Kitchen Tid Bit!

Okay, I most definitely know I made the right call for Rest over Running today! Not only did I go to bed early last night, I slept later than normal and I had a nap by mid-afternoon! Yes, indeed, I know I made the right call to not run AND I also know that by getting this extra rest, I'll be back at it Monday with great enthusiasm! Yahoo!!

In the meantime, I wanted to share my most recent favorite kitchen tidbit! Here's the scoop ... If there is one thing I've wanted out of food in the past two years, it's been something that is really good for me that will also keep me plenty full to keep the hungries away in between meals. Now, while I don't think that's asking for too much, evidently it is because I've not been able to crack that code. Until now ... Enter: Quinoa!

Say it with me: Keeeeen - wahhhhh (Hey, remember how Chachi on Happy Days always said, "Waaah, waaah, waaah!" ? Okay, back to the story ...)

I'd heard about this little gem in passing through different outlets on tv, the internet and magazines. What caught my attention was when I finally understood it is a protein source, and I have been wanting a protein option at breakfast besides egg whites. So, literally one day, two weeks ago, I went to the store, bought some quinoa in bulk, cooked it up, swirled it into my morning oatmeal, and I was full for hours. AND -- the key to success-- I liked it!

Here's how the deal went down:

To the bulk section of the grocery store I went! I had not yet
tried to find it elsewhere; I just knew it was here, I was in the
mood to get on with trying it, so I opted out of a hunt for it.
Sometimes, the hunt itself is a buzz kill, and I really wanted
to try this!

I bought about a half a zip-lock sandwich bag
full. It was around $2.

So tiny!



You're supposed to rinse it before cooking. I've read all kinds of
things on the internet from letting it soak to just rinsing it to not
having to do anything to it. The container from which I bought
this said to rinse, so, I rinsed. I even bought that new strainer for
the occasion. It was way better buying the kitchen tool from the
kitchen aisle vs. the previous kitchen tool I bought in the bathroom
aisle normally used to clean your toilet. I'm just sayin' ...

To cook, I use one part quinoa to two parts water. Bring to a boil,
then turn the heat down to let it simmer for 15 minutes. After the
simmer, let it stand covered with the heat off for another five. It
smells and acts like rice! Easy!

And, here it is in its cooked glory. All puffed up and ready to eat!
It's soft and a little nutty ... and really filling! I put two heaping
spoonfuls in my oatmeal (the spoon I use to eat, not a measuring
spoon) and mix it in. I know it's there, but it's not the prevailing
flavor. I've also mixed it in with peanut butter for a sandwich, and
I buried it in between egg whites on an egg white sandwich. Fab! 

This is such a healthy filler and just what I was after!! It's definitely helped me to temper that no-brain snacking during the day or even from being hungry later in the evening. These are both good things for me!

AND I've since found it less expensive than the above:

$3.43/lb vs. $4.19?!
Count the penny-picker-upper IN!

I'm making that yummy mac-and-cheese dish for dinner again tonight, and for good measure, some of the quinoa is going in. (the kitchen smells of cooking cauliflower right now again ... gross ...) Anyway, I know there are recipes where quinoa is the featured ingredient, I've just not tried them. It's a backup singer for us right now; it's in a good place!

Tomorrow's another Rest Day! I can't even believe how fun that is! I have a special shout out ready for tomorrow that I didn't want to get buried in this post-o-quinoa! I also have a correction about a recipe I made. Whoopsie.

Oh, and we're also this close to solving the Jacques Santa Hat dilemma ... you're gonna love it!