Quinoa Stir Fry

My soldier is finally home! I couldn't be happier to have him back home with me after a long 6 months that he was away. My Aunt, her boyfriend and I traveled to Fort Jackson, South Carolina to pick him up and it was such a nice trip away from home for a couple of days. The weather was gorgeous and certainly a lot warmer than it is back home. In a way, I didn't want to leave, but I'm pretty sure he was ready to come home!

And might I add, he looked pretty good in his dress blues. ;)


Today I have another recipe for you and it's quinoa stir fry! If you don't know what quinoa is, well today you will! Quinoa is a grain and it's full of fiber. You can use quinoa in breakfast dishes, side dishes or use it for an alternative to pasta or rice.

This recipe will yield 4 delicious servings and the best thing about it is you can add whatever you like to it! So experiment a little and have fun with it!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive or coconut oil
• 1 large bunch of broccoli, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 small red chile, chopped (optional)
• 2 cups snow peas, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces chicken breast
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce     

--First you will have to cook the quinoa and simply just follow the instructions on the box of quinoa on how to prepare it.
--Heat up oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

--Fully cook the chicken in the skillet, remove and chop into chunks.

--Add the carrots and cook for about a minute then add the peppers, ginger, garlic and chile and cook for another 2 minutes.
--Add peas, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Cook for one more minute.
--Add the chicken back into the skillet along with the quinoa, cilantro, scallions and soy sauce stirring in evenly through the vegetables for about a minute.


Serve warm and enjoy!

Cinnamon Honey Yogurt

Yogurt. This food has got to be one of my favorites! It's so versatile and tasty (it's like ice cream for me) and you can just do so much with it. I use it for my base in tuna salad and use it as sour cream for tacos, but my favorite is my honey cinnamon yogurt. So I'm going to give you a very simple recipe for this delicious, yet healthy treat!

Here's what you'll need:
- 1/2 cup Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt (I like Chobani)
- 1tsp. honey
- Cinnamon to taste
- Handful of the fruit of your choice (my favorite is blueberries)

So pretty much all you do is mix all the ingredients together and enjoy! Simple, right? Plus you're getting many nutrients. Yogurt is loaded with protein, calcium, vitamins and good-for-you bacteria!

Looks yummy, right? ;)

Food for thought.... I am really into photography, so expect a lot of pictures. Ya'll like pictures, don't ya?

First Post!

Hellooooooo!
Anyone out there?!
Well if you're out there thanks for visiting my blog! This is my very first post and I hope to post quite often! I am a college student and I also work so life can get a little hectic... but I'm sure no one is new to this whole stress thing. So that's what I'd like to talk about first!

Have you ever just had a day where nothing is going right, you have a million things to do and you just feel overwhelmed? Yeah, yeah .... we've all been there! In my health class we've been talking about stress and I feel like it's a good topic to start with because stress can impact you're life greatly.

No one can avoid all stress, but you can definitely help yourself out and illuminate some stressors in your life. Whenever you're feeling stressed out. Just stop....take a breath....and figure out ways you can make the situation a little less stressful. Try making lists of things you need to do, plan out your days and make some time where you can just take a breather.

EXERCISE! Exercise is a huge stress reliever. We all know exercise releases those wonderful endorphins but exercise also removes cortisol ( a stress hormone that stays in your blood stream for several days). Since we are always under some type of stress there is always going to be some cortisol in our blood stream but we want to keep that low. By exercising you will release cortisol through sweating. See exercise isn't only good for just getting an amazing body. It has soooo many other benefits. So just exercise, even if it's just for 30 minutes. Just do it. Trust me, it'll all be worth it in the long run :)

That's what I've learned about stress in my health classes so far and wanted to share because I know what it's like to be on the edge of your breaking point.

I promise, my blogs won't be so boring from hear on out. :)