I knew I would have an early morning today (Sir Cakewalk had a 6am flight and I wanted to get a run in before work), so I knew I needed to pack my lunch last night.
But what to pack? It looked like I was going to have to make something. Cakewalk had just bought me a TJ Cookbook so I thought I'd search through the recipes for something simple, cheapish, and lunchable (not everything tastes good after being microwaved.)
I know I talk about TJ a lot. I do not work for them or receive free food from them. I wish! But I do like them and think they are a great resource for cheap, sometimes healthy food. I recommend taking advantage of this fun store if you have one in your area.
The recipe I chose uses quinoa.
Quinoa, pronounced keen-wa, is a whole grain packed with nutrition. It has fiber, duh, and more protein than any other grain. It is pretty quick to cook (quicker than rice) and has a hearty, almost nutty flavor.
I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but here is what I did.
I used:
But what to pack? It looked like I was going to have to make something. Cakewalk had just bought me a TJ Cookbook so I thought I'd search through the recipes for something simple, cheapish, and lunchable (not everything tastes good after being microwaved.)
I know I talk about TJ a lot. I do not work for them or receive free food from them. I wish! But I do like them and think they are a great resource for cheap, sometimes healthy food. I recommend taking advantage of this fun store if you have one in your area.
The recipe I chose uses quinoa.
Quinoa, pronounced keen-wa, is a whole grain packed with nutrition. It has fiber, duh, and more protein than any other grain. It is pretty quick to cook (quicker than rice) and has a hearty, almost nutty flavor.
I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but here is what I did.
I used:
- 1 cup of organic quinoa
- 1/2 jar of TJ vegetable bruschetta (basically tomato and garlic spread so you could use other things instead like a bit of a good tomato sauce or blend up your own tomato/garlic concoction)
- 2 cups of baby spinach, chopped
- 2 cups of broth
To make I:
- Made the quinoa according to package directions. I only wanted a smallish portion, so I put 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of broth in a pot and put it on high.
- Meanwhile I chopped the spinach and add it to the pot.
- Once the broth was boiling, I turned it down to simmer and let it do it's thing for about 15 minutes (until the quinoa was translucent.)
- Then I fluffed it a bit and stirred in the vegetable bruschetta business.
- This made about 4 cups of food.
I would have taken a picture...but alas! my lovely phone isn't functioning at full capacity since I dropped it yesterday. :(
But anyway, I split the quinoa into two bowls and ate the first for lunch today. It was delicious!!! The tomatoes and garlic gave it a great flavor and the quinoa had a nice texture. It filled me up and kept me from being hungry all afternoon, even after two workouts earlier today.
A friend told me she has been eating quinoa on her salads. She makes a whole mess of it, then keeps it in the fridge and sprinkles it on top of greens for extra fiber and protein.
It is very similar to rice and could be used as a simple side or even in a stir fry.
Here are some recipe ideas from my favorite recipe website.
But anyway, I split the quinoa into two bowls and ate the first for lunch today. It was delicious!!! The tomatoes and garlic gave it a great flavor and the quinoa had a nice texture. It filled me up and kept me from being hungry all afternoon, even after two workouts earlier today.
A friend told me she has been eating quinoa on her salads. She makes a whole mess of it, then keeps it in the fridge and sprinkles it on top of greens for extra fiber and protein.
It is very similar to rice and could be used as a simple side or even in a stir fry.
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