Quinoa Salad

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Remember that recipe I promised to post a billion years ago? Well... I found the draft. Unpublished. Oops. So, here it is ;) 

Have you guys discovered quinoa yet? My mom is a dietitian and has introduced us to all sorts of great healthy recipes over the years. This quinoa salad was actually discovered by my sister, but its health-freak-mother-approved and is definitely one worth sharing, for more reasons than one - its delicious and nutritious.
 
Quinoa at first glance looks sort of like rice. But its actually a grain and a protein and a relative of the leafy green vegetables. In my book, this basically translates into SUPERFOOD. Check out all of the nutrition packed into this crazy little "seed":

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Quinoa is a complete protein - which is just fancy nutrition talk for "it includes all 9 essential amino acids." In addition to the health benefits of whole grains and amino acids I'm sure we all know about, check out the links below if you want more info about this nutrition-packed protein/grain superfood and some other fun ways to prepare it!

Now, onto my quinoa recipe of choice: Quinoa Salad

What you'll need:

Quinoa 

1 (or 2) Cucumber(s)

1 Red Onion

2 Tomatoes

1 can of Corn

Chicken Broth

Olive Oil

Lemon & Lime (or juice)

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Feta Cheese

Mayonnaise (reduced fat or made w/ Olive Oil preferred) 
Fresh Cilantro

What to do:

Cook 1 cup Quinoa in 2 cups of Chicken Broth per the directions on the packaging. While its cookin' start chopping up your veggies... the cucumber, tomatoes {I used cherry tomatoes this go around}, and onion.

Uncooked Quinoa

After your Quinoa is cooked, put it in a large mixing bowl and add your {drained} can of corn and the diced cucumbers, tomatoes and onion. Chop up a handful or so of cilantro and add that to the mix as well! This fresh cilantro is seriously what makes or breaks the whole recipe, so use as much as you like!

Cooked Quinoa (plus a little mayo, we'll get to that in a sec!)

Veggies combined

Corn + Veggies

Quinoa + Corn + Veggies
Note: I DOUBLED the recipe in these photos. Hubbs likes to take this for lunch.

After your cooked Quinoa, veggies and cilantro are combined, its time for the "Dressing." I have made this so many times I just combine everything at once rather than separate but you can do whatever works for you! The dressing is a combo of: 1/4 cup of Olive Oil, a couple tablespoons of mayo, lemon and lime juice (to taste), kosher salt, and black pepper! Mix it all up reallllllly well... add some feta......... and mix some more!

Tadaaa! Easy, huh? We have eaten this warm and cold - but we prefer it cold, like a pasta salad. Like I said, Andrew takes a cup or so for lunch since its got all the nutrients of a meal packed into one easy peasy dish - if I double the recipe it lasts us a meal + leftovers for his lunch all week! I've been asked for this recipe so many times by friends... it has definitely been a hit!

Delicious and nutritious... and husband-AND-mom-approved :)

Have you guys ever made quinoa recipes? What are your faves?? Here are some more suggestions for cooking w/ quinoa! If you try any, let me know what you think!

All Recipes.com 20 Best Quinoa Recipes

Easy Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa Burgers

Vegan Quinoa Recipes

Curried Quinoa

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Raw Update!

By Tuesday afternoon (~48 hours into my raw food diet) I was feeling really. really. really. tired. Like, all I wanted was to take a nap. That lasted all day. Husb thought maybe I wasn't eating enough nuts for this whole raw diet thing, so he said I might not be getting enough protein, something about blood sugar (?!) yadda yadda I'm-good-at-nutrition-cause-I'm-almost-a-doctor babble.

So, he suggested I might need to bend my own rules and have a few egg whites. Being the food loving obedient wife that I am... I took his advice. I scrambled up 3 egg whites and felt like a new woman! Then, went back to raw for the rest of Tuesday and most of Wednesday.

By the time bible study rolled around at 7:00 on Wednesday, I was feeling like I could really use some carbs. I was starting to feel lethargic again... I had worked out twice already since starting this raw diet, and most actual raw food cleanses/detoxes/whatevers suggest very minimal (if any) exercise during whatever duration you choose to eat all raw, vegan - especially when your body isn't used to it. Soo since Natalie's cooking smelled and looked so good I had a little of her yummy pasta. Totally not as much as I normally would have scarfed down though ;)

Long story short, I plan to be back to raw-only foods through the rest of the week and will have a few plain, scrambled egg whites if I start to feel like I'm draggin' again. I don't want to stress out my body just for the sake of saying "I ate raw foods and nothing else all week!" Who cares?

I still haven't decided yet whether I want to continue this thing through the weekend and beyond - I'm thinking about modifying my diet to more of a "V Before 6" type of diet for the next week or so, because my goal here is to eat healthier, more natural, close to the earth foods and to really up my fruit and veggie intake - not necessarily to be a raw foodie. Decisions, decisions...

Anyway, that's the update - I'll keep ya posted!

Going Raw

I've done a lot of cleaning up lately. Got my house cleaned on Friday. Cleaned my nails up with a mani/pedi on Saturday. I even cleaned all my make-up brushes this afternoon. And this week, I'll be cleaning up my diet!

I'm goin' raw. 

All raw foods, that is. I'll be eating a diet of strictly fresh organic produce (fruits & veggies) and raw nuts for the next 5-10 days {depending on how long I last!}... and I'm going to attempt to juice at least 2 meals a day w/ our handy dandy Jack LaLanne juicer.

I'm going to juice mostly fruits in the morning, and increase my green veggies throughout the day. Because there is no way I could stomach this diet past day 2 if I had to drink broccoli for breakfast. I'm all about being healthy, but not at the risk of gaggin' myself at the start of my day. So for Day 1, here is what I had:

Breakfast Juice:

1 Green Apple

5 Strawberries

3 Pineapple Chunks

2 Large Carrots

Lunch:

1/4 Cup of Raw Almonds

1/4 Cup of Raw Pistachios 

1 Banana

Dinner Juice:

2 Large Carrots

1 (huge) Bunch of Kale

1 Tomato

A handful of Spinach

2 Celery Stalks

1 Green Apple

Snacks:

Blueberries

Raspberries

Whole Foods' Guacamole 

This is totally not a diet I'd suggest to anyone as a lifestyle, or for prolonged periods of time... but its a great way to cleanse your system, detox your body, and jump start a healthy diet and exercise plan. 

Because I am pretty active (I exercise 3-4 days/week) if I start to feel too hungry or faint at any point during the next few days, I plan to re-introduce whole grains, animal proteins, etc. back into my diet ASAP. But I'm hoping that I can at least make it through Friday 100% raw! Depending how I feel, I'd like to try this out for 10 full days... maybe even 14. We'll see!

Should be interesting for this pasta and sweets lover (darn you, Italian genes!) - especially since I live with a husb who lovesss to cook eat! The smell of his sloppy joe tonight almost made me scrap the whole idea. But I think it will be refreshing and rewarding to see this thing through! 

If anyone cares, I'll update you on my progress as the week goes on! And if you having been looking for an excuse to try a similar detox, why not this week?! Support group anyone? ;)

Yummmmy! (all photos via)

Chiro for Kiddos

Monday, we meet again...

We didn't have an overly eventful weekend, so I don't have many pictures to share. But we did have a great time at Sheila's engagement party (click for some pics of the adorable decorations and details!) and got a lot done around our house so that it is clean, organized, and stocked with food and other necessities before I head back to work/school! Here are a few pictures I snagged from Sheila of Friday night!

Me w/ the blushing bride-to-be! (if only I were looking...)

Sheila w/ some of her guests :)

With Sher, the hostess of the evening!

Back to what I set out to post about - chiropractic care for kids!

Since most of my readers are momma's or momma's-to-be, I thought I'd share this video that a preggo friend of mine posted this morning:

Interesting stuff! I don't usually get on my future Chiropractor wife soapbox on my blog, but I think its important to spread the info I've acquired over the course of my husband's schooling. There are so many misconceptions about chiropractic medicine out there, so if you ever have questions feel free to email me or leave a comment and I'll do my best to get you an answer or pass along some resources! 

If you are interested, here are some great resources for you natural moms (and anyone else interested in learning more about holistic healthcare) to check out:

Dr. Bizjak's practice (our Chiro from Ohio) has a really informative website that answers most of the FAQ's I can think of!

www.chiroforfamilies.com

Natural News (for current articles and reports published in the natural health world)

http://www.naturalnews.com/

WHEN - Wealth & Health Empowerment Network (info on the natural state of the body, and some great resources for mom's who are researching when/whether to vaccinate their children)

http://www.whenisnow.net/

And for a few interesting articles and videos I've come across about chiropractic/natural health lately, you may want to check out:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/20/home-births-at-highest-level-since-1990/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRbNclnBdMg&feature=share

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8h0SkPcs2U

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=149153403581&comments

From time to time, I may post articles I come across that I find interesting and newsworthy. As with all info on this blog, the opinions I share are my own - do with them what you will! My goal is not to tell anyone how to care for themselves or their families, but I do encourage you to read and research different options.

I hope you guys find to be interesting and informative :)

Bison Meatloaf

Alright, kids... are you ready for a healthy, hearty, feel-good recipe? The husb has been reading a lot about making sure your "environment" is healthy so that you can live a long, disease-free life --- in normal people talk this basically means: stay away from stuff that isn't good for you. But it doesn't stop with fatty, greasy foods! Bad things include preservatives, hormones, pesticides, artificial ingredients, and the like. Of course, keeping the fat and calorie content down doesn't hurt. So lately I've been on a mission lately to find good tasting and good for you recipes and this one is a hit!

Bison meat is leaner than beef, and comparable to chicken as far as nutrition goes. It is sweet, and tender, and just delish. Bonus: its affordable. Whole Foods sells it best ~ natural and grass fed and hormone free! Here is a great Ground Bison Meatloaf recipe that is a perfect blend of healthy and home-y, organic and tasty! I dare you to try it.

What you'll need:

1 lb. ground bison

~ 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 large egg

1/2 onion (chopped)

1 packet onion soup mix

1/4 cup mozz. cheese

1 tomato (chopped) OR 1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

1/4 cup ketchup

A few teaspoons of brown sugar

**the more of these ingredients you can buy ORGANIC... the better!**

To start, dump all of your meat, onion soup seasoning and bread crumbs into a medium mixing bowl. Grease a loaf pan with some sort of non-stick spray and set aside. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

If you are using a can of diced tomatoes, drain them really well so your meatloaf isn't too soggy! If you are using a regular tomato, start dicing it up! Plop the tomatoes in your mixing bowl, and then chop up your onion the same way and add it to the mix.

After you've combined your ground bison, bread crumbs, onion soup mix, diced tomato and chopped onion, add your egg to the colorful mixing bowl.

Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper, and then stir up all of your ingredients with a fork... or your hand if you don't mind getting a little messy :)

I like to add a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce to my meat loaf. You don't have to - I don't really know that it adds much - but I'm convinced that it makes all meat meals more tender. This is my unqualified, amateur chef opinion.

Dinner isn't complete without a little cheese, right? That's my mantra anyway. So toss in 1/4 cup (or more...) of your favorite cheese. I think shredded mozzarella works best, but I'm not one to discriminate against any of the cheeses.

Make sure its allllll mixed up and then smoosh your mixture into your non-stick loaf pan! Smash it down so its flat on top... or don't, I'm betting it doesn't make a difference, but this looks prettier.

In a baby dish, mix together your ketchup and brown sugar, then spread it evenly over the top of your little loaf.

It should look something like this before you toss it in the oven! If you want to change the flavor a bit, you can substitute BBQ sauce for the ketchup. Or use both. Get creative!

Bake your oh-so-legit-looking meatloaf in the center of your oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I poked a few holes in some potatoes and wrapped them in foil to bake and serve with my loaf. Please ignore the nastiness that is living on the bottom of my oven... I'm terrified of the self-cleaning function, and too lazy to wipe the bottom of the oven myself. A dirty oven won't ruin the taste of your dinner. Swear.

While your meatloaf bakes, I suggest that you watch Seinfeld re-runs with your hubby. Or scold your bad kitty girl for chewing on an ice pack that your husb left beside the bed. You can tell her that it is poisonous, but more importantly you can tell her that her sharp little teeth made the blue yick spill out all over her mama's white carpet.

See the teethmarks in the top left corner? We almost had a dead Bella. Thankfully I caught the mess before she did too much damage to herself. Or my carpets. But it was late, and I was sleepy... so I tossed a glass of water and Andrew's pj pants on top of the blue stains (dilute and cover - that was my genius plan) and went back to bed. This, I'm guessing, didn't make it any easier to get rid of the blue marks the next morning. But I wouldn't know... because I haven't cleaned them yet...

She's lucky she's cute. And fortunately for her, I think she is still cute even when she looks cross-eyed in candid pictures.

Enough of Bella. Here is what your finished Bison Meatloaf and baked potatoes should look like when you pull the deliciousness from the oven! Yummmm!

Top your taters with whatever your little heart desires - butter, cheese, Ranch, butter... oh I already said that one? Add some more. Let your meatloaf stand to cool for a few minutes then slice it up and serve with your His and Hers beers! Or wine if you are classy like that. You could fill the bare white spots on the plate w/ veggies or a salad if you wanted to. I was too busy playing w/ my cat to remember a green food item.

Enjoy!!! If you are cooking for two, this will definitely leave you with some leftovers - which is great, because Andrew had lunch for a week. Even after 5 days in a row of Bison Meatloaf....... he asked me to make it again the next week! Success :)

Pre-Swimsuit Slim-Down

The perfect 60 degree and sunny weather forecast for this weekend

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friends discussing a springtime mini-vaca someplace beach-y 

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its high time for a pre-swimsuit season slim down!

The holiday season (finals weeks, home with family, baked goods galore) were rough on my waistline. Its not that I weigh a whole lot more... I'm just feeling a bit doughy these days! I have made a commitment to myself to eat much healthier, and to make exercising regularly more of a lifestyle than a sporadic activity. Here are some of my goals - which, by making public, I hope to stay on track with now that I'll feel 1) accountable and 2) guilty if I don't!

• Eat GREEN! I'm such a kindergartner when it comes to green veggies. I'll eat them if they're slathered in ranch dressing or breaded and fried... but my goal is to eat more green veggies - you know, the crunchy, nutritious, basically calorie-free kind - and to find delicious ways to prepare them so my hubby will eat them too! So far, we've loved this asparagus recipe and have had it twice in the past week with baked salmon :)

• Run for fun. Fun and running are polar opposites in my book.In fact, I feel like I just typed something dirty by putting the two in the same sentence. But last night, the hubbs and I took a leisurely little jog together and it was (dare I say it...) kind of fun! We went slow enough to chat and laugh and it was just the perfect temp outside. Who would have thunk that we could combine quality husb/wife time with a little calorie burning?! I want to try to do this more often. Hopefully he is on board :)

See? They do it! If we keep it up, maybe we'll both have bods like Fergie and Josh! (*fingers crossed*)

•  Shop smarter. When I hear moms talk about how they get their kids to eat healthy, they always say something to the effect of "they can only eat what I buy" or "I give them fruit as a 'treat' not a punishment" or... whatever. Point is: I don't live with my momma anymore. I buy the groceries that fill our shelves and refrigerator. So, I'm going to employ the same tactics as moms who don't want their kiddos eating junk --- don't buy it!!! Sounds easy enough. This week I strolled right past the frozen food aisles (check ya later, frozen yogurt) and baking aisle (no more boxes of brownies lying around begging to be baked in my pantry) and headed straight for the fresh fish, organic produce, and whole wheat bread and pasta sections. Its amazing how long I can go without sweets when we don't own any!

•  Maintain my wellness. I'm lucky to be a healthy, active 23-year-old whose only health issues consist of the occasional cold or upset stomach. But that doesn't mean I should take it for granted! In addition to my weekly regimen of chiropractic maintenance {which I highly recommend - for reasons I will save for another post} my goal is to incorporate vitamins and healthy supplements into my daily routine. Right now, I'm taking a Women's One-A-Day multivitamin and fish oil... but I admittedly forget to take these on a daily basis. I hope to change this by taking them at a set time each day, adding a few other essential natural supplements, and eventually it will be second nature!

•  Exercise regularly. I tend to work out in spurts. Some weeks, I'll go 5 times. Other weeks, I'm lucky to sqeeze in 30 min of exercise. By scheduling 1-hour workouts into my week, at a set day and time and even writing them in my planner, exercise will become part of my lifestyle. In just a few short weeks of planning regular workouts for 3-5 days per week, I'm already finding that I feel weird not working out for a few days... rather than it feeling strange to work out. I'm also trying to vary my workouts so I don't get bored - if I run one day, I'll do the elliptical or the bike for 30-45 min the next. If I lifted free weights one day, later in the week I'll do some pilates exercises or resistance machines. So far, so good! No results yet - these things take time - but patience is a virtue :)

This is really our apartment gym :) A sneak peak into my workouts I suppose.

•  Pack lunches. This is a no-brainer. Packing a healthy, nutritious lunch for days when we're both at school/work is a way to control our portions and calories. If we only eat what we pack, we avoid the issue of stopping for a quick lunch between classes or ordering delivery food to the office. I am on the hunt for some semi "adult" looking thermal lunch boxes, and have already stocked up on various sizes of Ziplock containers to pack healthy lunches and snacks. Washing and cutting up fruits and veggies before putting away our groceries has been a huge help and makes packing quick, healthy lunches a much less tedious task!

So there you have it! My get-my-butt-in-shape-before-swimsuit-season goals. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just good old fashioned eat less(aka better)/exercise more..... I'll keep you posted with my progress :)