What for Lunch Wednesday - Mexican Quinoa Salad

What's for lunch Wednesday is less about sharing new recipes, and more about keepin' it real. This is what I REALLY had for lunch today! Sometimes I slip and eat junk. Sometimes it's gourmet. This series is to not only inspire quick lunchtime ideas, but to show that we are not all perfect in eating the right thing at every single meal.

 Today's lunch is Monday's lunch leftovers. Don't you just love leftovers that still taste good a couple days later?! Less cooking, more time for other things (like a hectic trip to the library for storytime this morning).

I'll go ahead and share the recipe here now and then give it a post of it's own next time I make it, complete with more pictures.

Mexican Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Avocado Oil (or Coconut Oil)

1 cup Cooked Quinoa

1 cup Organic Corn

1 cup Organic Black Beans

1 Bell Pepper, Diced

1 small handful Cilantro, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Optional

Shredded Cheese
Romaine or Spinach

Diced Tomato

Diced Avocado

Heat up the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add quinoa, corn, beans, and bell pepper.

Add spices to taste and stir. I am particularly partial to cumin, so I added about a tablespoon, but i'm sure that is too much for some people. I do maybe 1 tsp of the other spices, but only a pinch of the red pepper flakes.
Throw in cilantro and stir.
You are mostly just heating up the ingredients, so this whole process should only take maybe 5 minutes. (I cook my quinoa in large batches and keep in the fridge to use throughout the week.)
Add desired toppings. Today I only went for shredded cheese, but on Monday I had it over a bed of romaine and added cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and organic blue corn tortilla chips.

The beans give you some great protein to keep you satiated, as does the quinoa. Quinoa also contains magnesium, calcium, and an array of other nutrients as it is a complete protein. This meal will keep you full until dinnertime for sure!

Yum! Can you tell I've had a crazy morning? A quick lunch of high-protein leftovers was just what I needed! (As I typed that my toddler fell down our small stairs. Aye, aye, aye. Here I go!)

Long time coming

     This post has been in the works, in my mind, for quite a while now. The reality is, I haven't posted on this blog for exactly one year now, and I had been trying to figure out why. Why haven't I updated when I so enjoyed this blog? I still cook for my family daily. I am blessed to have an amazing kitchen and the ability to buy the food ingredients I prefer to use. Sure, I'm busy with my two toddlers and various household projects and housecleaning and church service, etc. . . But when I am still making food for my family each day, when we still sit at the table for every meal, when I still spend an hour or more on the computer each day just checking Facebook. . . I have every opportunity to update.

     Anyway, I know the answers to these questions and have for a while, and I am here to report.

     We eat different.

     When I started this blog, we were the typical American family eaten typical American food. And that is ok. It is what most of us know, what we grew up with, and what we feel comfortable preparing. THAT IS OK. But for my family, we are different now. I made a lot of healthier changes in the past year, and it's been difficult to share recipes when I am still in the process of leaning more about nutrition and the proper way to prepare items.  I am still finding my groove in what meals work for my family and which don't. It has been an amazing ride though, and I hope to be able to share with you all as I continue. So far i'm down 20 lbs, lost weight that had been stuck since middle school (yes, you read that right), and my family is healthier than ever. Neither of my children have needed to see a doctor in over a year, and the intestinal issues my daughter had for almost a year vanished over 10 months ago after switching some items in our diet. It's been incredible and i'm excited to try and start sharing some of it.

     Excuse the dust and infrequency as I try to get back into the swing of things. This blog is still mainly my outlet for recording recipes I like or seriously love. I don't intend it to go viral or have thousands of followers. I just want a place to record and remember and maybe help someone else find something they love as well.

    So hello again!