Vanilla Berry Quinoa Breakfast

As mentioned in past posts, I make my quinoa in advance. I keep a large Tupperware of it to use throughout the week.

For this recipe, I take a scoop of quinoa (about 1/2 cup) and throw it into a microwave safe bowl. I then top it with about 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen berries and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. I add just a touch of water (1-2 tbs)to the quinoa, stir it together (this will not look appetizing) and pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds (1 minute if berries were frozen).


Stir again and enjoy.

Very powerful breakfast!!!

Bison Steaks and Grilled Zucchini

It is safe to say that my recipes aren't gourmet by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, most of my stuff is throw it together, heat, and eat. That's how I roll.

I work full-time with an hour commute each way (at least!), have a family to spend time with at home, and a rigorous workout schedule that has me at the gym or on the trails for, at minimum 1.5 hours a day, 5 to 6 days per week. I have to have easy, simple recipes to make and follow, otherwise, I am not going to stick with it.

Costco started selling Bison in the last few weeks and John and I picked up a package of their frozen Bison steaks. Way WAY cheaper than the game butcher that we have been going to. We took the Bison out of the freeze on Friday night and lightly coated each steak (4) with olive oil and steak seasoning and threw them in a freezer bag with balsamic vinegar. I did the same with sliced rounds of zucchini. Check out the size of these from my neighbor's garden!! Ignore the cucumbers...they have nothing to do with this meal. :)


On Sunday, late afternoon, the steaks and veggies were ready to be grilled. Careful cooking Bison, it cooks differently than beef because there is very little fat in it. It is best served med-rare as anything more than that will leave you with a dry hunk of meat. John cooked it perfectly. I could seriously make a meal out of just the zucchini. It was wonderful.

As a side, I picked up some ready-made couscous salad (all natural, very few ingredients) from Costco. You can find this near the hummus, dips, and refrigerated soups if your are a Costco member.

Delicious Sunday dinner.

Lex

Updates and Recipes Galore!!!!

I haven't posted in a while but I have a ton of recipes to share with you!

I am going to post each of them in their own individual post for easy searching.

In the meantime, I have a few fun things to share with you!

Toronto is officially booked. No turning back now!! Training started last week and I am loving it so far, though milage is still very light right now! Part of my training program calls for me to run a 5K on 9/5 and a 10K on 9/25. I am registered for a memorial run in Orland Park on the 5th and I am going to do the Susan G. Komen 10K in Chicago on the 25th. If anyone is interested in joining me on either of these runs, please let me know, I would love the company.

I also had a fantastic workout weekend with a good friend of mine. We ran 4 miles together on Sunday, went out for a healthy breakfast, and then worked out to Chalene Turbo Fire! It was great. I really missed this friend a lot and realizing just how much we have in common, I wondered to myself why we let so much time pass before getting together. I won't let THAT happen again.

This B!tch is CRAZY!! I love her!



I think that the weekend workout was just what I needed to bust through a plateau. Early weigh in indications show me down about 2 pounds this week, but well have official results on Friday when I weigh in and measure.

Anyway.....Enjoy the recipes!!!

Quinoa Chicken parm

1/4 cup of dry Quinoa (cooked)
1/4 cup of organic pasta sauce or homemade with no added sugar or salt
1 stewed chicken breast, shredded
2 oz of Fresh Mozz
Garnish with fresh basil
Add crushed red pepper if you like that kind of thing!



Really, just throw it all together and throw it in the microwave for 1 minute.

It is seriously delicious, super easy (as most of my quinoa recipes are), and great for you.

Quinoa

Quinoa is such a versatile and nutritious food that I wanted to dedicate a full post to it today.

As some of you know, I recently developed a weight loss plan for my brother and his fiance. They started the plan one week ago, today, and, after just 4 days into the program, were down 5 and 3 pounds, respectively.

I feel great about that! I think I am more excited for what is to come to them than they are! I also just finished a plan for another friend to try out. My hopes are to build up some success stories so that one day, I can take my ideas to market and make a few bucks.

Being that diet accounts for about 80% of one's weight loss success, quinoa is a staple in the plans I am preparing. Here is why;

Quinoa per 1/4 cup (dry) serving:
200 Calories
2.5 grams of Fat
0 Saturated Fat
38 grams of Carbs
3 grams of Fiber
8 grams of Protein

This food is an 18 (very low) on the Glycemic Index


As you can see, quinoa might be one of the more perfect carbohydrates out there for you to consume. For this reason, I usually make at least 7-10 servings on Sunday in a large pot to last me through the week. While it is super easy to make, it does take about 30 minutes and I just don't always have 30 minutes of spare time throughout the week. This is a great food to make in advance.

Some recipes that I enjoy with quinoa:

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (see receipe on this blog)
Quinoa Chicken Parm
Quinoa Chicken "Enchilldas"
Vanilla Quinoa & Berries

You can buy your quinoa from Costco, in a large 5 (or maybe it is 7) lb bag. While the package tells you to rinse your quinoa first, I don't. I actually prefer the nuttier flavor that you get when you don't rinse it.

I will share each of these recipes with you this week. If you end up trying any of them, let me know what you think. Also, if you have a great recipe using quinoa, please share it with me!

Lex.

My new toy is here!

This weekend, I took my new Garmin GPS out for a couple of tests, both biking and running. Because I am still experiencing some hip pain, I only did a quick running test. I was surprised to see just how fast I was running (under a 7 min mile).

I LOVE THIS THING! It will provide me with a bit of added motivation to get me through some tough workouts on difficult courses.

I cannot wait to start running again. I can't tell you how jealous I have been while riding my bike these last few days watching the runners on the trail. Sigh.

Check this out, this is my ride, mapped out with elevations.

Today's fun ride

Family

I am getting ready to leave for a few days with my family to visit my mom in Texas. I love her so much and miss her all the time I am not with her so I am really looking forward to this visit. What makes this visit even more special is that we have NOTHING on the schedule. I am excited for the rest and relaxation coming my way.

I haven't mentioned too much about my family in past posts, so here we are! (Taken in Florida, March 2010)


My family means the world to me. There is nothing more important than family. They are the only ones that will still be there for you when times are grand and when they are tough. I am extremely proud of my family.

My son, Donald, holds a special place in my heart. I was only 18 when I had him. A single mom with little life-direction. When he came into my world, everything changed. I credit him with saving my life and for molding me into the adult I am proud to be. I love you Donald!

Then there is John. John joined our family as if he had been there since day 1. He has been an amazing father to Donald and to Elliana.

And my Ellie. Watching her mind grow everyday and seeing her change from my little baby to my little girl is an experience that is too precious to be described.

I am looking so forward to spending the next several days with my family. Have a happy holiday everyone!