Quinoa and Strengths

I have another really good excuse for not having an outfit post...I have actually been trying my hand in the kitchen again. We got into a little bit of a food rut for a while, but we are attempting to turn that all around. AND I ate fish. Okay it was tilapia, but that kind of counts still right?

Served with pan seared salmon (Nick's) and steamed broccoli

 

Cucumber and Mint Quinoa:
Ingredients

1 cup raw quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
1 large clove garlic
1 medium bay leaf
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh chopped mint leaves
1 cup small diced seedless cucumbers (I used a cucumber with seeds)
1/2 cup small diced red onion

 

Instructions

1. Place stock, garlic, bay leaf, pepper, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

2. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, cucumber, and red onion with a fork fluffing up the grains as you toss it lightly.

I also wanted to share with you one of my top five strengths. In short, my place of employment is working with a company that helped us to identify our top five strengths or "themes." We have been attending workshops on how to use those strengths to be our best self, better work with a team, etc.  I thought it was just another personality test, until I saw the results and the endless possibilities for combinations. There was not one other person out of the couple of hundred people that took it that shared my same traits.  Apparently we are very "cutting edge" by using this in the workplace.

For those of you who know me well none of this will sound surprising. Hopefully those of you who don't know me or who want to know me a little better will find this intriguing...

Top Theme: Individualization

Chances are good that you frequently examine the factors leading up to an event. Therein you discover the reasons why things happened the way they did. A number of individuals and/or groups probably appreciate you logical thinking style. By nature, you want to offer your assistance to people. However, you often struggle to find the words to tell them you are willing to lend a helping hand. Driven by your talents, you sense that every person is one of a kind. You can quickly discover what makes someone distinct from everyone else. It's very likely that you help individuals feel safe enough to risk sharing their most personal thoughts and feelings. They trust you will keep this information to yourself. You probably sense when someone is vulnerable-that is, easily hurt by criticism, rejection, or betrayal. Instinctively, you tend to be more successful when you work on your own. Knowing your contributions benefit someone else truly pleases you.

Chances are good that you frequently examine the factors leading up to an event. Therein you discover the reasons why things happened the way they did.  Hit the nail on the head!!!! Do you recall me talking about my over analyzing a couple of months ago? Chances are if we just hung out or had a conversation, I am analyzing it right now! This is why I will apologize for how something may have sounded 30 minutes after the conversation!