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:)

Chicken Burgers...

I have a yummy chicken burger recipe that goes great with the Asian Slaw recipe I posted about ahwile back.  It is an easy recipe to put together and the leftovers are great too.  Perfect dinner for a warm spring day like today:)

1 Lb Ground Chicken

1/4 cup panko

1 TBSP lime juice

1 TBSP cilantro

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp Sirachi

(If you like spicy you will want to add a lot more than this.  I probably added closer to a TBSP and it wasn't spicy.  And I am a wuss when it comes to spice)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup bell pepper (finely diced)

Pretty much just mix it all up together and make the patties.  I opted to cook these in a skillet because it was pooring rain and hail outside.  I think they would cook fine on a grill but I would spray the grill to prevent the burgers from sticking. 

Serve the burger on top of the slaw salad.

 

I am off to teach kickboxing!  What are your workout plans for the day?

Greek Salad and Fitsby

We had a fun weekend celebrating Easter.  My sis in law came into town so the kids played and loved every minute of cousin time.  We have so much Easter candy hanging out at our house now though.  Pretty sure I will be sending it to work with the hubs or throwing it away.  I don't want it tempting me:)

Actually I am really excited to eat super healthy all week.  Here is a Salad I will be using for dinner one night.  A friend made it the other day when a few of the girls got together for lunch.  

Greek Inspired Salad-

We did it salad bar style -

Spinach

Quinoa 

(she used a mix of the regular and red kind)

Kalmata olives

Cherry tomatoes

Red Onions

Cucumbers

Feta Cheese

Tangy Garlic Lemon Dressing-

You will notice from my side notes that I need to go shopping:)

1/4 cup lemon juice, preferably fresh 

(I made it this weekend and just used bottled since it was what I had and it worked great)

1/2 tsp salt

ground pepper to taste

2 teaspoon Greek seasoning blend or Greek oregano 

(I used regular oregano but want to get the Greek seasoning next time I am at the store)

1 tsp Dijon or brown mustard 

(I actually used regular mustard cause that's what I had on hand)

2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed

1/4 cup olive oil (the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)

The dressing is light yet super flavorful.  Add some grilled chicken to the mix and you will have yourself a delicious meal that even the hubby will like.  And obviously you can add whatever veggies or salad fixing your little heart desires. 

So I found an app on my phone called Fitsby.

Basically you join a group and motivate each other to workout at the gym.  You have to pay a wager to join the group but if you hit the goal the group has set you don't actually pay the money.  If you don't make the goal your money gets divided amongst those who did reach the goal.  It is kind of a fun idea.  I would love to do a group...if this interests you leave a comment. Oh and the group can be public or private.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

And just because I think he is sooooooo cute...

Happy Monday!

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.

Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing

I came across this recipe for Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing on Pinterest the other day and knew I had to try it.

 Image via SeriousEats

I changed a few things to cut back on calories but I promise I didn't cut back on taste.

I promise this recipe wont disappoint.

Asian Slaw with YUMMY Ginger Peanut Dressing

For the dressing mix-

(makes 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup honey

1 TBSP oil 

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 TBSP Sesame Oil

1 TBSP Peanut Butter

1 tsp salt

1 TBSP fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove

1/2 tsp Srirachi Sauce (optional...I opted not)

For the Slaw mix-

(makes about 7 1/2 cups)

Cut up one small head of cabbage (1 quart)

2 large carrots chopped

1 red bell pepper (I used green cause that is what I had on hand)

1 cup edamame (See note below)

1/2 cup cilantro

1 cup peanuts chopped

Notes-

I did not have edamame because I could not for the life of me find it at the grocery store the last time I was there.  Instead I baked some chicken and served it over the slaw.  The calorie count of the slaw is without the edamame or the chicken.  If you want to lower the calories of the slaw mix you could easily cut back the amount of peanuts you put in it. 

Calories-

1 TBSP of dressing 79 calories

1 Cup of Slaw 122 calories

My kids don't really like salad so I just served them the chicken with some carrot sticks.  This way I could make the recipe work for the whole family.