A Meatless Monday Post: Quinoa and a simple granola recipe!

Oh quinoa, how I love you! Seriously, I do. It’s amazing. I had never had it before March of this year and I didn’t know what I was missing out on! A personal trainer friend introduced it to me and I was a little afraid to try it at first, because it reminds me of couscous and I’m not really a fan of that. But I was like ok, I will give it a shot. Well, don’t you know, it tastes like nothing! Yep, that’s right, big fat nothing. It has the consistency of rice (though smaller), and tasteless, so I could add some hot sauce to it for a Chinese stir-fry type of deal, or I could put some honey and fruit in it and make it a breakfast.

The best part about it?! It’s a complete protein and contains all of the amino acids that red meat has and is also a good source of fiber! It’s closely related to the Spinach family which is probably why it’s so good for you. So go out and get yourself some quinoa and try it for yourself 😀 I find it in the rice section!

Here is a simple quinoa granola recipe for you, because who doesn’t like granola? Seriously? And you can add whatever fruits you want to make it even tastier.

Simple quinoa granola: 

• 1 cup of rolled oats
•  1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 1/2 cup of almonds
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1/4 cup of dried fruit of your choice (tangerines, strawberries, cranberries, whatever sounds good to you!) 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (cinnamon helps your metabolism too by the way! It’s awesome for you)
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey (honey helps with allergies, cool random fact)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (or if you must, canola oil) 
• 1/8 cup water 

Mix everything together and lay it flat on a greased baking pan, bake at 225 degrees for 60 minutes and voila, delicious homemade granola that is healthy for you and fantastic in a bowl of almond milk, on top of yogurt, or just straight from the pan! Even your kids will like it (at least my picky 4 year old did).

I want you to join me on Facebook so that we can talk! Seriously! I’d love to hear from you! Click here and join my group so I can keep up with you 🙂

Guys I know that losing weight is hard, seriously, I do. I’ve been on a journey to get this extra weight off for years. But this year I finally have, I’ve gone from a size 24 to a size 16/18 since March and I’m still losing weight!

Healthy Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

 (Chicken Teriyaki on a bed of quinoa)

I love chicken teriyaki and after the most recent Master Chef where the one team made chicken teriyaki for the elementary students I have just been craving it! So today, I decided to come up with a healthier version of the teriyaki sauce because it’s usually loaded with calories and well this is great!

What you’ll need;

1/2 cup of low sodium Soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1 clove of ground/mashed garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tablespoon sugar

Total calories: 96

You can use this on steak, chicken, quinoa, or whatever you’d like! Definitely healthier than the alternative of 273 calories for regular teriyaki sauce!

 

The Benefits of Quinoa

There are so many benefits of quinoa! I love it as a rice substitute in Chinese dishes or even on its own with some hot sauce. It’s basically flavorless and has a rice-like texture, it’s also the only grain that is a complete protein and contains calcium, protein and fiber which is great if you are a vegan and need to add extra supplements to your diet.

So go enjoy some Quinoa! 🙂

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