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Leave it to nature

It was a perfect day for a walk. Being cooped up inside for the past few days is no fun. I needed some sun and my legs needed to move.

I found some fall colors.

fallfoliage

And that was about it. The leaves are still green here. :(  Even the maple tree is green. There are still flowers growing in the garden. Not that I mind flowers. I am ready for the colors to change and the winds to bring down the cooler air from the north. I’m ready for fireplaces. Rain. Pumpkins.

I’m ready to run again. I’m getting very VERY antsy about the race. I’ve got a run/walk plan to carry out until the week of the race. I just need to get my strength back. I’ve got a hike planned in the morning at my favorite lake. Nothing major, just see how the legs feel. I return to CrossFit on Wednesday, assuming I keep knocking this sinus junk away.

And along with getting back in gear for working out and running, my body is ready for fuel. Some days, my body craves raw whole food. After a couple of days of comfort food (ice cream….soup….juice pop), I wanted to just pull a chair up to a salad bar and graze the whole rainbow. Since I did not want to drive into town, I made a bowl of Southwest Quinoa I saw in the latest Clean Eating magazine.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 cup of whole kernel corn, rinsed (if from a can)
  • 1 cup cooked black beans, drained
  • 1 plum tomato, diced
  • 1 zucchini or yellow zucchini squash, diced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • chopped green onions for garnish
  • 1/2 cup of protein-chicken, sausage, beef, turkey, etc.

1. In a large skillet, cook the zucchini or squash in the olive oil, 3-5 minutes.

2. Cook the quinoa in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water or broth. It needs about 20 minutes to cook.

3. Add the corn, beans, tomato, spices, and protein choice to the skillet. Cook together 5-10 minutes until heated through. If protein is raw, cook separately until completely done, then add to pan with veggies and beans.

4. Once heated through, add cilantro, lime juice, and red onion. If you would rather have the onion cooked, add it to step 2.

5. Add cooked quinoa to pan. Stir to combine, serve. Top with green onions.

bowl copy

This was exactly what I wanted. The sausage was from a local farm and it has a great taste, little fat, and I know where it was prepared. This filled me up and I felt better for eating it. Comfort food has it’s place in my diet. Just not every day 😉

Lemonfleur

Monday 30th of January 2012

Ha ha! Protein, as in meat. Not necessary. Americans eat way too much protein as it is and the quinoa and beans have more protein than you need all day. It's fine without the flesh! :-)

Katrina

Monday 30th of January 2012

Thanks for your input. I'm still going to eat meat and a lot of it!

Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes

Tuesday 11th of October 2011

quinoa is such a healthy ingredient.. I should eat more quinoa!

foodie @ tastingspot

Tuesday 11th of October 2011

looks really nice... simple and healthy... i haven't checked out Clean Eating magazine but will give it a try