Quinoa is Weird

/

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?

944

Cooked up the quinoa…

948

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…

953

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.

954

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!**

Organization Baby Steps

/

Last week I shared with you my chalkboard painted pantry doors. 

897

I decided to try something new in my life.  I followed the directions on the paint can.  Weird.  I waited the three days before writing on the chalkboard.  It was hard.  But I did it.

I also “seasoned” the chalk paint with a layer of white chalk.  (I rubbed the side of the chalk all over the chalkboard paint.)  This helps to prevent your writing from being permanently etched into your paint.  Worked like a charm.

Why did I paint the insides of the pantry doors?

 Doodling would be fun but I really needed something to get our house in order.  I’m on a slow organization spree.

I needed a place to list out what’s in our freezer and what leftovers are growing things in the fridge.  I also needed a place to hang our grocery list. Done!

920
922

Do you like how I put the Raisin Nut Bran front and center so you all think that I eat healthy? It may be hiding Reese’s Puffs and Lucky Charms.  You’ll never know.

924

I also listed the healthy stuff in our freezer first.  I did that mainly to trick myself into eating healthy by reading the “good for me” stuff first.  But also so you all think that I eat healthy.  Read further. You will change your mind.  Girl Scout cookies anyone?

928

I needed a spot to hang our weekly grocery list.  I made a list about a year that contains our most commonly purchased items.  It is organized according to their location in the Target aisles. (I need to redo it though because Target moved stuff around.  The nerve.)  During the week, we mark off the items the we run out of/think we will need.  Having the list organized by aisles makes grocery shopping a little easier.  We used to go from one end of the store to the other because we would forget one or two important items.  Now the items are grouped together!  I have enough lists printed for 1 month and they are proudly displayed in the pantry instead of shoved into the junk drawer.

933

We are trying to work things like Cheese Whiz and Teddy Grahams out of our diet. Baby steps.  Our grocery cart was very healthy this week.  I did hear something about the world ending.

930

I’m still debating on how to use the bottom panels. I think I may use them for meal planning…and doodling.  

There you have it.  Baby steps towards kitchen organization.  Sharing my pantry and grocery list feels a little like showing my underwear drawer…very personal.  (P.S. I did just organize my underwear drawer and it’s been life changing. But there are some things that will never make this blog!)

How do you keep track of what’s hanging out in your freezer?  Any great grocery list tips?  Meal planning strategies?  Any organization that you won’t share on your blog?

Like this post?  Read about our tidy kitchen tips!  Also check out our DIY/Projects page!