Life with Chere Michelle

Inspirational Rambles by one Veggie girl trying to live happy & healthy.

Posts Tagged quinoa

This ‘n That

Mar 12

Posted by Chere Michelle in Blogging, Healthy Living, Weight Loss | No Comments

**First things first, my heart goes out to everyone affected and suffering as a result of the quake and tsunami in Japan. I cannot fathom what anyone over there must be going through and can’t wrap my head around how one moves forward. How a nation moves forward. It makes me feel so small and helpless to be over here…sitting in my warm house with light and food. I can only send positive thoughts.**

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I have lots to talk about tonight. Yeah, yeah it’s Saturday night and I should be out and about right? I just love you all so much I NEED to blog and tell you all the good stuff I’ve learned this week! So sit back, hand off the mouse or key pad and listen in…

The other love of my life, Gardein, has just introduced a Meatless Burger. For real. I’ve not tried it of course as it’s so new I can’t really find it here but the Internet is all a-buzz about it and BIG things are expected! I will say however, that in My Guy and I’s opinion, for what it’s worth, we think Presidents Choice Worlds Best Meatless Burger really is the best. This new burger from Gardein has to a) knock our socks off and b) be reasonably priced. While the Presidents Choice burgers aren’t super cheap, they do come in a pack of 4 frozen patties so they last for awhile. I find Gardein sometimes priced too high, so I’m really hoping the burgers are more affordable. (Hopin’ and Prayin’)

I’m back on the quinoa train. I LOVE THIS STUFF. I have been making up a batch at night (1 cup quinoa to 1 3/4 cup water, simmer for 12 minutes, fluff, cool) and then mixing up with whatever chopped veggies, some salad dressing etc and have it as a cold ‘salad’ for lunch. The beauty of quinoa is it’s more than a grain…it’s a PROTEIN. It really is perfect food. This is the food you want in a disaster situation…this is the food that will fuel you…perfectly cooked quinoa should have a slight bite to it and you can see the separation of the kernel a bit. It has a nice subtle nutty flavour to it. I noticed while grocery shopping today, the price of bulk organic quinoa has come down significantly. Funny because it seems everything else has gone UP…

Running out of lunch ideas? Making sure My Guy and I both have nutritious and filling lunches each week day can be a chore. It’s great if we have leftovers from the night before but that doesn’t ALWAYS happen. This weekend I’ll be making up a batch of burritos to stick in the freezer for those times when we forgot to make something….grab ‘n go. This is obviously a more healthy option than buying those frozen little burrito-things at the grocery store full of preservative and salt! I buy multi grain tortillas- the big ones, and whip up a batch of rice. It’s fun to change up your rice; so maybe make Spanish rice one time and just add tomato paste and some chili’s to the rice water…I like to saute up peppers and onions, get a can of re-fried beans ready and begin to assemble. I always top with a bit of cheese and some chili or enchilada sauce; not so much that it makes it a gooey (and fattening) mess, but enough to act like the “glue” when you heat it up later! These burritos have saved me on more than one lunch…

This weeks goal? Get to the gym and/or run at least 4 days out of the 7 coming up. I’m so down on myself and this is exactly what I tell others not to do….do not beat yourself up. Problem is I feel I should know better. I am upset because I lost alot of weight years ago and have slowly put just enough back on to be uncomfortable in my own skin. Very uncomfortable. So I challenge everyone out there, to get up off the couch this week and get MOVING.

That’s all for tonight…

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Making Fiber First…

Jun 29

Posted by Chere Michelle in Eating Right, Healthy Living, Nutrition | No Comments

I’ve got a confession to make. Some recent visits to my doctor have made me realize I don’t get enough FIBER and I need to change this pronto. We all know fiber keeps things moving along, right? It’s good to be regular but sometimes we associate fiber with scary foods like *shudder* those dry bran muffins always sitting in the day old section in the cafeteria. Who ever buys those??

While fiber isn’t the answer to all my digestive issues and abdominal pain….it’s a good place to start. Of course fruits and veggies are an excellent source of fiber- but we all know that. Don’t we? If you’re not already cooking with whole wheat pasta and/or brown rice, this is yet another good reason to make the switch. I think these alternatives are much more filling than their white counterparts, and no, you DON’T sacrifice taste at all! When foods are processed, such as white pasta and white bread, the fiber is removed.

And since I’m praising the Quinoa Plant, I might as well put in yet another plug for this little pseudo-grain; yup, full of fiber!

Don’t forget nuts. I love to snack on raw almonds, pecans and walnuts, as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Just make sure you enjoy nuts in moderation since they do have some fat…but it’s a good fat, really. Throw some on top of salads, put some into 100 calorie baggies and throw in your purse for a mid-morning snack.

Beans, beans and beans. I love my legumes. I’m a Veggie so getting my beans in is easy…but even my meat-eating friends incorporate beans into their meals. A friend of mine actually purees beans into all her pasta sauces and her kids are none the wiser! To them it’s “spaghetti and red sauce” and to Mom it’s fiber and protein!

I have been playing around with a bran muffin recipe I found awhile back and have now got it where I want it. Since applesauce is used in place of fat (butter, oil etc) these muffins are practically fat free! The recipe calls for whole wheat flour and yes, some white flour but I’ve found with ALL whole wheat, the muffins just don’t rise enough and are too dense. I throw in whatever I’ve got in my house; fruit, nuts, coconut, raisins, cranberries and/or chocolate chips (for a little bit of indulgence). I hope you like them as much as me!

1 1/2 cups bran (I’ve found works equally well with oat or wheat bran)

1 cup milk

1/2 cups applesauce (prefer unsweetened)

1 egg

2/3 packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup whole wheat flour,  1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the bran and milk together in a small bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix the applesauce, egg, brown sugar and vanilla in a seperate bowl. Stir in the bran mixture until smooth.

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients.

Stir in the wet bran mixture into the dry, careful not to over mix here.

Fold in whatever goodies you want to add and spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins. I found they stick to paper muffin liners so I spray my tins with Lite Pam.

Cook for 15-20 minutes…I check mine at 16 minutes!

ENJOY!

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Quinoa- What took me so long to blog about this wonder food?

Jun 22

Posted by Chere Michelle in Eating Right, Healthy Living, Nutrition, Vegetarian | No Comments

I’m a great procrastinator. In all things. This is no exception because I’ve been meaning to sing the praises of quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) for some time now. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, it was all over the news last year as a great new food to use in place of rice…well, let me tell you- it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

This little gem is actually NOT a grain like many people assume. It’s not part of the grass family and has an unusually high protein content for a plant based food. This is what makes it truly unique and an absolute must for any Vegan or Vegetarian lifestyle.

Let’s take a look at 1 CUP of quinoa (or 3.5 oz) and some key facts:
** 16% of your daily value for Protein!
** Fat is 3.6 grams of 5% of daily value
** Packed with all the B Vitamins, particularly high in Folate at 19%, followed by Thiamin at 13%
** Iron is good at 15% of daily value
(REMEMBER THIS IS ALL IN 1 LITTLE CUP!)

There’s something different about the taste too; quinoa should have a little bite to it and not be all mushy. I get a bit of a nutty taste personally, NOTHING like rice…I love it in stir fry because it doesn’t soak up the sauce. I love using my leftover quinoa and making a salad; add veggies and seasoning, dressing and it holds up so well. All day.

There is a downside to all this…the price. Quinoa isn’t as affordable as I’d like but you know what? I’m going to keep stocking it because as a Veg, I need to look at alternate protein sources and I’m willing to spend a little more to get a quality food for my body.

If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, I urge you to do so. I cook it using 1 cup of quinoa (rinsed well) to 1 3/4 cup water….simmer for about 12-14 minutes UNCOVERED and stir every once in awhile. Once mine is cooked I throw in chopped green onions and some S & P…and go crazy.

Happy Eating….
Love Chere Michelle

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