My friend found this recipe on pinterest and makes it all the time.
Now I see why. It's super easy and delicious. I made mine without meat but I'm sure it would be just as delicious with ground turkey, chicken, steak or even with a piece of fish. Enjoy!
Mexican Quinoa
- 1 Cup Rinsed Quinoa (I was low on ingredients so I actually used the remaining quinoa and brown rice I had on hand. About a half cup of each give or take. It worked just as well.)
- 1 Can (15.5 oz) Black Beans. Rinsed and Drained.
- 1 Can (15.5 oz) Unsweetened Corn. Rinsed and Drained.
- 1 Can (15.5 oz) of Chicken Stock
- 1/2 Cup of Water
- 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
- 2 Gloves of garlic. If you like more garlic, feel free to add more. I think fresh garlic is delicious but pungent and I don't like to smell like it the next day.
- Small Spanish Onion. A white onion would work too.
- *1 Tbsp of Cumin
- *1 Tbsp of Chili Powder (I like heat so please use less or omit if you don't like a kick!)
- *1 Tbsp of Adobe Seasoning
- *1/2 Tbsp of Cayenne Pepper (Again, I like my food to bite back)
- Canned or oven roasted tomatoes. I had leftover vine ripened tomatoes that I roasted earlier in the week so I threw them in.
I started by heating up the olive oil in my pan and adding the quinoa. I bought pre-rinsed quinoa since apparently rinsing quinoa is a thing. I don't know who has time or patience to rinse their grains but check the box before buying it to save yourself the extra effort.
I lightly toasted the quinoa over a low heat for a few minutes before adding the garlic and onion.
I then added a little bit of the chicken stock so the onions had some liquid to cook in. I threw my seasonings in, making sure to coat the onions and garlic. Once the onions were translucent, I added in the remaining stock, water and quinoa (quinoa/rice combo).
I stirred up the onion, garlic, quinoa in the liquid and brought the heat to high then I added in the beans, corn and tomatoes before I covered the pot to bring it all to a boil.
Once the mixture boiled for about 3 mins, I reduced the heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally until the quinoa was cooked through. All in all, it cooked for roughly 35 to 40 mins while I cleaned my kitchen and watched HGTV.
It was a one pot, super simple meal that I topped with fresh scallions and some greek yogurt!
I will definitely be adding this to my meal rotation.
Recipe adapted from A Teaspoon of Happiness
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| My Gym Bag Goodies |
::Deodorant::
Let's start with the obvious, this should be a staple in everyone's gym bag. This should also be a staple in your desk and car. I've forgotten to put deodorant on enough times to realize I should never NOT have it on hand at all times.
::Brush::
For the times I shower at the gym or just need to brush my mane, this little guy has been with me since AT LEAST 2001. True story. I have a massive amount of hair and this thing gets it done every time.
::Hair Tie::
Ever gotten to the gym only to realize you have no hair tie? Rubber bands are murder on your hair. No for real, it feels like my hair is being murdered when I have to take one out after a sweaty workout. I also have these in my car. We can talk about what I don't have in my car in a later post.
::Smell Good::
On occasion I've met coworkers for drinks after the gym but before showering. Gross? I suppose. I can guarantee I still smelled better than most of the people I smell on a daily basis. I work in Manhattan, trust me on this. Happy Hour waits for no workout, hence the deodorant and body spray. Get it now?
::Shower Flops::
My gym bag has a ventilated compartment for sneakers/flops/other smelly items you don't want in close proximity of your intimates. These are from one of the several weddings I've been in. They're very cushy and paired well with my black bridesmaid dress at the time. Now they live in my gym bag for the days I shower there.
::Lifting Gloves::
I feel a little silly when I wear these but they save my hands from gross callus'. They also help me get a great grip while I'm trying to perfect my pull ups. I got these from TJ Maxx for a whole $7.
::iPod Nano::
It's old school, with old school music. I don't think I've actually added any new music to it in about 2 and a half years. I used to distance run a lot more so this thing is loaded with heart pumping musica to keep me going. There is also some terrible music on there and I live in fear I'll forget it one day where it will be found and laughed at. Worth noting, I also love the stop watch/timer feature on these.
::Face Wipes::
I love these. I've used several brands, I don't discriminate but this particular kind, alba, is dual sided. One side is smooth for removal and the other side is slightly raised for exfoliation. It's gentle enough that it doesn't bother my skin while exfoliating. I wear face make-up daily, so aside from preventing breakouts, removing my makeup before a workout eliminates the embarrassing make-up marks on those pristine white gym towels. I found these at Target.
::Notebook & Pen::
I leave this in my bag for keeping track of my workouts. I don't track every workout, but there are days when I have a great workout and know I'll want to duplicate it in the future, so I write down what I did while it's still fresh in my mind. It's great for the times I also take a killer class at the gym and know I'll want to try it again on my own.
::Lock::
Locks are a must to keep your valuables safe and sound. When I say valuables, I mean dirty tupperware containers. I like this one because it's a code I picked on my own and can easily change if need be. It's very user friendly and it doesn't require me to carry a gym key onto the gym floor. I used to work at a gym (which is where I got this one) and I've had to cut my fair share of locks off of members lockers because they lost the key or forgot the code. This lock eliminates all that fun stuff.
I'm talking about produce. I have no experience in any other "long lasting" department. I apologize.
Two of these tricks I already knew courtesy of the time I lived with my Grandma for 9 months. I think we're both happy those days are behind us but we both learned things. She learned who Guy Fieri is and I learned how to make my produce last.
::Tomatos::
1) Rinse your tomatoes when you get them home, let them dry and then leave them on the counter as opposed to putting them in the fridge. I usually buy grape tomatoes and have learned this makes them last several days longer than if I place them in the fridge. My dear Grandma does this with tomatoes on the vine, stem side up. I trusted her since she's from Italy, 93 and always uses tomatoes in her cooking.
::Asparagus::
2) Asparagus should be stood up in a cup of water if you're not using them right away. My Grandmother would be beside herself if I didn't cook EVERYTHING I had in the fridge in a day's time. She clearly doesn't grasp what a fridge is for and I wonder how she's pulling this off since she can't drive to restock her produce supply. I made the unfortunate mistake of going away for a weekend and leaving fresh asparagus in the fridge. I came home on a Sunday night, she took me by the hand and told me she had to show me something. It was very dramatic and very Italian and I should have known better than to get my hopes up. She just wanted to show me that I could make my asparagus last longer if I treated it like a bouquet of flowers. I tried to pass this trick onto my brother but it was too late, his aspargus had seen better days. Better days about two weeks prior to me finding them.
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| My Avocado Keeper! |
::Avocados::
3) This one I picked up on my own. I believe it came from Pinterest but I can't be positive. I eat avocado almost everyday but I dont' eat a whole one. I take what I need, usually about 1/3 to go with my lunch of protein, greens and complex carbs. I run the remaining portion, flesh side exposed, under cold water. This keeps it from browning. So simple and so effective! I also have an avocado keeper that everyone in my office ogles over, but you can use a ziploc just as easily.
::Lettuce::
I saw this at the house of a former classmate. Her family always kept their iceburg lettuce (it was the 90's no one knew better) wrapped in a damp paper towel. It kept the leaves from browning. That was about the only useful thing I learned from going over there.
Some more helpful hints thanks to Huffington Post OWN
Make your produce last
