{Foodie Friday} Crazy for Quinoa

I love food. I mean I really love everything about food. I love to eat it, I love to buy it, I love to cook it and I absolutely love to create with it. One food that I have been experimenting with a lot lately is quinoa. As a part of the 21 Day Fix, a workout and nutrition regimen by Autumn Calabrese, quinoa has become a vital everyday staple for me as it counts as a protein since I am a vegetarian. Its been so fun to work with this superfood, its such a versatile dish that can be enjoyed a variety of ways.

 Quinoa Superfood Bowl

 

 

  

This dish is a little slice of heaven in the world of clean eats. For this bowl, I layered a 1/2 cup of quinoa, three vine tomato slices {diced}, 1/2 an avocado {diced}, 2 tbsp of corn {frozen, thawed}, 2 tbsp lima beans {frozen, thawed}, 2 tbsp feta cheese, and a few slices of fresh jalapeno. Drizzle on 2 tsps. of olive oil and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar along with a dash of pink Himalayan salt and pepper.  All of this is served chilled, even the quinoa and it is absolutely amazing!

 

The secret to great quinoa that has a rich flavor is cooking it in broth vs. plain water. I use vegetable stock, but chicken or beef stock could be substituted. The quinoa absorbs all of the broth as it cooks and delivers all the flavor in return.

 

 

Naked Fiesta Quinoa Salad

 

 

 

 

This recipe is a healthier alternative to Mexican Night or "Taco Tuesday" as it has been trending as of late. Instead of filling taco shells or a taco bowl with fatty hamburger and loading it up with all the cheese in the land, try this version:

~ 2.5 cups Greens Trio

~1/2 cup freshly prepared {warm} quinoa, mixed with Taco Seasoning {season to taste}

~ 1/2 cup Sauteed sweet peppers



~Fresh vine tomatoes, 3 slices {diced}

~1 tbsp pickled jalapenos

~1 tbsp feta cheese

~1 {100 calorie} cup of Holy Guacamole

~1 tbsp Lite Southwestern Ranch {I used Kroger brand}

~Dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce

 

Finally, for those of you that want the benefits of a healthy quinoa dish but prefer to whip up something quick and effortless then this next item is for you!

 

Morningstar Roasted Garlic and Quinoa Veggie Patty

 

 

I cannot begin to say enough good things about this new product from Morningstar Farms! I appreciate a good veggie burger and I was a bit hesitant when I picked this up in the grocery store, but it has since replaced my regular veggie burger that I had been preparing for years. And the best part about it? You can pop it in the microwave for 1:15 and its ready to go! For a crispier patty I do recommend preparing it in a pan with a little coconut oil on the stovetop. Either way-- its delicious. Here are a couple ways that I have experimented with this gem:

 

 

 

 

I served the patty naked over a bed of kale topped with Bolthouse Farms Greek Yogurt dressing in Caesar Parmigiano, a side of garlic roasted brussel sprouts, 1 {90 calorie} light Flat Out, 2 tbsp of original hummus topped with feta and cherry tomato and a side of buffalo cauliflower. 

 

 

I took a more original "sandwich" route with this meal. I sliced the patty in half and stacked it between layers of 1 {100 calorie} Holy Guacamole and reduced fat cheddar cheese on one piece of toasted Ezekiel bread along side steamed veggies and 2 tbsp of horseradish sauce.

 

 

I hope you guys enjoyed my quinoa creations! This has been a fun first week as a blogger. Have a great weekend, see you Monday!









{Thoughts on a Thursday} Our Big Texan Move

So we are moving to Dallas.

 

 

 

 

Four short months from now we are going to be Texans! Wow. It still seems unreal. I think by this point I have gone through all of the emotions relating to this  impending change: shock, terror, sadness, elation, exhilaration, fear, stress and now zen. A lot of my stress had to do with picking a location to live. We love our home here in Indiana. It's essentially our dream home and its not something we are ready to let go of yet in the hopes that we will return to it in a couple years. I'm not sure if this move is long-term or short-term. My husband has worked very, very hard to achieve the level of success in his company that he is now enjoying. But one thing is for sure, we are keeping our house.

 

 

Home Sweet Home

 

 

So, with the decision made to keep the house, furniture and all our belongings intact-- minus toys and clothes that we will take to the new Texas digs; the next obstacle is figuring out what kind of accommodations will be the best for this transition. A house? A loft? A gated apartment community? A suburb? Downtown? One thing is for sure, we needed to have immediate access to an airport. That was the only real necessity in regard to selecting a place to live.

 

 

Oh, and I'm trying to make all these decisions and select candidates to tour all by myself. And if you know anything about me then the following will not surprise you:



 

 

 

 

~And~

 

 

 

Um, yea so this process has not been the easiest for me. It's taken me three months but I've finally got it narrowed down to one place that I think will be perfect for our family and provide the smoothest transition for all of us. Honestly, I have a couple others on the list {just in case} but I don't think I will even need to look into them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not bad, huh? The Enclave at Grapevine sits on a golf course and a large lake {Grapevine Lake}--- very much like our house in Indiana. There is an AMC movie theater and a mall within walking distance, tons of place to eat and a children's playground on the property. Also Grapevine is known for their wine culture and abundence of wineries {hints the name, Grapevine}. Yes, mama took care of herself on that one ;)

 

 

So next up is booking the plane tickets, taking the official tour and signing the lease. I feel pretty confident about this place. It had the best reviews online and I think its going to offer us similar comforts of home but bigger. Everything is bigger in Texas, you know.

 

 

But now, how to transport the demon cat?

 

 



 

 

Don't be fooled. She is preparing to bite me.

 

Until tomorrow friends, Foodie Friday!

 

 

 

 



 



 

 

 

 

 



 

 





{Winedown Wednesday} Break out the Mama Juice

Happy Wednesday Winos!!! Its our little piece of the week that deserves and grin and a giggle even though we are just participating in the same ritual as any other night. However did we wind up winos? That is the question. Honestly I think my venture into wine-dom was a result of motherhood and commercialism. Who doesn't want of those cute Mommy Juice glasses adorned with pacifiers and grapes--- its like a rite of passage into motherhood! And you have to fill those glasses, honey!





Today I'm going to share some of my favorite wines. These brands are a regular rotation in my house so they are tried and true.

 

First up, in honor of Rose Season and also Bikini Awareness ;) is a portion-controlled fav of mine, Xo, G by Giuliana Rancic.

 



I can't say enough good things about her line! The rose is crisp, refreshing and also has a good bite. Actually, I can say I've tried them all {except the Moscato that was just released- NOT a Moscato fan} and they are all just incredible. In my opinion, there is no sense in drinking wine unless it has a good bite of flavor and a kick-- and Xo, G has just that! This is absolutely what I will be smuggling onto the beach during our upcoming vacation. The stackable glasses are plastic with a film that you peel off and there is NO STICKY RESIDUE, which is a huge plus because I have dealt with that before in single-serving wines that I have purchased at concert venues. It is a very unpleasant experience and leaves you wondering just what in the hell you are drinking.

 

BEWARE---THESE CAN BE SUPER GROSS.



 

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I'm having a slight obsession with Dark Horse wines. It was recommended to me at a local shoppe {aka da liquor store}and for the price, around $9, I was very impressed. I love a spicy red and Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon delivers just that! The right amount of bite and clocking in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, a 6 oz. glass is all I need in the evenings to wind down.

 

 

Lastly, I will leave you with a wine that I received for Valentine's Day from my husband this year.

 

 

 

As you can see, Carnivor is award-winning and I have to agree. Another spicy red that delivers a bite for the buck. At under $20, it has been on regular rotation in my household. FYI-- I am no wine connoisseur so I'm not here to tell you how long it was barreled or what region of the world the grapes are from. I'm learning slowly but surely about pairings and what to pair with what to bring out the best flavors and hopefully in time I will develop a more intimate knowledge of wine culture that I can share with you. But for now, I'm just giving some recommendations on what makes my simple palette happy at the end of the day.

 

Hope you give some of these a try and let me know what you think :)

See you tomorrow for Thoughts on a Thursday!













{Loving Lately} Beauty Steals!

In my years following college, I had the pleasure of working for some of the biggest names in the beauty industry, and with that privilege came the exposure to many lines of cosmetics, mostly all high-end. With the immersion into the culture of department store beauty, you would think I would have developed a slight preference for the finer things for the face--- not hardly! While I certainly regard some cosmetics as investments, (i.e. designer eye shadows are always richer, smoother and longer lasting--- the same can be said for designer lipsticks) I am pretty much up to try almost anything from a drug store. My most recent and most coveted find came from the checkout lane at where else ... The place we all loathe: Wal-Mart.

How amazing is this??? I have struggled for years with my angled brush and shadow to create the perfect brow--- but I never seemed to have to knack for it. I can remember when I worked for Lancôme, my mentor put an emphasis on brows. She described them as essential--- especially for older women, she boasted proper brows could take ten years off the face. That is a big claim but I will agree that brows are a staple for a put-together look. This kit contains four different variations of brow structures and little plastic cut-outs that you can press up against your brow and actually "color" the shape onto your brow. It sounds too good to be true because it is. And guess what, this kit was $1.
ONE DOLLAR!!!!!

Next up is an attempt at highlighting and contouring without the pricy kits and tools that you see advertised on television and online. I made a $6 investment in the following cosmetic and I was so thrilled with the outcome.

Shown above is Hard Candy Cheek Contour in Island Glow. I applied this to my face using no tools, just straight onto the face via the tube.

Lovely, huh? Apply the light tint to all the places on your face that reflect light. And apply the dark tint to the sides of the nose, forehead, cheekbones and along the rim of your face. Use a sponge and blend, blend, blend!!!

Not too shabby for a $6 investment! There is a large amount of shimmer to the stick though, if it is too much for you, just gently dust some pressed powder on and it will neutralize the shimmer. I think it looks fabulous and provides the perfect sun-kissed look just in time for summer.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed my steals! See you tomorrow on Winedown Wednesday... if that's any indication what's coming up ;)

{First Post}

Ok here we go! I have wanted to do a blog for such a long time so this is  a pretty big step for me right now. I can never get past the design phase and selecting fonts and colors but this time I am truly just all about the content. Appearance will come in time. Just because the aesthetics are delayed doesn't mean its not worth beginning. I can't wait to post my thoughts on food, fashion, family and fitness. If not just as a creative outlet for myself, but perhaps for my children to read one day. It would be even better to inspire and gain inspiration from others in the process. So without further ado, let's get the obligatory "first post" over with so we can get to the good stuff!