Quinoa Egg Muffins

I did some food prepping last night after putting the kids to bed. I was running low on quick healthy snacks and I had a new recipe I really wanted to try. I got it off Slender Kitchen...love this blog. It's full of healthy recipes if you are in need of some new ideas. I also whipped up some of the turkey muffins from Jamie Eason off Bodybuilding.com. I seriously love them. I have been trying to be brave so I added Sriracha sauce to both muffins and it gave them the perfect kick. I usually don't do spicy but lately I like a little something. Plus I eat less and drink more water when my food is spicy. I now have lots of yummy snacks prepped for the rest of the week. And they are just spicy enough I don't think my kids will end up eating them all:).

Quinoa Egg Muffins

From Slender Kitchen

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup diced veggies of choice 

(I used zucchini and onions and probably used closer to 2 cups)

1/2 cup feta cheese

(I didn't have any so I used 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese)

2 eggs

4 egg whites

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot sauce to taste

(I used Sriracha and just eyeballed it)

Mix everything and bake in muffin tins for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Original recipe says it makes 6 muffins but mine made 10 because I added more veggies. 2 muffins is 185 calories. 

Turkey Muffins
from bodybuilding.com

2 lbs ground turkey or chicken

(I only used 1 lb)

3 egg whites

1 cup oats

(This time I used 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup cooked quinoa)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp pepper

2tsp chipotle pepper spice

(I used Sriracha in place of this)

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp garlic powder (2 cloves)

1 small onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

(I didn't have any celery so I used zucchini...yum!)

Mix all the ingredients and bake in muffin tins for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees. The recipe as written says it makes 12 muffins but it made 12 even with only using 1 lb of meat because I used more veggies I think. Really you can put what you want in these. Don't be shy with the seasonings. 

I will get part two up of my Body by Vi blog series later today. Be sure to check out my first one here.

Pesto Quinoa and Chicken with Roasted Veggies

I know that is the least creative title for this recipe.  My brain can't do creative right now.  It wants to sleep.  But I have to share this recipe with you.  A friend made it for me the other day and I have been craving it ever since.  It took me forever to get to the store to get all the ingredients so I just barely got it put together for dinner tonight.  

There are a few steps to putting it all together but none of them are hard.

Veggies- 

2 peppers diced ( I used a red one and a yellow one)

2 large Carrots diced

1 onion diced

Really you could use whatever veggies sound good to you.

Coat with a small amount of EVOO and balsamic vinegar and season with lots of Italian Seasoning.  Roast for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Quinoa-

Just cook quinoa according to package directions.  You need about 1 cup uncooked quinoa.

Kale or Spinach-

Saute bunch of Kale or use spinach.  Just cook it til it is soft.

Chicken-

I used the Garlic, Wine and Herb McCormick Marinade for my chicken.  I cut it into smaller pieces and marinated it for a couple hours then grilled it and cut it into little slices.  I probably used about 2 lbs of chicken and had lots leftover.

Pesto- 

Use your favorite pesto sauce.  

Once everything is cooked you will put everything in a bowl except the chicken and combine.  You cold also wait to add the pesto if you prefer to serve it fresh.  

I served this over a fresh bed of spinach, topped with the chicken.  It is the perfect summer salad in my mind:)

Playing Catch Up...

OK friends vacation was awesome but I feel a bit behind in life now...laundry piles, grocery shopping, planning group exercise and training routines, fitting my own workouts in, cleaning the house...oh I am tired just thinking about it.  Speaking about being tired, my goal this week is to get more sleep. My body is begging for it.  But I promise I will be back to blogging more regularly this week. 

In the meantime check out this yummy salad...

I will be adding this to our meal schedule this week.

And if you are a quinoa fan be sure to check back later this week for lots of recipes.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing
serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, chopped into chunks
• handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
• small handful cilantro, diced
• 1 limes, juiced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, to taste

Directions

1. Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
4. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary.