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Summer Quinoa Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a traditional vegetarian mezze, a bit like an appetizer, from the Middle East. It is a light, refreshing, protein-packed summer treat. It makes a wonderful side dish, or enjoy alone for a calorie-conscious lunch.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into ¼" pieces
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ cup chopped fresh mint
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

Bring quinoa, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 ¼ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool. This is a great way to use leftover quinoa.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl; mix in ¼ of the dressing.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

Makes four 200-calorie servings.


Cinnamon Baked Pears

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pears
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 4 tsp yogurt of choice
  • 3 tbsp walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat your oven to 350F.
  • Cut the pears in half.
  • Using a tablespoon scoop out the seeds of each half
  • Fill with walnuts and drizzle about half a tsp of honey over each half.
  • Finish them off with a few dashes of cinnamon powder
  • Whack them onto a baking tray and off they go into the oven for about 25 minutes.
  • Serve with some yogurt.
  • Done.

source: hurrythefoodup.com


Quinoa, Chicken, and Kale Pesto Bowl

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup white wine
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cups white quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups raw kale, stems removed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tb olive oil
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 tbs finely minced parsley

Directions:

  1. Add the wine, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 cup water, and the quinoa to a medium pot. Whisk everything together, and heat over medium heat until simmering. Turn the heat to low, and put a lid on the pot. Let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Then turn the heat off, and remove the pot from the stove, and let is sit another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork, and set aside to cool.
  2. Add the kale, garlic, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse them well until pureed. Stream ¼ cup olive oil in with the processor running, and process until very smooth. Season the pesto to taste with kosher salt.
  3. Divide the quinoa between 2 large bowls, and then top each with an equal amount of the chicken, tomatoes, and green onions. Add a few tablespoons of kale pesto to each bowl, and sprinkle with the almonds and parsley. Season to taste with kosher salt.

Source: POPSUGAR


Detox Water

The temperature is slowly creeping up and that means our water consumption needs to increase as well! Try these detoxifying water recipes to spice up your water intake.

Watermelon Lime Mint Water

You will need…

  • 1-2 liters’ of water, depending on how strong you want it to taste
  • Part of 1 watermelon or 1 cucumber
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • A handful of fresh mint leaves (approximately 10-13)
  • Ice cubes

Directions

Slice up a good amount of watermelon into cubes, rind and all, and put them into a jug or pitcher. Cut 1 juicy lime into wedges and toss in with the watermelon. Add a handful of fresh, fragrant, mint leaves and pour in 2 liters of cool water, filling the jug all the way to the top. Let this sit overnight in the fridge and let all the yummy flavors steep and infuse the water. When you want to drink it, put in a generous helping of ice cubes, pour, and enjoy daily.

Source: Everydayroots.com


Oatmeal Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 3 tbsps pb2 (or any powered peanut butter)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 5 tbsps almond milk
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
  • Sprinkles for decoration
  • Plastic eggs

Directions

In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl add maple syrup, vanilla, milk and peanut butter. Stir until mixture has been combined, add the dry ingredient to the large bowl and mix with hands. Once combined add chocolate chips and sprinkles. Place in plastic eggs and let set in the fridge for 1 hour. Once done, gently open them from the plastic eggs and decorate with sprinkles.

Source: savynaturalista.com


Low Calorie Cream Soda

Every once in a while, we all crave something sweet, and cream soda is one of my favorites. At 128 calories per 8 ounces, I rarely indulge. Here is how to make your own sweet treat without all of the extra calories and guilt:

Ingredients:

  • 1 liters plain seltzer water
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 8 teaspoons Stevia (4 packets)

Preparation:

Pour 1/2 cup of seltzer into a measuring cup. Add vanilla exract and the Stevia. Stir until mixed. Carefully return mixture to bottle and cap tightly. Let set for a few minutes. Open slowly, as there may be extra bubbles! Pour over ice and enjoy!

Nutrition:

5 calories, 0g fat, 0g protein, 0g carbohydrate, 0g dietary fiber, 0mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol