Joy

Nothing brings me more joy than someone seeing me for the first time in a while and telling me I look amazing. It brings me joy when colleagues, friends, family who see me daily tell me how healthy and fit I look. I love that someone recently called me skinny. These are all things I feel, but it is nice to hear others say what you are feeling on the inside. Warm and fuzzies

Run Kendra, Run!

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I can't even believe that I did this! It was a gorgeous day and I wanted to workout outside! I have never run outdoors for longer than 3.2 miles but I have been working all winter on a treadmill doing interval training to try to become a better runner. I don't love running. But I love the workout that running gives me! I love watching my core and legs transform. I have always thought that I was a slow runner, but my run the other night proved me wrong. I ran under a 10 minute mile! WHAT!!!! That isn't slow! I can't wait for the snow to melt to see how far my next run will be. But this girl isn't giving up on biking! That's still my go to all time love! The best part of this run was the sun shining and my dog Leah and I sharing some exercise together. 

Dinner Difference

Here is a picture of dinner the other night...Hello veggies! Yes this was a bit extreme, but we had produce that had to be used up. We grilled deer burgers and instead of fries, we roasted green chilies, cauliflower, and broccoli. We steamed up some carrots, snow peas and asparagus. Instead of putting mayo or ketchup on the burger, I opted for some avocado. Simple changes lead to feeling full and feeling guiltless. I love looking at the color on my plate and how it is proportioned. Over half full of things that are good for me! That's a win! 

Yummy dinner!

I love to eat spicy foods! Seriously Mexican food is my all time favorite! We eat lots and lots of spicy foods. Tonight I made yummy and super nutrious chicken tacos. I used 100 calorie black bean and whole wheat tortillas. They are pretty small in diameter making them great for portion control. They are 100 calories and have 3g of fiber and 3g of protein. I used the chicken breast from a whole chicken I cooked on Sunday for soup. I flavored the chicken with fresh cilantro, lime and chili powder. I made a black bean and quinoa mixture to immulate Spanish rice and beans. In my quinoa and beans I used fresh cilantro, lime and a tablespoon if salsa while it cooked. More awesome foods full of protein and fiber! I garnished my yummy tacos with a bit of cheddar cheese, a little salsa, and avacados! This dinner was so yummy and full of great yummy foods! 

Clean eating at its finest!

When you switch from processed foods to more raw foods you do see an increase in your grocery bill! Those who say eating healthy costs more, are right. It does cost more to buy raw veggies and fruits. But eating processed foods will cost you long term. Bountiful baskets is a great way to eat clean and get adorable veggies and fruit. Here is my loot from this weeks basket. I spent 45.00 and got all this...

Here are the majority of my veggies. I did add on to the basket and got the California pack that had 3 heads of cauliflower, 15 ginormous carrots, and a bag full of broccoli heads! I also added on the Asian pack that had napa cabbage, bok choy, celery, limes, snow peas, and herbs. We store our veggies in our garage as it is cool and dark. They life of our veggies has increased greatly! Hello yummy veggies! 

Here are my fruits and this week I did not add on anything to the basket because we still have leftover fruits from last week...

Our kids know right where to go for a snack as the fruits are within reach and veggie snacks are already prepared! The best part is that grocery shopping is done! We add in our elk meat, chicken and pork from the freezer. We stalked up on milk and dairy last week, so we are good to go! I always try to keep beans and grains (rice and quinoa) on hand in the pantry/freezer to add to any meal. We eat a lot of beans so I cook a roaster full of dried beans and then store in the freezer to cut the sodium from eating the canned beans! 

Eating clean does cost more, but feeling better about what are putting into your body is worth it! 

Measurements

I live and die by my scale. I know it's not good but I am addicted to weighing myself. I used to feel complete chaos and out of control when away from my scale for a weekend. I like knowing where I am with my weight throughout the day. This behavior is not healthy! I know this but it is my personality to be a bit obsessive  about the scale. I started tracking my measurements in 2012 and haven't tracked as much as I should but I did today, and I love looking at this data! Here are the pics from my app that tracks my measurements. 

The goods from Quinoa

I ran into this crazy named, lovely rice like food after seeing recipes on Pinterest. I was excited to try it after reading about how good Quinoa is for you. So I found some in the store and started experimenting with it. The first time we ate it as a side instead of rice and we liked it. The next time, we cooked it with some salsa added to it and ate it with tacos as a sort of Spanish Rice. Ever since, we have been lovers of the this fabulous food. Here are a couple of recipes I have tried with this super food.


Breakfast Blueberry Quinoa

http://www.marthastewart.com/314453/breakfast-quinoa?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-and-easy-breakfasts#slide_12

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole or low-fat milk, plus more for serving
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar, plus more for serving
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
• 1 cup (1/2 pint) fresh blueberries, plus more for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.

2. STEP 2

   Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Cook, covered, until almost all the milk has been absorbed, about 8 minutes. Stir in blueberries, and cook for 30 seconds. Serve with additional milk, sugar, cinnamon, and blueberries.

http://www.closetcooking.com/2014/01/mediterranean-quinoa-salad.html#_a5y_p=1163528

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 25 minutesServings: 6

A Mediterranean inspired quinoa salad with juicy tomatoes and cucumbers along with tangy red onions and salty kalamata olives and feta.

ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup tomato, sliced
• 1 cup cucumber, sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (~1 lemon) or red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

directions

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil, reduce the temperature to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes, and let sit covered for 5 minutes before letting it cool.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.
3. Mix the quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, feta and chickpeas and toss in the mixture of the lemon juice, oil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.

Note: I like my quinoa to be al-dente and not mushy so I use a little less than the commonly called for 2 cups for 1 cup of quinoa; I use 1 1/2 cups of water when I rinse the quinoa and 1 3/4 cups when the quinoa is pre-rinsed.
Tip: Cook the quinoa a day ahead to save time.
Option: Add other Mediterranean inspired ingredients like roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts or even avocados.

http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=1720177093&blog=3902220&link=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRwcm94eS5nb29nbGUuY29tL35yL2Jsb2dzcG90L0JmYVhXL34zL0d5OVh2amtLNEprLw&frame_type=fb

Honey-Lime Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed then pierced several times with a fork
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups grilled or frozen corn
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp caynenne pepper
• 3 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 1/2 Tbsp honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 2 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1/2 cup)
• Sour cream for serving, optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and broth to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until fluffy.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and saute until tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauting. Add onion mixture to cooked quinoa, along with black beans, corn, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne, lime juice and honey, 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro and toss mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut cooked sweet potatoes in half and scoop out some of the sweet potato flesh to create a bowl shape, while leaving about 1/3 to 1/2-inch of sweet potato intact (reserve scooped out potato in refrigerator for another use). Fill sweet potatoes with quinoa mixture, then sprinkle tops evenly with cheese. Transfer to oven and broil until cheese has melted. Serve warm garnished with cilantro and sour cream if desired.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy