Quinoa & Vegetable Salad

Need a new healthy version of an old pasta salad recipe? I made a few modifications to one of my favorite recipes and came up with a new favorite just in time for our Memorial Day cookout!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup chopped zucchini

¾ cup chopped green pepper

¾ cup chopped red pepper

½ cup chopped onion

¾ cup sliced black olives

1 can rinsed garbanzo beans

 

 

Dressing:

 

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons raw sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ teaspoons oregano

Directions:

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitted lid & shake well. Pour dressing over all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Enjoy!

It's okay to take a break!

So maybe some of you have been wondering where I've been for a couple weeks.  Yes - I started off strong and posts slowly became few and far between, then nothing...  Many of you know that I'm going back to school in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Nutrition so for the last year and a half, I've been taking various science classes to fulfill the prerequisite requirements for that program.  I have never been a science person.  Some of it is hard for me to understand.  Maybe because my brain is 20 years older than most of the students or because I didn't take any basic science classes to refresh my memory of tenth grade biology before jumping right in.  To say the least, this has been a challenging semester in more ways than one and my blog had to be put on the back burner for a little while as I geared up for finals.

If there's one thing I have learned this year (aside from how NA+, K+ and Ca+ all work within every cell in the human body,) it is that balance is key to life and that is something we all need to work at.  I have found that at some times I have more energy for one area in my life and need to devote less energy to other areas.  Whether it be school, work, family, friends, volunteering, working out, church, hobbies, etc., there is only so much of me to go around and I need to constantly work on keeping it all balanced.  Sometimes it's okay to take a break for a season, even if it's something I enjoy doing so that I can balance out the other more important areas of my life.

So as this semester ends and summer break begins, I plan to spend more time here with you on the blog.  There are many posts to be written and recipes to be posted.  Even though my summer is already filled with camps, ball games, swim meets, travels, and many other activities, I look forward to finding balance among it all!

Turkey Meatballs

Another great recipe I found on www.bodybuilding.com and tweaked a little bit.  I love making a batch or two of these at a time to keep in the freezer for a quick healthy meal option.  We like them served with BBQ sauce and steamed broccoli or on top of spaghetti!  They are packed with protein and can be made a variety of ways, depending on your vegetable and spice choices. 

 

Ingredients

2 lbs ground turkey

1 cup oats

2 eggs or 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes/cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 minced garlic cloves

1 small onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

optional add ins: ½ cup grated carrots, 1 cup shredded cabbage, ½ cup chopped peppers

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease muffin tin with olive oil or line with muffin wrappers.

Mix ingredients together in bowl.

Roll or scoop into balls and place in pan. 20 – 24 per recipe.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.