don't you wanna quinoa???

Had to get Liam off to school this morning- which was a bit of a struggle but we made it just in time. I made a smoothie for two this morning. Frozen banana, mango, strawberries, and pineapple blended with vanilla almond milk and low fat plain yogurt. Mine was served up in a bowl with Hemp Plus Granola and some sunflower butter.

Not sure why, but the smoothie in a bowl rather than a cup seemed like such a novelty and felt almost like ice cream. Who doesn't want ice cream for breakfast?? Thanks for the inspiration Kath!

After dropping Liam off as the bell rang, I figured I might as well go for a run since I was awake and fed. I ran around near his school for just under 30 minutes. Have no idea how far I went but I felt slow so probably just about 3 miles. I would have kept going but my darn allergies were so bad I could barely see!

Headed home (after getting an iced coffee...) and got to work on Spicy Confetti Quinoa. Confetti because there are so many festive veggies...

Spicy Confetti Quinoa

1 cucumber (seeded)

2 -3 carrots 

1 cup snap peas 

1 cup cherry tomatoes

3 ears fresh corn 

3 scallions (white and green) 

1 T flax seeds 

3 T toasted sunflower seed/pumpkin seed mix

1/2 cup dried Great Northern Beans

1 cup uncooked quinoa 

Dressing

2 fresh jalapenos

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 

1 lemon (juiced)

1/4 cup EVOO

1-2 TBSP agave nectar or honey

salt + pepper (to taste)

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Bring soaked beans to a boil with 2 cups of water and turn to a simmer for about 45 minutes. (If you want to used canned beans use about 1+ cup.)
2. Grill or broil jalapeno if desired (I grilled). Remove seeds and use only desired amount for heat. I used 1/2 the seeds from 1 jalapeno and its pretty spicy. Chop peppers. Reserve peppers and seeds.
3. Cut kernels off of corn cob. Chop all other veggies into desired size. For the tomatoes, I cut into quarters. Toss veggies together. DO NOT cook corn. Snap peas can be blanched for 1 minute in boiling water if desired. 
4. Toss veggies and 3 types of seeds. 
5. Whisk together reserved peppers and seeds with all dressing ingredients.
6. Toss quinoa, beans, and veggie/seed mixture together. Add dressing and gently toss to incorporate ingredients. Any fresh herbs would be a great add in as well, I actually threw in some mint and cilantro because they were growing like crazy in my garden. Let salad sit for at least 60 minutes before serving. 

If you couldn't guess, this lovely salad is for my lunches at work this weekend. If I have to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I might as well be eating something great! This pairs a lot of nutrition with flavor. Possibly my best salad yet!

As for lunch today I made a whole wheat flatbread topped with goat cheese, tomatoes, grilled zucchini, and BACON with tofu on the side. This this BZT was awesome and I'm sure the bacon was the reason. 

For my side dish I made more kale chips topped with garlic salt and cayenne then drizzled with ketchup. 

My lunch was kind of a nerdy-healthy version of a diner BLT and fries. Not saying this is a substitute but just go with me on it...

Read some of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food and got some sun this afternoon while snacking on a rather bland smoothie of almond milk, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and ice. This time I used fresh instead of frozen fruit and it was just too watery with the ice. Back to frozen fruit from now on! I also had a few TJ Backed Salt + Pepper Rice Crisps. 

 

It was just enough to perk me up for another round of awesome kickboxing! I love the interval style of this workout and feel so great right now!

Now I'm making dinner for the family and sipping on another Dark and Stormy with that spicy homemade ginger beer. Dinner tonight is grilled sausage, peppers, and onions with brown rice. I'll probably skip the sausage and toss some spinach with the grilled veg, sweet potatoes, and baby spinach. 

Time to go throw together some fruit and a salad to finish off the meal..