Easy Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I freaking love this recipe.  It's really good warm or cold, totally up to you.  It also keeps really well in the fridge so you can have it all week!

Quinoa Salad 

Adapted from here

2 cups chicken stock

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 large cooked chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces

1 red onion (optional, Chris hates onion)

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

1/2 cup of tomatoes, cucumbers (or any vegetables you like)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Bring the chicken stock and garlic to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the garlic clove and scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.
2. Gently stir the chicken, onion, veggies, olives, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

If you try this recipe, let us know!

Quick & Easy Vegetarian Kale Soup

After deciding that I needed to branch out a bit a try new foods, I landed on the delicious and nutritious kale.  This is recipe number 1 and it was a success!  It was super easy to do, full of nutrients and you can make it ahead of time.  Lots of lunches for school and work :) Enjoy!

Yummy School Snack/Breakfast: Healthy Wholegrain Muffins

These are by FAR my favourite muffins of all time.  I make them often and eat them for snacks or for a quick breakfast as I'm running out the door.  Let me know if you've tried the recipe and what you think! :)

Wholegrain Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 eggs
2/3 C Brown sugar

School Lunches: Rachel's Favourite Sandwich!

I am seriously in love with this sandwich.  I just ate it again today.  Just make sure you keep it cool with an ice pack!

Chicken Sandwich a la Rachel

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School Snack Ideas

Everyone around me seems to be heading back to school: Taryn is off to do her fancy phD, my sister-in-laws are heading off to university, high school and elementary school.  I feel like I'm missing all the fun back to school shopping!  But then I remember all the exam cramming and report writing... maybe I don't miss school so much.

To make your life a little bit easier, I've been brainstorming some ideas for easy snacks you can pack and take with you when you're in the middle of class and hunger punches you right in the kidneys.  Or stomach.  Whatever.

Let us know in the comments below what YOUR favourite healthy snacks are for school!

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Simple, Easy, Healthy - Back to School Snack!

Here's a healthy chickpea recipe that you can follow on Sunday nights. 

Ingredients: 

1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed thoroughly 

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil 

2 dashes of table salt

1 tsp of black pepper

+ your own spices. I add cayenne pepper and cajun spices (I like spicy!)

Detox Yoga

Remember avoid these exercises if you have back, neck or shoulder pain. Ask a doctor before making any changes to your regular fitness routine.


King of the fish pose - Ardha Matsyendrasana 

• Targets your liver and kidneys
• Stretches the shoulders, hips and neck
• Stimulates the digestive fire in your belly

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Simple, Fresh, Delicious - Detox Lunch/Dinner

One of my favourite (and vegetarian!) detox meals. Let me know what you think!

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of oil (sunflower, olive or canola)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1/2 an onion (cut into strips)
• 2 ears of corn 
• 3 cups green beans
• 2 tbsp of plain goat's cheese
• 1/2 a tomato or 1/4 cup of diced cherry tomatoes
• Fresh dill to taste

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Delicious Detox Dinner!

Vegetarian, Low-Carb, Fresh, Detox Stir Fry! 


Recipe:

1 clove(s) garlic, raw

0.25 large Onion, raw

1 spear(s) broccoli, raw

2 medium Carrot, raw

5 piece(s) Mushroom, brown, Italian (crimini), raw

2 medium stalk(s) celery, raw

2 cup(s) cabbage, raw

2 tbsp(s) Vegetable oil, sunflower, linoleic (60% & over)

4 head(s) Bok choy, pak-choi, raw 1. Heat your wok or pan over low-medium heat. 2. Add sunflower or canola oil. 3. Add in garlic and onion until onion is translucent. 4. Add it harder vegetables first: broccoli, carrot, celery and cabbage. 5. Add in 1/4 cup of water and cover. 6. Add in softer vegetables: mushroom and celery. 7. Add 1 cup of water and cover. 8. Stir occasionally. 9. Add in baby bok choy pieces and cover for 3 minutes until they turn bright green. 10. Add your favourite low-sodium soya sauce, pepper, cayenne pepper, oyster sauce or terriyaki sauce (be careful, these commonly have gluten hiding within the ingredients list!) Serve immediately and store extras in a tight zip lock container. Enjoy! Nutritional Information (based upon recipe analysis from EaTracker.ca) Calories (kcal) 205.3 Fat (g) 8.7 Protein (g) 14.3 Carbohydrate (g) 26.2 Sugar (g) 13.7 Fibre (g) 10.5 Vitamin A (RAE) 2136.4 Vitamin C (mg) 401.1 Vitamin D (μg) 0.0 Vitamin E (mg) 0.0 Thiamin (mg) 0.4 Riboflavin (mg) 0.7 Niacin (NE) 7.8 Folate (DFE) 591.6 Vitamin B6 (mg) 1.8 Vitamin B12 (μg) 0.0 Calcium (mg) 924.4 Iron (mg) 7.2 Sodium (mg) 593.5 Potassium (mg) 2445.5

What I Ate Today (Rachel)

Taryn and I get a ton of requests every day to show you guys what we eat. So here's my version of what I eat in a day!

Breakfast
I'm a big breakfast eater, I can eat a soon as I wake up (and often my tummy wakes me up early to eat!).

Easy Portion Control Tips

Now I know we always say "calories in < calories out" but sometimes its hard to guess how many calories are in our foods when companies are distorting portions or not divulging them at all!  Here are some easy tips you can use at home to get you started: