Quinoa Salad..light and healthy

I wasn't sure if i was going to post this week because honestly I wasn't motivated. There are a lot of reasons why, but I am not going to get into those right now. Nothing bad or anything, but I was talking to a friend who said they liked seeing my recipes so that was definitely one motivator and I wanted to offer something healthy. I've told you before that I am pre-diabetic, and I have been reading posts by friends on Facebook that are also struggling with diabetes and I wanted to offer something healthy and filling that would satisfy everyone.

I saw this on a Woman's Health website and was excited to make it. Now I know that I really try hard to keep the cost of food down but quinoa is a little m ore expensive. You should be able to find it at normal groceries stores, either by the rice, the natural/healthy food section or by the ethic section. Quiona is amazing. It is a whole grain filled with fiber and protein.  You can find a box that cost around 5 bucks or a bag that costs around 9. I have even seen this at Big Lots for $8! If you can get it there its a great saver.

If you cannot find quiona or really don't have the money to spend, than use brown rice.

not the greatest picture, but trust me it is good. The pepper salad I will show you another day.

Here's how you do it;

Ingredients/recipe

Adapted from Womans health.

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
1 can white beans, drained & rinsed
 3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cups fresh spinach, finally chopped
4-5 scallions chopped
1 ts of dried basil
1 avocado, chopped,
Feta Cheese (small container)


Dressing:

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Chop the spinach finely and put in a large bow.  Add the quinoa, white beans, avocado, tomato, scallions
 basil, and feta cheese. You can either chill this or serve right away. If serving immediately top with dressing.

This is so good and filling. You can either grill up a chicken breast and serve this salad as a side, or double up on the salad and make it a meal.

I hope you guys try this and as always enjoy!!!

Going Greek

Good morning! How is everyone? Have you recovered from Thanksgiving yet? I had such a great Thanksgiving. It was wonderful seeing family and friends and eating a ton of food! What did you eat this year? Did you make anything new or just your normal line up? I had the normal food and it was all delicious and I wish there was more. 

I am excited about Christmas coming up and starting to plan a few meals with my family when I see them. I am also switching into Christmas mode and trying to take care of a ton of things like decorating and finishing up my planning for my holiday baking. I never finished planning it all out because I decided to change a lot of the cookies that I make to try new cookies. It will be an ongoing process that I will be keeping you updated with.

Today I wanted to give you guys something healthy after this thanksgiving. A egg mug! I did one of these in August but I wanted to revisit this one because I have a great take on it. A Greek Egg mug! Yes if you love olives, and feta cheese you will love this one!

Greek Egg Mug

1 tbs of chopped olives

¼ cup of frozen veggies (onions, celery, bell pepper…your choice)

3-4 eggs or you can use egg whites

1-2 tbs of feta cheese

a pinch of dried oregano 

Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything into a mug, mix well. Put in microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring about half way through the cooking time.  Take the mug out of the microwave, check the bottom of the mug to make sure there is no liquid. If there is  a little bit of liquid, microwave for about 30 seconds, if not enjoy!

I hope you guys try this it is so good. Enjoy!

Weekend Special Roasted Jalapeno Poppers-Appetizer

How is everyone this weekend so far?  I have been up very early because I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been sipping coffee all day and I am hoping I can make it through my closing shift tonight because I am tired. 

 

I was driving around today and I cannot believe how the leaves are changing so fast! There was one tree that almost had all the leaves missing! It is scary how fast everything is changing. Fall is so beautiful and I enjoy it so much.

 

I wanted to give you guys a really easy appetizer which would be great for a game day party.  Roasted Jalapeno Poppers. I saw this on a 30 minute meal and new it would be amazing.I served these as an appetizer for a dinner party and they were a hit. The feta cheese sounded weird but added a great contrast and depth of flavor. Trust me use it, plus its only 2 ounces it’s not all that much. I adapted the recipe to what I had on hand. It called for a hot shredded cheese or sharp cheddar, but I just had normal cheddar on hand.  I also added more jalapenos because there is so much mixture that I wanted to use it all. One last thing I lowered the oven temperature to they would slowly roast. 

 

These are amazing and I hope you guys try them either for an appetizer or for your game day party.

 

 

Adapted from Rachael Ray's Roasted jalapeno Popper

 

Ingredients:

• 16 large jalapeno peppers
• 2 ounces feta cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 ounces shredded Cheddar Cheese
• A small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons grated onion

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut 1/3 of each pepper off lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet. If peppers do not sit flat on the baking sheet, slice a thin piece off the bottom of the pepper so it will not roll around.

Mash the feta, cream cheese, shredded cheese, cilantro, and onion together and stuff the peppers with the mixture. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is brown at the edges and bubbly.

Enjoy!