Tag Archives: quinoa

Family, Fitness, Food, Fun

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Well Hello and Happy Monday!

I just realized that I haven’t really been posting much on the weekends…not my intention, but I guess it’s OK because that means that we’ve been busy and still enjoying summer even though school is definitely in full swing again.

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Today marks day 28 of my 30 Day Shred.

I have to say that I have been MUCH better this time around. I did take a couple days off due to my knee bothering me, but I did something in lieu of the DVD those days ~ either biking or walking the big loop in our development at night. I love that the DVD is only 30 minutes and I really try to give it my all and make the most of the half hour with Jill and her girls. Also, I’ve been using 4 pound hand weights and I can probably go up to 5 pounders. Today the kids did it with me and used the Handy Manny plastic tools as their hand weights…yes, Squeeze, Pat, Felipe and Dusty joined in on today’s shred ~ WHATEVER works.

I feel great, though and can tell a difference, but I certainly need to tighten up the eating. I was doing great with that for the first two and a half weeks and then got a little lazy.

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Speaking of eating better, I have a couple healthy recipes to share since the last couple were far from it…

Spicy Honey Lime flank steak and this quinoa salad from Pinterest {thanks Erma for pinning it!}…

I marinated the flank steak in 1/4 cup honey, the juice of 3 limes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp Sriracha for about an hour and a half, flipping from time to time. Jay grilled for about 6 minutes on each side. Will make great salads and sandwiches throughout the week.

I also made Giada’s gazpacho last week…

It’s verrry healthy if you don’t put anything on it! She topped it with some polenta croutons which looked amazing. I, however, threw on some cheese & garlic croutons from my pantry. Would also be nice with a little dollop of light sour cream and some crushed tortilla chips.

The perfect summer soup since it’s served cold and has a nice refreshing kick to it.

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LOVE this pic of Holden and me taken this weekend at the concert in the park…

{yes, I am fully clothed and no, Holdy is not drugged}

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This week is a jumble of the new school schedule, homework {already!}, pool time {if they behave!}, park play date, dance class and two birthday parties this weekend.

Never a dull moment.

Hope your week is off to a successful start!

Fitness, Food

Bribe

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This afternoon I bribed the kids with Blow Pops to go up and watch Mars Needs Moms {lamest movie on the planet [no pun intended]} so I could hang out with my girl, Jill, and get my shred on BEFORE I made this scrumptious dinner.

Yes.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos.

This one has been on the radar for some time now…

I served it with this quinoa.

YUM to the millionth degree.

I used half corn {on left} and half flour {on right} tortillas. I prefer the flour, which are a little more pliable and turned out prettier, but the corn were almost equally delish. You really need to follow the directions and warm in the micro between two damp paper towels to get them limbered up or they will crack and crumble and turn out not so pretty. Delicioso, si. Muy bonito, no.

I used a rotisserie chicken which made the filling even more flavorful. Served with light sour cream, salsa and jalapeños.

15 minutes in my oven was just perfect.

When our Mexican food cravings call and we don’t want to eat out, we will most definitely be making these again.

Gracias, {Our Best Bites & Peas and Crayons}!

Family, Food, Friends, Fun

Home Run

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This morning Holden had his last t-ball game.

Last night while I was tucking him in, I told him to get a good night’s sleep so he’d be well rested for his game in the morning…

He said, “I’m going to catch the ball for you, Mama!”

Bless his heart.

He tried and tried to catch the ball {for me} to no avail which resulted in him exiting the field on the verge of tears and come to me and say, “I can’t catch the ball for you!”

Broke my heart.

Of course I assured him that it was an awesome game and that he had a great couple hits.

Gonna miss those cute little munchkins in orange shirts…..

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This evening’s dinner was definitely a home run, though.

Coconut Chicken and Curried Quinoa with Cilantro & Pineapple

If you’ve been flopping along with me for awhile now, you’ll know that I love all things coconut so this was a must try.

Absolutely delish.

We’re trying to eat more quinoa and less rice and pasta. I’m always trying to find new mix-ins to doctor it up. Tonight I sauteed some onion and garlic along with some curry powder for a bit before adding in 1 cup rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water. {normally I use chicken stock}. Once the quinoa was done cooking, I stirred in chopped cilantro and about half a small can of crushed pineapple.

I was afraid the quinoa would be too bland without the stock, but it was perfect with the chicken.

{you could certainly make rice and stir in the cilantro and pineapple before serving, too!}

A festive summertime meal for backyard al fresco dining.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Family, Food, Friends

This N That Thursday

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Well, Hello!

How was your Thursday?

I was able to run several errands in preparation for Valentine’s Day and Holden’s upcoming birthday next month. I found some super inexpensive treats for Elliott to give to her classmates for V-day:

I swiped this image off eBay, so it’s teeny tiny, but I found some ornaments filled with candy at Rite Aid leftover from Christmas for 90% off! {There’s nothing “Christmassy” about them other than they’re supposed to be ornaments, but you wouldn’t catch me hanging them on my tree! And yes, I inspected the date and the candy is good until Jan 2012…I am weird with stuff like that. Not that a Now and Later will be any more fresh in mid-February 2011 or a year from then!} They ended up being 10¢ a piece. I’m going to have her cut little hearts out of construction paper and hand write her name with a touch of glitter. The little balls are pink and will look very Valentiney with the added message on the red paper.

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Last weekend we went to Sprouts and loaded up on veggies.

I roasted some last weekend and we added the leftovers to a salad with some beer can chicken and some blue cheese!

I also made quinoa for the first time. Super easy, but a bit time consuming as you have to soak and rinse it {I bought mine from the bulk bin, but you can also buy it pre-rinsed and ready to go}. I used about 3/4 cup water and 1 cup chicken broth. I read that a 1:2 ratio makes the quinoa too mushy, so I used about 1 3/4 cup liquid to one cup rinsed quinoa. Just bring the liquid to a boil, add the quinoa, stir, cover and put on low for 15-20 minutes {or until water is absorbed}. You can also just make it with water and eat it for breakfast with some raisins, a little brown sugar and a splash of milk or cream.

{BTW, the quinoa is under the roasted veggies in the pic}

To roast the veggies, I just cut up whatever I had: red pepper, red onion, zucchini, yellow squash and baby carrots. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toss it up and put onto a cookie sheet into a 400* oven for about 20 minutes. The flavor is amazing and this is a great way to eat your veggies! Elliott loved them {well, at least the carrots} and they are just as good warm as they are cold the next day. Tonight I am adding some cauliflower to the mix and using a little truffle oil that I picked up today.

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Today is my Dad’s birthday…

Happy Birthday, Popsi! Enjoy your special day!

{Next year he will celebrate a milestone birthday ~ I will let you guess which one}

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Does anyone out there still watch American Idol?

I tuned in last night {yes, we still have Direct TV} because I love J Lo. I think she’s so beautiful. And talented. And funny.

For me, the new judges are a breath of fresh air…it’s nice not having Simon pop off every 5 seconds and his snide comments flying around!

We’ll see if I am still able to watch next week…… 😉

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That’s it kids….how can it already be Friday tomorrow? I don’t know, but I’m glad it is!

Have a great night!