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!

Recipe- Peach Cobbler

 

This has to be one of the easiest desserts around. I am a sucker for fruit pies/cobblers and this one by Paula Deen is one of my favorites. I thought I might save some time by providing the link.

Peach Cobbler

Recipe + Five Things

The Easter bunny, AKA my husband, visited me over the weekend. I tried to get fancy with my photography skills. I am obviously not very talented...

Finding dried fruit without added sugar can be difficult, especially when you don't have any of the really awesome grocery stores near your home. Here is another recipe from the Power Foods cookbook that my sister bought me for my birthday.

Oven Dried Fruit (I used pears)

Some different fruits suggested include pears, plums, and apricots.

1. Preheat oven to 225.
2. Core pears and slice 1/4 inch thick.  Pit plums and apricots and cut into 3/4 inch wedges. Drizzle fruit with honey and toss to coat.
3.  Divide among parchment lined baking sheets. 
4. Cook until fruit is shriveled and slightly shiny but still chewy, rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through, about 2 1/2 hours.
5. Serve with chocolate and roasted almonds.

We recently took a personality/strengths test at work. After responding to questions for 30-45 minutes the program provided us with our top 5 strengths or themes. There were several themes that I was sure would be used to describe me and others that I wasn't expecting. There was one theme in particular that was no surprise, "relator." For each theme we learned about the balconies and basements, or rather, the positives and negatives.  In short, it says that a relator is caring, trusting, a great friend, forgiving, and generous. However, it also says that a relator lives in a clique, has an inner circle, and plays favorites. Since exiting my high school years I have lived by the following motto when it comes to friends: quality over quantity. Friendships require a lot of effort, at least to maintain one in the way that I think is proper. I would rather have a couple of really great friends than a dozen friends that I rarely see, can't be myself around, etc. I would go into all of the things that I think make a good friend, but this post is already quite lengthy. This 5 things post is dedicated to my most recent friend to enter "the inner circle."  Five things I love about Melisa:

1. She pushes me out of my comfort zone. I have attended some activities that I probably would not have if it weren't for her. She also convinced me to run my first mud run and 1/2 marathon.
2. She is my running buddy, attempt to eat clean buddy, shopping/home decorating buddy...okay it's safe to say she is my buddy!
3. She is one of the most fun people I know. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have had the best bachelorette party (and pre-game night) ever! We created some great memories over our last couple trips to Tahoe and our trip to Vegas!
4. Speaking of Vegas...she is as much of a planner as I am and she loves to get away just as much as I do. Even if our plans don't always transpire, we always have something in the works.
5. We have easy conversation. I never feel like I am being too forward, judged, or searching for topics of conversation. We also seem to have similar "annoyances" and can vent to each other within our safe zone.
Bonus 6. She is one of my first personal shopping clients, even if I do it for free :)

I think I have been having a little bit too much fun with my blog. I have a couple of outfit pics, three recipes, and a lace/crochet collage just waiting to be posted. It takes some restraint to not post it all in one go. Do you like the recipes and 5 things or would you prefer if I stuck to outfit posts? (I know I am no Martha Stewart or Ernest Hemingway). I am also working on a giveaway for all you loyal readers!!!

 FYI, I love your comments! I get a sick little thrill every time I see a comment in my inbox :) I hope are all having a great week.

French Fries and Five Things

 

 

My husband and I tend to eat pretty healthy throughout the week and indulge on the weekends. This weekend we made bacon avocado cheeseburgers, french fries, and cookie dough milkshakes! To my lovely sister, I didn't even use ground turkey, although they were whole wheat buns. We attempted to make a somewhat healthier version of french fries, and to our surprise, we loved them. Believe it or not that was my first time ever making a milkshake. Who knew it was so easy?

Quick and Easy Baked French Fries

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Slice large potato into wedges and spread over baking sheet. I lined it with foil, but I am sure there are better options.
3. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder (about 1 tbs. of each).
5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until crisp.

I don't really have a clever segue into today's five things, other then I will be having lunch with her this afternoon :)

Five things I love about my friend Christina:

1. Christina is extremely thoughtful, caring, selfless, funny...pretty much everything I aspire to be :)
2. She makes me want to be a better person. An example of this is communicating gratitude by writing thank you cards.  I was not a child that grew up having to write cards for every occasion. I never realized how much it matters to let others now how thankful you are for the things that they do by means of a thank you card.  I love receiving them, so I would imagine others do as well.
3. She is someone that I can go to for advice without judgment. Soon you will see a recurring theme among these posts when it comes to judgment. It is great having people in your life that love you the same even when potentially negative truths are revealed. Christina is definitely one of those people for me. I am an open book when it comes to Tina!
4. She has an alter ego: "Tina the Tank." Need I say more?
5.  I would never have gotten through grad school without her. We shared laughter, anxiety, pain, tears, cookie connection and of course success!

Recipe + 5 Things

Here is a quick one dish chicken meal that Nick and I both enjoyed.

Chicken, Quinoa and Spinach

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts (I used boneless/skinless)
1/2 cup yellow onion
olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
3/4 cups uncooked quinoa
about 1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
3-5 cloves garlic (you can use less if you aren't a garlic lover)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 overflowing cup fresh spinach

1. Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray or olive oil and sauté onion until translucent. Remove from pen a and set aside for later.
2. Add olive oil to the skillet and cook chicken about 4 minutes one each side. Remove the chicken and set aside for later.
3. Pour chicken broth, quinoa, basil, garlic, and onions into skillet, and stir. Return chicken to pan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa has absorbed the liquid.
4. Stir in spinach until wilted.

I served it with a side of broccoli!

As mentioned before, there were only a few things that I was able to cook when I moved out of the nest. One thing that I did learn from my mom was not to be afraid to try new recipes. I think my sister and I would agree that even if there are more bad than good recipe experiments, it is worth it when you can add something delicious to the monthly mix. Today's "Five things I love" is dedicated to my mama! Aside from all the typical things one might say about their mother....

1. She pushed me to try new hobbies (even if one included the flute!) Because of her I found a sport that I love and met some incredible people along the way.
2. She was not only my personal chauffeur, but my biggest fan. She spent countless hours in the car and away on weekends, so that I could play competitive volleyball. She drove me to clinics, practices, camps, tournaments, etc. Without her dedication and support I would not be the person that I am today.
3. She passed on the shopping addiction. I think maybe this is a love to hate her for that one! Trips out of town were always my favorite, because we would hit up whatever mall was in the vicinity and do some damage!
4. She is continuing to better herself into adulthood. Some people give up once they reach a certain age and don't really attempt to become a better person. I hope that I continue to grow, set goals for myself, and be open to changing my ways
5. She makes the best cookies (and tacos)! Oatmeal, chocolate chip walnut, etc....you name it she makes the perfect chewy yummy cookies!

Fattoush

Another fabulous recipe from the cookbook my sister gifted me :)

What you will need...

Finished product...

Fattoush

1 whole wheat pita, split
12 cherry or small tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 red or yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch strips
1/2 English cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/4 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1 cup canned chickpeas or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup torn fresh basil (the original called for mint, but I am not a huge fan)
1/4 cup torn fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pita until crisp, about ten minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, red onion, beans, basil and parsley; toss to combine. Add vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine.
3. Enjoy!

*The original recipe says to break the pita into pieces and toss in the salad, but I filled the pita with the filling instead.

 

 

Beef Stir Fry

My sister gave me an awesome cookbook for my birthday and I have been trying a new recipe pretty much everyday of the week. One recipe that Nick and I both enjoyed was beef stir-fry with broccoli. I also added asparagus, but I'll get to that in a minute. I am always looking for quick, easy, yet tasty dinners. Confession....the first couple of months of living on my own I ate a lot of tacos and spaghetti.

Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Asparagus

2 teaspoons neutral-tasting oil, such as canola or sunflower
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely julienned peeled fresh ginger
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (I used more because I like spicy food)
1/2 pound boneless sirloin or tenderloin, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
1/2 cup asparagus spears
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until just golden, stirring frequently, about one minute. Increase heat to high, and add beef, broccoli and asparagus. Cook until beef is seared and vegetables are crisp-tender, turning strips once, 2-3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and orange juice. Serve immediately.

Sorry, I didn't think to take a good picture, so you are left with the IPhone photo that I sent to my sister.