Saturday, January 29, 2011

Quinoa and Feta Salad


I LOVE this salad! It makes a tasty lunch or a nice cold side dish. Quinoa is sometimes hard to find but the taste is worth it!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup quinoa I cook mine in a rice cooker 1 cup quinoa/2 cups water for 45 min)
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 handful of dried cranberries
1 lime, juiced (I use 3)
Salt and pepper
I generally use more of everything because I like the crunch of the veggies.

Directions:

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add quinoa and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until the grains are tender. Drain, rinse and drain again thoroughly. Spread quinoa on a baking tray to dry. (This is labor intensive so again, use a rice cooker!)

In a dry, heavy frying pan, toast the cashews over moderate to low heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown. Cool, then chop roughly.

In a large bowl, combine dried quinoa, nuts, herbs, celery, grapes and feta. Squeeze lime juice over all, add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste and leave the salad to stand for at least 1 hour before serving.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Chicken Salad


Not sure if I posted this before but I am too lazy to look for it. :)
This is a super yummy chicken salad recipe I made up myself. We usually have it with pita bread or flat bread. The kids prefer it that way.

1 package of fresh cooked chicken breasts (Trader Joes deli section)
2 cucumbers
1 or more colorful bell peppers
1 bunch of green onion. I use only the green parts
1 package of spicy pecans (Trader Joes)
1 or 2 handfuls of dried cranberries or craisins
light mayo ( I have never measured, just put a little and stir..you can always add more)
Stir Together!
I sometimes put the cucumbers on the side because if you are planning this for the following day or leftovers they cucumbers get soggy.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Rosary


I made these to remind myself to pray. They are beautiful and colorful and really look lovely just laying on a table. I am not sure what I am going to do with all of these, but one is mine for sure.....

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Citrus Glazed Chicken


Another winner from Trader Joes!! The Citrus Glazed Chicken comes frozen along with a separate pack of cashews, rice and sauce. I cooked up two bags of the chicken and added a whole stalk of broccoli, a red bell pepper,a package of brown mushrooms and a cup of frozen pineapple. Without all the additions it would not have fed a family of four. This way it goes further and with all those fresh veggies, much healthier!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Lentil Salad


This recipe is super easy, healthy and delicious. It uses ingredients from Trader Joes...It was actually a demo they were having at the store. Enjoy!

1 container of cooked Lentils (found in the salad section)
1 container of fresh bruschetta sauce (found with the fresh salsa)
1 container of feta..they have different varieties. I prefer the one with herbs.
1 cucumber
2 bell peppers assorted colors

Combine ingredients! That is it!!
I like to eat this over a couple of days and HATE soggy veggies so I just stir the lentils and bruschetta together. I add feta and veggies on top.

Super yummy, fiber filled meal!!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Today I will EMBRACE.....

The fact that I am not perfect. I really really really want to be but the fact of the matter is I am not.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

WOTY


As January begins the New Year I find myself thinking about my New Years resolutions. This year I am more goal oriented. I don't want to change things as much as I want to perfect and evolve. My friend was telling me that people actually choose a word of the year or WOTY. I thought this was a nifty idea and something I wanted to try. After much thought I picked the word EMBRACE. The dictionary defines embrace as follows: to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly. This year I am going to try and take things as they come and embrace them, willingly.
Since no one really reads this blog I think I may use it as kind of an online diary, checking in with my word of the year and sharing how I have tried to apply it.
I opened my Etsy shop this year and will try and post projects as well.
Happy New Year!!