Vegetarian Chili for Two

This post is in partnership with Le Creuset. As always, all opinions are my own.

Happy Monday sweet friends. My husband and I are just now coming down from a very
exciting weekend. Our one and only daughter, Madison, bought her very first house,
moved out of our house and got engaged! I'm still in shock over it all!

Healthy One Pot Quinoa Taco Casserole

Today I am sharing a recipe I found a few weeks ago on Pinterest that I've been making
once a week since the day I discovered the recipe. Everyone in the family loves it and
it's super easy to make. My kind of dinner!

Quinoa & Hummus Tartlets

What an exciting week this is! Today is my birthday, Sunday is Mother's Day and
Saturday, May 13th is National Hummus Day! Let the festivities begin!

Cranberry Pecan Quinoa Salad Cups

So far this year I have been pretty good with the healthy eating thing.  I've been drinking
protein smoothies, eating lots of soup for lunch and even enjoying healthy desserts!
I'm down a few pounds, so it must be working - yay!

Quinoa Coconut Pancakes

Happy Monday friends!
How was your weekend?
Mine was great - thanks for asking :)
The weather was beautiful here in VA, so we did a lot of yard work.
I have a blister from so much raking to prove it!

Sunday was a little more low key, so I decided to switch things up and I made
pancakes for breakfast.
I haven't made them foreverrrrrrrrrrr!

Good-for-You Granola

Granola is good stuff.
It makes yogurt more exciting, but it's also nice healthy snack on it's own.
I usually make granola once or twice a month because you know how I love anything
oats and homemade granola tastes so much better than store-bought.

I like making my own granola because I can control how sweet it is and I can add the
fruit and nuts that my family and I prefer.

This was the first time I had added quinoa to a granola recipe, but I loved the added
crunch and nutty flavor it gave to the granola.  I will definitely add it again!

This recipe came from The Skinnytaste Cookbook.  Gina has some fantastic recipes

California Quinoa Salad {Whole Foods Copycat}

It's a good thing that the closest Whole Foods store is an hour away from our house or we would be broke!
Seriously.
My husband and I can go nuts in there!
Organic juices, the best whole wheat blueberry muffins ever, fancy scmancy granola, and a deli to die for, just to name a few.
We can spend hours in there :)

Whenever we do make the trip to Charlottesville, we always make sure to arrive in time for lunch or dinner so that we can dine from the hot bar and salad bar.  I love trying all of the different items on the salad bar and then trying to re-create them at home.  California quinoa salad was one recipe I new I had to make at home - I loved it.  So light, refreshing and healthy too.
I actually lucked out on this salad.  She Knows Food and Recipes already had a copycat recipe, so I started there.

This salad is perfect for summer and I love the colors!
Lunch this week is complete!

California Quinoa Salad {Whole Foods Copycat}

1 cup uncooked quinoa (about 1/4 of this was red quinoa)
1 1/2 C shelled edamame (thawed if frozen)
1 mango, peeled and diced (I used frozen mango)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 green bell pepper, diced small
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 C sliced almonds
1/2 C golden raisins
3 T C fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium pot. Add 2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.  Set aside to cool.

Place cooled quinoa into a large mixing bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients, tossing to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Almond Baked Oatmeal

I'm back!
Sorry that I was MIA for a little while, but March was super busy and fun too!
We went to Disney World on Spring Break and a week and a half later I tagged along on my husband's business conference to New Orleans. Both were a blast! I'll share more on those later.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed time with your family.
We always attend the sunrise service at our church, which is followed by a potluck breakfast in the church fellowship hall.  A couple hours later we go to my parents farm for a huge Easter lunch and egg hunt for the kids.

This year I made Raspberry and Almond Baked Oatmeal for the church potluck.
You know how I love my oats :)

This recipe makes a large 9 x 13 pan, but I decided to make it in two smaller dishes.
I took one to church and left one at the house for me :)
Now I have breakfast for the rest of the week!

Raspberry and Almond Baked Oatmeal

1 3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 cups milk (I used Almond milk)

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

2 T melted coconut oil or butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ripe bananas, sliced (enough to cover the bottom of your pan)

2 cup raspberries (I used frozen and did not thaw before using)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch bake dish (I used two smaller dishes).

In a large bowl, combine oats, quinoa, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, honey, coconut oil and vanilla.

Place sliced bananas in the bottom of your bake dish.  Top with half of the raspberries and half of the almonds.

Cover with the oat mixture.  Pour the wet ingredients evenly over the oats.  Top with remaining raspberries and almonds.  Bake for 30 minutes or until set.

Serve plain or with a drizzle of almond milk.

Note - If you do not have quinoa or wish to use it, then just replace it with 1/4 cup additional oats.

I like the nutty flavor the quinoa provides.

Recipe from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen.

Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

I have made more vegetable soup this past fall/winter than I have made in my entire life.
Not kidding.
I have become a vegetable soup loving freak.
It's light, healthy and tastes fabulous on a cold day or night.

Most of the time I make this same version with mini whole wheat pasta shells, but I had leftover quinoa, so I decided to add that instead.  I'm not sure which I like more. 

I store leftovers in pint-size mason jars and then take the soup for lunch at work.
Just pop the mason jar in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and grab a spoon.
Delish!

Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, sliced
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 zucchini, diced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
spinach leaves, torn into bite size pieces
salt and pepper
olive oil

Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a large pot or dutch oven set on medium high heat.
Add onion and celery and carrots.  Saute until crisp tender; 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken or vegetable stock, 1 can of petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, corn and zucchini.  Throw in a bay leaf or two and then salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium-low for 10-20 minutes.  Add cooked quinoa and torn spinach leaves right before serving. Remove the bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. 

Click here for great tips on cooking quinoa.