Add broth to a large pot. Add cubed potatoes with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 5 minutes covered. Add lentils, quinoa, basil, and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

This is optional- I put half of the soup into the blender and blended it. Then poured it back into the pot. You don't have to do that if you don't like that consistency. 

Add cubed chicken and cover and simmer together for another 5 minutes!

Remove from heat and serve! Enjoy

Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad

I am so addicted to Quinoa lately, it is so easy and so nutritious. I have gotten serious lately about my baby pounds shedding...my progress was a little slower than I had wanted, I probably wasn't eating as well as I should though. So this week I have really gotten it in gear and have really been feeling wonderful. It's amazing how much revolves around what we put into our bodies. I was having intense tension headaches, they have left already and it's only been two days. I feel that my mood is better, which my little people enjoy, bear mom is not appealing. I also feel I have more energy which is priceless for me right now with my sweet little guy graciously waking me up in the middle of the night...and trust me this kid likes to play at night...it takes a good hour to an hour and a half to get that pumpkin snoozing again. 

Anyways on to the food. I saw this recipe here and it sounded delightful to me. Well the finished product did not disappoint and do you know the coolest thing ever...my kids devoured it! Seriously I watched my two year old son for the first time ever just stuff a piece of zucchini in his mouth without even blinking...and it stayed in his mouth! No spitting it back out...the only problem with this is I didn't make enough! Seriously even my husband said "Go ahead and make this again it's really good"

I hate the texture of peppers but even I ate every bite including the peppers. This is full of delicious bright vegetables and full of flavor. I hope you whip this up as the meal or as the side. your family will love it!

Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad

1 cup Quinoa

1 zucchini

1/2 c shredded carrot (I used a full size carrot and grated it myself so it was very fine)

1 yellow pepper

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

dash of red pepper flakes

half a lime

Cook quinoa in 2 cups of water. Meanwhile heat oil in skillet, add peppers, onions, carrot, and garlic. Cook over med-low heat until tender, add zucchini, almonds and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook until zucchini is tender. When Quinoa is cooked add quinoa to skillet to combine flavors. Right before you serve it squeeze lime juice over the top to give the flavors some kick! Enjoy!

Ham Fried Quinoa

I don't know about all of you, but I am all about fast meals that area good for you. Since our little babe joined our family I'm finding less and less free time to really sit and prepare this wonderful masterpiece that includes all the food groups in perfect quantities and delicious flavors...that is not reality.

So quick weeknight meals that have a lot of nutrition are what I'm about at this point in my life. Maybe I'll be able to do that well thought out process again in a few years, but as of right now a full of energy four year old, a mischevious two year old, and a needy newborn claim my time and hands.

I saw a recipe for chicken fried quinoa here and I decided to make my own spin on things to fit my tastes and what my family likes.

I love broccoli. I usually like to use the peas also in asian style meals, however I made this for my mom also who is deathly allergic to peas... random I know...anyways I loved how the use of broccoli as the main veggie turned out. I also used the cubed ham for speed and ease at this point, you can use any meat really or go totally meatless it's really what you like. I am obsessed with quinoa and it's many uses and nutrition that it brings. I'd take this ham fried quinoa over ham fried rice any day!!! Enjoy

P.S. I fed the baby while the rest of the family ate this, it was totally gone before I could get a picture of the final result....what does that tell you :)

Ham Fried Quinoa

1 cup uncooked Quinoa

1 cup broccoli slaw

1 bunch chopped broccoli

1/2 bag cubed ham

3 T low sodium soy sauce- divided

1 cup water

Add quinoa to pot with two cups of water. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until most liquid is gone and quinoa is tender. Meanwhile, add water, broccoli and broccoli slaw to large skillet. Cover and let simmer and steam over med-low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add cubed ham and 1 1/2 T soy sauce. Cover and continue to simmer and steam. When quinoa is done add quinoa to the skillet with remaining soy sauce. Uncover and heat together in the skillet for another 5 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed and vegetables are tender. Serve hot! Enjoy

Other add ins

an egg scrambled

chicken

peas

carrots

onion

green onion

peppers

Trying New Things, And Delicious Collard Greens

Do you know about the kid face? The face that is a mix between fear and disgust? When your child looks up at you and is mentally saying 

 "You can't be serious! You really want me to eat that?"

That is the face my daughter gave me last night when I placed a side of collard greens on her plate!

We have never had collard greens before! Last night we hadn't had basically anything that I served before. 

Last night was a night of trying new things. I decided I wanted to try collard greens. If I'm going to eat plant based I better branch out and eat more than spinach and romaine lettuce or my meals may get a little bit boring. I tried the greens raw in a salad before, and well they were very bitter. So I decided to saute them with some flavor.

We also tried Quinoa pasta for the first time! I loved it, it didn't taste any different to me, but it is a little bit lower in carbohydrates so that was a fantastic find it is also gluten free! The box also gave some awesome sounding recipes that I can't wait to try out!

We also tried Boca ground crumbles in our sauce in place of ground beef. Boca is soy based, but didn't taste like soy. Really I find it is a great ground beef replacement. I think the lentil meatballs are healthier since I'm sure the Boca crumbles have sodium in them, but if the lentils don't do it for you, this is another alternative!

Back to my daughter story about the greens. Well she kept saying her lettuce was wet, that was funny. My son didn't even give them a chance unfortunately, and try reasoning with and 18 month old. It's not the easiest thing. But, my daughter was required to try at least one bite. It was an enjoyable moment. 

I watched the face. It was a face for about 5 minutes trying to figure out if she liked it or not. Then she distracted herself as most 3 year old's do, and she swallowed it.  I asked her if she liked it and she said she did, so success in my mind!

I think these make a beautiful side dish. It is a nice way to add some extra greens into your diet. It uses some oil, maybe you like them raw which is probably better, but I used very little oil and liked the end result.  It is bright and colorful and for the holidays I keep thinking Thanksgiving! Awesome!

Collard Greens

1 Bunch of collard greens

2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 c sun dried tomatoes

1/2 onion

1 garlic clove shredded

1/4 c sunflower nuts

Heat oil in large skillet. Add collard greens with onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Heat for 15 minutes, mixing occasionally to make sure the greens are wilting and coated. Add sunflower nuts. Mix and heat another 5 minutes until the greens are very wilted and onions are cooked and browned. Enjoy! You can top these with your favorite dressing if you'd like or vinegar. I thought they were great without it. 

Add any nut in place of sunflower nuts. I think pine nuts, or almond slivers would be great.

Quinoa Corn Chowder!

Well so far so good in the crock-pot challenge...okay so it's only day two. I have a feeling by the end of this I'm going to be reeeeeaaaalllly sick of cleaning my crock-pot out! Already though I am just loving the ease of dinner, I forget how nice it is when dinner time rolls around and I realize I'm sitting down waiting just like everyone else instead of being all over the place in the kitchen!

I love soup, stew, even stewp! They are flavorful and so easy to prepare and with the crock pot it's even better! You just throw it all in and let it cook! When I was searching around trying to find new recipes for the crock pot I stumbled upon an idea for corn chowder with quiona. here and decided it had to be on the list! I made it my own and I loved it and my kids did too. Derek liked it but he enjoys anything with jalapenos in it~  this is one of those that would be great to freeze the leftovers since it makes a ton of chowder! Awesome- two meals in one whack!

The best things I'm noticing about using the crock-pot

~ creativity in the kitchen

~ Easy clean up and easy prep

~ more time to spend with my sweet kids!

That last one is by far the best! Sometimes around dinner time my kids get a little whiny! Does anyone else know the feeling? By the time I've gotten them in their chairs with their plates in front of them I'm feeling a little stressed out! These last two nights, however, have been great. We've gone on extra walks, I've sat down and played barbies and Legos! It's been great. 

Well onto this delicious heartwarming soup!

 

Quinoa Corn Chowder

1 1/2 C uncooked quinoa

4 C water

1 can low sodium vegetable broth

4-5 potatoes chopped

1 red bell pepper

1 C frozen corn

3-4 canned jalapenos with 3-4 T of juice

1/2 onion, minced

1 T cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Soak Quinoa in water for about 5 minutes, while you chop the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients to crock-pot and let it cook on high for 3-4 hours. Enjoy

Alphabet Day's End, Zucchini Boats

Well our beloved Alphabet days has come to an end, just in time for school to start. I don't have school aged children, but my hubs is getting ready to start another fun filled semester....hahaha....not so fun actually! I guess we could look at it as one step closer to graduation! Someday it will come!

A few weeks ago my good friend described a dinner she had made out of zucchini! It sounded delightful, she put meat in hers so I wanted to find a way to make ours meatless, but have great flavor! These zucchini boats were so easy and so delicious! I was so happy with the end result. I've felt we haven't been watching as closely what we've been giving our kids the last few days since we've had some busy family get togethers or we've been on the go! So I needed, yes needed for my own guilt to pack them with something nutritious tonight! They loved these little babies, which makes mom all the more happy! These ended up reminding me of a tasty Italian meal, without all the creamy pasta sauces or carbs! So yay for us! Enjoy these easy weekend or weeknight zucchini boats! They are great!

Zucchini Boats

3-4 zucchini squash, cut lengthwise in half

1 C of canned or frozen corn

1-2 C cooked quinoa or brown rice

1 C chopped carrots

1 C peas

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 C green beans

1 T Italian Seasoning 

2 T nutritional Yeast (optional)

1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning, (optional)
1/4 C sunflower nuts, for some extra crunch

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (or 1 recipe of easy marinara sauce)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon out the inside of the zucchini squash so just the rind is left. Place the spooned squash in a large bowl. Add onion to skillet with a tsp of olive oil and saute, add garlic and finish cooking until garlic is fragrant. Add vegetables, nuts, rice or quinoa, sauce, and seasonings to bowl and stir well. Try and have the zucchini mashed up a bit so you don't have enormous chunks of it. Spoon mixture into the rind of the zucchini. Place on a large cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread, yum!!!!

Peach Crumble Muffins

Muffins are such a fun breakfast to make. You can make them super bad for you, or you can add wholesome ingredients and make them a welcome guest to your stomach!

My friend from work handed me a delicious looking bag of fresh peaches from her tree yesterday! Some of them didn't make them home, I ate them! Some of them barely made it in the front door, the kids ate them! Others are being saved for peach soft serve, they will be eaten! But this morning a select few were made into a delicious peachy crumble muffin! I didn't look at a recipe for these muffins, this is all me. I was very happy how well the sweetness in these muffins complimented the grains so much! I'm happy to serve them to my family, even though my crazy husband doesn't really like peaches, how can that be?

He ate them though and said they were good, he added they weren't his favorite like the zucchini muffins, but they were good. For someone who doesn't like peaches, that makes me perfectly happy!

All the grains rolled and snuggled next to the sweet peaches and syrup call for one great start to the morning! Feel good about your food without sacrificing taste! It's a wonderful feeling!

Peach Crumble Muffins

2 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C cooked quinoa 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 T cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Wet 

1/4 C maple syrup (or agave)

1 tsp vanilla

1 C almond milk

1/4 C applesauce

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 1/2 C chopped peaches

1 Flax-Chia egg (1 T ground flaxseed, 1 tsp Chia seed + 3-4 T water)

Crumble Topping

1/2 T coconut oil

1/8 C coconut Sugar

1 T cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make flax-chia egg and set aside into small bowl. Combine all dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix remaining wet ingredients with flax egg and add to dry ingredients. Fold ingredients together well. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Add crumble ingredients to a small skillet, mix together until all the oil is melted and absorbed into the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping over the top of the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving! Enjoy

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Crisp, chilled lettuce. You complete me! Summer is a beautiful time to take advantage of green salads and all the wonderful nutrients they give our bodies~

I also love lettuce wraps. I love having everything I would put on a sandwich without the bread and it really gives people with a gluten free need a list of tasty options.

These passed few days I've felt myself stretched thin and I am feeling it in my muscles today. I probably know I haven't been drinking as much water as I should be and I might have been eating too much of my mint carob fudge! When I make these silly decisions I feel it in my back. The only way to describe it is it feels almost like a charlie horse right in the center. Luckily I work in an environment where I'm surrounded by occupational therapists and physical therapists. However, I still came home really sore, but at least I've been guzzling my water like a maniac today :)

When the soreness sets in I bring out the Crock Pot! Simple, no brainer, dinners! This was totally simple and totally tasty! I savored each bite and loved the lettuce wrap addition! We used quinoa as our grain filling and it was perfect! I love flavor without a lot of ingredients that I had to think about and throw in. This meal contained basically my two favorite things, lettuce and quinoa. ~bliss! Play around with this, it's the slow cooker, you can do almost anything you want :) Enjoy

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 lb organic boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 C water

1/2 C low sodium teriyaki sauce

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 C cashews (optional)

1 head bibb or romaine lettuce

Combine all ingredients to Crock pot except the lettuce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Serve with quinoa or brown rice. Wrap chicken and grain in lettuce leaves. Use remaining juice from Crock pot as a dipping sauce! Enjoy

 

Quinoa Salad w/garlic vinegarette

Welcome to lunch on "Q" day, and it's going to be a GREAT day! Okay I admit, this "Q" meal was designed for mom and mom's taste buds! Yes I didn't share with anyone, but they already ate lunch so I'm cleared right?

Even if this was for my lunch this would make an excellent side dish at a potluck, or for dinner or for the meal, whatever your feeling! It was amazingly fast and very nutritious! I really enjoyed the dressing that I made to go along with everything, please don't pour the whole amount that the recipe makes over a little salad...that may not go over so well :)! Quinoa is very easy to prepare and it goes a long way. I put 1/2 C uncooked quinoa and covered it with a cup of water. Just double the amount of water to whatever amount of quinoa you're using, and simmer until the water is all absorbed! Mix this with whatever veggies, in my opinion peppers added an awesome flavor to this! I think I'm overcoming my texture issue with peppers. YAY!

Want some healthy benefits of Quinoa? Well you're going to get some :)
- Quinoa is a complete protein. One cup of quinoa has more protein than and egg!!! It also has all 8 of the essential amino acids

-It helps you keep your blood sugar regulated!!!! It is digested slowly so no blood sugar spikes

-Quinoa is a complex carbohydrate so it helps clean out the digestive tract, in other words it keeps you regular, less bloating and super uncool constipation.

-Quinoa has a ton of calcium, postassium and magnesium, these assist with bones, your heart and nerve functions!

-Quinoa is high in iron which supplies energy to the blood stream. It also has B vitamins which assist in brain function and helps keep your mind "with it" Sweet

info found here

Quinoa Salad w/ Garlic Vinegarette

1/2 C uncooked quinoa

2 C romaine lettuce

1/4 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 C shredded Carrots

1/4 C onion, chopped

1 T sunflower nuts

Garlic Vinegarette

3 Garlic Cloves, shredded

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

4 T red wine vinegar

1 T raw cane sugar

1 T chia seeds

Cook quinoa in sauce pan with 1 cup of water. Simmer until completely absorbed and tender. Combine quinoa with remaining salad ingredients. Set aside. Combine all dressing ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to boil, remove from heat and stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Let dressing cool slightly before pouring it over salad. Toss salad so it's well coated

*the salad is for made for one person, the dressing supplies you with several servings so don't pour all the dressing onto your one salad!

Quinoa Garden Burger

A few weeks ago my hubs took me out for a nice dinner. It can be really challenging to find healthy food to eat when you go out to eat. We settled on a local restaurant and much to my surprise they had menu that was entirely vegetarian!!! Wow, I was impressed. I ordered a really flavorful garden burger and I loved it. I knew I had to recreate something similar at home where I knew for sure everything that was going into it!

I'll admit I've never had much luck with garden burgers. They either are really bland or they fall apart. It's been quite disappointing.

After playing around a little bit I decided instead of rice I wanted to use quinoa with the beans and vegetables. I wanted to have kind of a southwest burger that had some kick to it. I will say I think I should've added a few more spices, but this has turned into the best garden burger I've made! I was really happy with how it turned out. Thank goodness! It makes me feel much better knowing that I've got natural, whole food in these babies and very low sodium! You can add different vegetables, or use rice instead of quinoa. You can change the beans you use, these are very versatile!

I was worried that I would spend two hours making them, but they were put together really quickly that is always a plus in my book! Make these your own, and you will adore them! Enjoy

Quinoa Garden Burger

2 C cooked quinoa

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 red bell pepper

1 C frozen corn

1/2 C chopped green onion

3 carrots, grated

1/2 C sunflower nuts

1/2 T cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 T Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 tsp taco seasoning (optional)

Chop vegetables and combine with seasonings in small bowl

In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and beans and mash together. You can leave some beans whole or mash them completely! Get a great arm workout while you cook! Combine quinoa mixture with vegetables in the large bowl.

Shape into small patties and place them in oiled skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned on both sides. Be careful not to let them burn, however you don't want the insides to be mushy and cold. 

Serve warm with all the burger fixins you want! For a gluten free option try them in a lettuce wrap, or just eat the patty with a BBQ dipping sauce! 

Yes I love pickles, and I added a big fat one to my burger :)

Strawberry Sweet Bread w/ Strawberry Glaze

Are you ready to get your grain on? This sweet bread was marvelous, but it is full of yummy grains, and a surprise ingredient....quinoa! Yes, cooked quinoa! I have never used quinoa in a baking before. I've seen the quinoa flour and pasta, however I've never thought to use cooked quinoa.

This recipe is a combination of many searches and mashing them all together to satisfy my tastes! I found some ideas at ohsheglows.com, poorgirleatswell.com, and my best friend google!  I knew a few things I wanted, I wanted it to be egg less, healthy (obviously), I wanted a glaze and I wanted a berry or fruit. I couldn't decide between strawberries or cherries for awhile, finally I decided on the strawberries (I do think cherries would be great in this too, with a cherry glaze...maybe some chocolate chips....light bulb!!!! Cherry chocolate chip bread!!! To be continued...)

Well after I had compiled a list of ingredients I stumbled upon the idea of adding cooked quinoa to your baking, since apparently it adds moisture, more healthy grains, and flavor! Hmmmm, well the purpose of my blog is to think outside the box when feeding ourselves and our families healthy. So I decided to try it. Whenever I make up a recipe I get very unorganized in my baking, maybe I should do a post on how to simplify baking and cooking so clean up is easier...it will say..."Don't bake like ME!"

 

As I was starting the process of making the bread, I had those negative thoughts come into my head, just like with the veggie kabobs, I kept thinking, your taking a risk with just mashing together multiple recipes, you just finished doing a budget post and now here you are going to waste all your food!

Well I'm here to tell you when the negativity bug comes knocking, punch him! A lot of times when we have just a basic idea in mind, sometimes that is when we create our tastiest creations! I will admit I've never been awesome at glazes, they never seem to get really thick for me and they tend to absorb into baked good a lot, not that it hurts the flavor it just doesn't look as pretty. I let things cool and everything so if anyone has any tips let me know! This bread turned out really tasty! I really enjoy things where you can taste the health of it, but it still has an enjoyable sweetness to it! And this had it all for me. The glaze made some bites taste almost like a doughnut...I mean that is awesome right! It was a pretty pink color, so as soon as I saw it I thought, 'what a nice Valentine's Day Bread' and it would be, but we'll enjoy it in July as well :)  Okay enough chit chat, on to the recipe! Enjoy this, just save some for everyone at your house :)

Strawberry Sweet Bread w/ Strawberry Glaze

2 C flour (I used whole grain Spelt Flour)

1 C quinoa, cooked

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 T ground flax seed

2 T raw cane sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 C almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)

1 C strawberries

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 C agave 

1/4 C raw honey (you can also use maple syrup)

1/3 C oil (I used olive oil)

Glaze

1/2 C confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

4 frozen strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa completely. Set aside to cool. Combine almond milk, vinegar, agave, honey, almond extract, vanilla, and oil to a small bowl. Set aside while you combine the dry ingredients. Add all dry ingredients, except strawberries, and including quinoa to a large bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until blended, add strawberries. Be careful not over mix the Spelt flour, it's a delicate flour. Pour dough into a bread pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until completely cooked through. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack. After bread has cooled slightly, begin to assemble glaze. Add sugar to a small bowl. Make sure strawberries are thawed (I actually microwaved mine for a minute to make them mushy) Smash out as much juice as you can and pour it into the sugar, try and keep as many chunks out as possible, I ended up with about 4-5 T of liquid. And after awhile I had even more, that I didn't use, so if you want a lot, keep mushing them! Pour glaze over the top of the bread! Enjoy

*Question for everyone, I've noticed there is a debate whether or not honey is vegan. I know it's made from Bees so I guess in that sense I see how it isn't, but I would love others opinions, I'm not sure if I should call things that use honey vegan?

Breakfast Quinoa Fruit Salad

Mornings are a wonderful time! I love summer mornings in particular. You wake up and it's nice and cool, but it's light outside! It's perfect for strapping on those running shoes and heading out!
Winter and fall mornings can be just as nice to me! How great is it to curl up with a steamy mug of hot chocolate and be surrounded by holiday cheer everywhere you go!
It's too bad that most of the time mornings seem to be our busiest times. I know I've missed out on a lot of precious "me" time just to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, or I've missed the quiet moments when the sun is coming up because I didn't stop to appreciate the beauty of mornings!

So to dress up our morning today I decided to make an out of the box breakfast! Sometimes when I'm wanting some kind of grain or oat for breakfast I get bored with just oatmeal...(I do try to dress it up) but still you want a change sometimes! So I found some ideas from multiple sources to use quinoa with berries! Well I thought that sounded like a yummy wake up to my day! So I gathered up some fruit and mixed some chilled Quinoa, cinnamon and almond extract with it and what do you know it turned out to be an awesome breakfast! I really wanted to put mango in mine, but when I cut into it it was all bruised, but I'm still putting in my ingredients because I think it would be AWESOME! I think this could be used just as a fruit salad side also or lunch, but I like it for breakfast :)

Breakfast Quinoa Fruit Salad

1/3 c Quinoa

2/3 c water

1 tsp cinnamon (you can put cinnamon and sugar together for more sweetness)

1 chopped apple

1/2 banana

4 chopped strawberries

1 chopped mango

dash of almond extract

Put quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook quinoa until water is gone and quinoa is tender and cooked. Add cinnamon, or cinnamon and sugar and almond extract. Chill quinoa. Meanwhile, chop fruit and place in a medium bowl. When Quinoa is chilled add to fruit and mix. Top with cinnamon and dash of sugar! Enjoy

Quick Bean Quinoa Medley

This is one way to make a super satisfying lunch with some leftovers in the fridge. I had left over Quinoa filling from my Quinoa Burritos and a baked potato....what to do they both sounded good....well why not combine them :) you can add whatever other raw or cooked veggies you want and you've got yourself a super quick satisfying, tasty lunch! Also, this can be used as a great side with dinner or the whole meal!  I topped mine with a tablespoon of Italian dressing and was very happy!

Quick Bean Quinoa Medley

Quinoa Burrito Filling

1-2 T Italian Dressing

1 baked/boiled potato

assorted vegetables (optional)

Combine all ingredients and heat on stove for approx 5 minutes or in microwave for  1.5 minutes! Enjoy!

Quinoa Burritos

Lunch is a hard meal sometimes, if you have kids you are trying to get them taken care of, it can I've found turn into a repetitious meal, lots of sandwiches, lots of salads etc..well I wanted something quick for me to put together that was a little out of the ordinary. Lunch for me is right when I get home from work, right before nap time and right when I don't feel like making a whole lot of food. Well I found these burritos to be fast, easy and nutritious. You can top with lettuce, avocado, tomato, anything really! Design your food your way ;)

Quinoa Burrito

1 c vegetable broth

1 c water

1 c quinoa

1 tortilla (I used corn)

1/2 can black beans

3/4 c salsa

2 T nutritional yeast

Heat vegetable broth and water on stove top. Add quinoa when bubbles start on the bottom of the pot. Heat 15 minutes, add beans and nutritional yeast after about 10 minutes continue to heat until Quinoa is cooked. Place quinoa mixture on tortilla top with salsa and any other desired toppings. I put some fresh spinach on top. Pretty fast, healthy and satisfying!!! Enjoy