Fresh Quinoa & Shrimp Salad
Despite how it may have appeared, I’ve actually yet to post any pictures with my new camera. Mainly because I just bought it less than an hour ago. It’s a Canon Powershot SD1200 and let’s hope it gets the job done!
Today I had to dig up my point and shoot. Check.it.out.
Sometimes all you need to spice up breakfast is a fun bowl, er jar.
Oh and why haven’t I mixed peanut butter into my oats before today?
Peanut Butter Oats in a Jar:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 teaspoon each of chia seeds and ground flax
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Topped with granola and coconut butter and served in a jar.
I’m surviving off of sample boxes of Cascadian Farms Dark Chocolate Almond Granola thanks to my 5K last Sunday. I loooove those clusters.
So filling, too.
So how about a recipe?
Fresh Quinoa & Shrimp Salad:
Modified from Former Chef
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 lb. asparagus
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 pound shrimp, cooked
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- the juice of two limes
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Rinse quinoa then bring to a boil with 2 cups water then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until fluffy and water is fully absorbed.
- Snap ends off of asparagus, and cook in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes or until al dente. Remove asparagus and add corn to the water to heat through.
- Cut the asparagus, bell pepper and peeled cucumber then chop the herbs and garlic.
- Whisk together the olive oil, garlic and lime juice then mix the herbs in.
- Mix together shrimp, quinoa, bell pepper, cucumber, corn and asparagus then add the herb dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy right away or let chill in the fridge.
I wish these asparagus hadn’t come from Mexico…
Is it just me or is red quinoa 10x more beautiful than white?
I can never remember if it’s parsley or cilantro that I don’t like. It’s definitely parsley but I really enjoyed it in this dish!
I love this picture.
I served it over a bed of spinach. So so tasty. I love the fresh flavors going on in this dish.
Enjoy!
Oatmeal Bake, Breakfast Cake
I’m not sure if I was eating baked oatmeal or cake for breakfast but I do know it was extremely delicious and about 100x more fun than eating just a regular bowl of oatmeal.
I’d been dying to try Ashley’s breakfast bake but wasn’t really all that jazzed to go out and buy buckwheat so I was definitely excited when she announced that you could use oatmeal!
It came out looking like a personal cake, just for one and that one was me.
Cute, no? Plus it was super simple to pop out of my ramekin and flip over so it was right side up.
The only change I made was to use one whole banana because I’m all pumpkin-ed out right now and I wasn’t in the mood to thaw my applesauce, which I keep in the freezer because I was sick of using it once and finding it growing by the next time I used it.
Topped with peanut butter, coconut butter and cranberries for some color.
Oh and who am I kidding, I totally added some maple syrup after I took the first bite and decided it wasn’t sweet enough for me 🙂
Oh how I love when the peanut butter gets all melty.
De-vour.
I also got in a 3ish (a little more) mile run today AND I eliptical-ed (?) for 20 minutes but only because I had to wait for a free treadmill. This lady finished and proceeded to spend 10 minutes stretching her calves on the treadmill — talk about annoying!
I’m not going to lie, I haven’t had the best of days and it’s before 9 and I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open. Here’s to tomorrow being a better day. It’s Friday so there’s a good chance it will be!
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Ah, here we are.
Last you heard I had spilled chai in my bag and ruined Joey’s my camera. I’m headed to Best Buy after work to pick up a new point and shoot that’s on sale for $107 — score!
Now I have to think all the way back to Tuesday for this post. I started at 6:15 AM when I woke up in a panic, thinking I’d slept through my alarm, not that that ever happens but every time I have something important to do I’m scared it will happen.
Despite the snow and bitter cold temperatures I made it to campus and left 15 minutes later 2 vials of blood poorer. Getting your blood drawn is part of your grade in my health and nutrition class. Needles and veins gross me out but I think I put on a pretty convincing brave face.
I ate a banana right after then headed home for some oatmeal because there really isn’t anything like a warm bowl of oatty love on a snowy day.
Heavenly, I tell you.
I had to be back on campus for class at 2 but I opted for a long nap instead of a workout. Waking up at 6:15 and working till midnight shouldn’t be paired together, so that nap was essential.
Plus there’s nothing like eating, sleeping then waking up to eat again. Let’s just sleep on through that whole not eating part of the day, right?
The pour-poke-spread egg is the way to go. Just crack and pour your eggs into a oiled pan, poke the yolk and spread everything around with whatever utensil you have at your disposal. Then all you have to do is cover with some foil and cook on low until you deem it done.
I cut my eggy up and added it to a huge salad that also contained the following:
- potatoes
- beets
- roasted butternut and sweet potatoes
- goat cheese
- pepitas and dried cranberries (which were added post-picture)
Pour on the tahini dressing with reckless abandonment.
I took my salad to school in the spinach container and was petrified that it was going to open in my bag and was relieved when it didn’t… little did I know my thermos was already getting that job done…
Best part = tossing the whole container away and making lots more room in my bag!
Dinner, packed and enjoyed at work was a random creation thought up by me and made by Joey. I guess that means I have to take the credit for it being sub-par.
Chickpea tahini burgers sound like a good idea but in all actuality they’re a little bland. They had cumin and salt and pepper but they needed a good kick of something hot. I’ll keep working at it, don’t worry.
P.S. They’re green because they had edamame in them. Fun looking, no?
Homemade sweet potato fries, one of my homemade English muffins and a glob of ketchup to round out the meal. Ketchup makes my world go round.
I’ve also taken to carrying around a bag of nuts and dates to eat throughout the day a la my sister. It’s a life saver I tell you.
I also delighted in eating a giant vegan chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Don’t pretend you don’t feel like you need a cookie after you do something like drench your camera in tea.
What’s your go to food when you’re in a bad mood?
Lauren Loves Good Food 