So, I’m trying something called eating healthy. Yesterday was day 1. I’m killing this thing.

I’m not eating healthy to lose weight. I don’t diet. I eat what I want and then make sure I move enough to cover it. Calories in. Calories out. I should write a book.

The problem with my weight control strategy is that I’m not getting enough nutrients/the right kind of nutrients. A lunch of Skittles and baked Cheetos is within the calorie range I need (and not to mention, delicious). It just isn’t quite as nutrient packed as let’s say a salad and a bowl of fruit. Did I mention that I don’t like salads? Salads are for rabbits. Vegetables gross me out.

I have been hearing a lot about quinoa lately. I think my favorite part is the pronunciation… "KEEN-wah", “KEEN-wah”. I think I said it 100 times around Nate this week-end only to drive him insane. Quinoa is a relative of spinach but is more often used like a grain. It’s a good source of protein, magnesium, and antioxidants. Sounds like it fits into my healthy eating plan.

Kristen over at Iowa Girl Eats posts a quinoa recipe at least once a week. I decided to try out the quinoa mac and cheese. I mean, mac and cheese. Can you go wrong?

I gathered my ingredients. Can you guess where I shop?

Cooked up the quinoa…

I love the looks of it. And it smelled good. Grainy…kind of tortilla like. It’s messy. I will be finding quinoa in my kitchen for weeks.

I mixed it with some egg, milk, and cheese and slapped in the oven. I let it bake while I did Week 1 of Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30. I’m not messing around with this healthy business.

30 minutes later I had this…

It looked pretty decent. Smelled pretty decent. I didn’t screw it up. Go super Michelle.

I’m not sure how I feel about it though. It definitely didn’t taste bad. But it didn’t taste good either. I thought it was a little bland. That would be my fault for not having things like red pepper and garlic on hand. I also think I might like it better with some chicken or ham…or baked Cheetos.

The texture is interesting. More interesting good than bad. It was soft, yet chewy, yet crunchy. Very interesting.

My first quinoa experience was a bit of a let down. I think I will give it another go though. Mainly because I like saying “KEEN-wah”. I just need to find a recipe more suited for my picky tastes.

Any favorite quinoa recipes? Any favorite healthy recipes that are quick, easy, and don’t have vegetables in them? I don’t ask much.

**I’ll announce the winner of the Home Depot gift card this evening. I forgot about it last night. Bad blogger!**