Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

Part of living in Southern California is the citrus trees, they are in abundant!! We have a lemon tree in our front yard and many of our neighbors have oranges and grapefruit trees as well. We went on a walk and there was a great big tree laden with fresh grapefruit, we asked the neighbor if we could pick a few and were told to help ourselves! They were beautiful and smelled and tasted even better! 

I am subscribed to a blog called skinnytaste.com and came across this lovely recipe... Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado  it looked so yummy and with the grapefruit we decided to try it! It is a simple recipe and we pretty much stuck to the original the only change is we added some strawberries to it. 

Ingredients

4 oz baby spinach

2 ruby red grapefruits, peeled and fruit separated, reserving 3 slices

1 haas avocados, diced

1 cup cooked quinoa (1/3 cup dry)

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar (we used whit vinegar)

2 tbsp chopped shallots (we used onion)

salt and pepper to taste

grapefruit juice from 3 reserved slices of grapefruit

Rinse quinoa well under cold water and cook according to package directions. Drain and let it cool. 

Peel the skin and white membrane off the grapefruit and separate the pieces.Reserve three grapefruit slices for the vinaigrette and squeeze the juice; set aside.Cut up the remaining grapefruit into small pieces for the salad.

In a medium bowl whisk the olive oil, grapefruit juice (from 3 slices of grapefruit), vinegar, chopped shallots, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl toss spinach, quinoa, avocado, grapefruit and vinaigrette.

 We divided the grapefruit and strawberries between the plates first then tossed each plate individually. 

Picture from skinnytaste I added so you could see how beautiful it is! 

Obviously my photography isn't as good as hers! 

It was very tasty and refreshing! The only change I would of have made would be to add  a little less grapefruit juice for the dressing because it made it a little too tart for my liking. 

Weekly Menu

Well as promised I am posting my menu for dinner's this week! It's still technically Monday!!!


Monday- Parmesan Crusted Tilapia  with sauteed vegetables and parmesan angle hair pasta for my family.


Tuesday- Pork Roast with corn tortillas and black bean salad


Wednesday- Chili con Carne


Thursday- Baked Rosemary Chicken with okra


Friday- Eggplant Lasagna (an experiment recipe...i'll feature this one next week)


Sat- Chicken and Broccoli 


Sun- I'm going to leave this open for leftovers! 

Workouts and Vegetables

Well I just finished my third custom made workout of the week! Boy are my legs going to be sore tomorrow!! I have started doing weight training three times a week with two or three days of cardo. So with working out and addition to eating right I have currently lost 6 lbs! It has been slower this time but I am confident in this process and it is the weight that comes off slowly that stays off. Between Daniel and Paisley I was almost at my goal weight, but then I got pregnant. I was doing the South Beach diet (and lost 12 lbs in the first two weeks) and working out, but once I got pregnant the diet died and we all know once a diet dies the weight creeps back on! Then after a couple months of being pregnant I had to stop working out because of contractions. So I ended up a big fat blob!! (BUT I have to say my cute little girl was worth it!!) Anyway I say all that to say this process is slower but it is an overhaul to my eating and thinking and will have a life long effect on my body. There are so many mindsets that I am having to break. It is hard because I really do love food, but I am trying to retrain my body to crave healthy food rather than fatty foods. I've heard it said that your taste buds change ever 7 years, now I don't know if that is true or not, but I can see where that has some merit. When you are 7 you love sugar and junk food! At 14 you love fast food and at 21 you are starting to experience the finer taste of life! At 28, for me anyway, you are finally starting to appreciate all those vegetables your mom made you gag down when you were 7. :)
  I am trying to instill these important principals (gaging down vegetables) in my children just like my mom did. I have successfully got them to say that they like squash, asparagus, peas and corn but that's it. My mom always applied the 'no thank you serving' while we were growing up and I have been using it with my kids. If we didn't want something she had cooked, most of the time it was the vegetables, we could have a 'no thank you serving' which was one spoonful or one small piece but we were required to have at least that. Those small spoonfuls exposed us to all sorts of different tastes and textures and after enough exposure to them we learned to like them, the hope for my children! 
 Monday I am going to feature a Spinach and Quinoa with Avocado and Grapefruit salad that I made...very good! Tomorrow is church and will be busy but I have already made my menu for next week so it will be posted on Monday! 

Weekly menu

So I think I am finally able to post a menu for the week YAH! First I'll fill you in on some the craziness that has been going on! Last Thursday and Friday we had band practice till 11:00 at night, we were trying to prepare for our concert on Saturday. Our band has only been together for a couple of months and we do concerts once a month here at home, this was our first out of town outreach. I sing and play the piano, Sarah (a girl in the church) sings and plays bass, Ryan (a guy in our church) plays guitar and my husband plays the drums, we have such a fun time!  Our band is still nameless but Saturday we were announced as "no joke'' because my husband was telling the other Pastor, "no joke, we still don't have a name..." I am hoping it doesn't stick! Saturday we took about 15 people with us to Pomona CA to help a neighboring pastor with outreach for his up coming revival and a concert that night. It was a ShamROCK 'N' ROll in honor of St. Patrick's day, I thought the name was very creative! It poured rain all day and everyone was such a troopers, they didn't even complain once! I heard comments like "weren't not made of sugar and won't melt", "a little rain won't kill us" at lunch break everyone was at a local laundry mat drying their clothes, talk about commitment! We got home around 11:30 p.m. then Sunday we had to be at church at 9:30 for Sunday School, morning service then evening service. Monday is my day to volunteer at Trevor's school so I'm there all morning till 11 then that evening was the men's discipleship class so we always have a women's fellowship at the church, we are working on church cookbooks (an idea I got from Kathy). Tuesday I was suppose to have a house guest arrive (so I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to clean the house), she was going to be here for three days, but unfortunately she had a death in the family and had to cancel last minute. But I also had three girls from church over, one is doing a YouTube channel of 'testimonies and talents' and she wanted my testimony. SO between taking care of three kids and life it's been a little busy! :) 


Monday- I made Chicken and Spinach Fettuccini Alfrado for the women's fellowship, I had the chicken with the spinach and some sauce without the noodles, I told Julie I was very proud of myself for packing my own dinner, these gatherings are 'healthy diet' suicide! 


Tuesday- I cooked Italian sausage with sauteed vegetables and spaghetti sauce. I ate that with a salad on the side, I served it over elbow noodles for my family and gave them the option of a salad with no takers! 


Wednesday- Chicken, boneless skinless, on the stove lightly seasoned with broccoli and rice for me familia.


Thursday- Shafaye's tangy chicken (out of our church cookbook!) with asparagus, I need to use up the second half of my bunch from the roasted asparagus last week. 


Friday- We are watching a video series every Friday at church for a couple of weeks so something simple...I have naan (Indian flat bread) so we are going to have personal pizzas, I'll have half (comes out to 350 cals) with a salad. 


Saturday- Bean soup (still trying to figure out a good recipe...if you have a healthy good one let me know!) 


Sunday- Beef roast in the crock pot, i'll put it in Saturday night on low because it takes 12 hrs! With fresh green beans and a baked potato. 

Craziness!

Sorry I wasn't able to post a menu for the week yesterday, it's been crazy!!! The insanity started last Thursday and isn't over yet, so once I'm able to sit down and think about making a menu I'll post one! :)

Beef Braciole

As promised I am going to feature our Beef Braciole dinner! Braciole is a simple but delicious Italian dish. My mom said she has had it a few times while on her way to a new lifestyle of eating (I won't call it diet because it is a life change!) and was very good!

The original recipe was from allrecipes.com but we changed it up, a lot. :) 

• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 cups of fresh spinach 
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning meat
• 2 thin slices top round beef for braciole 
• 1 (24 ounce) jar Prego® Veggie Smart Smooth & Simple Italian Sauce

1. On a medium high heat sauté the vegetables minus the spinach in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, once crisp tender add the spinach and cook down. 

2. In a separate bowl mix bread crumbs, cheese and egg to make a thick paste. Once vegetables are cooled add the egg mixture to the vegetables and mix well.

3. Salt and pepper both sides of your meat then spread the mixture onto one side. Roll up and seal with a metal skewer. 

4. In a pan heat the rest of the olive oil and brown the rolled meat on all sides. 

5. Put into crockpot, cover with spaghetti sauce and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. 

It was super delicious and we ate it with a spinach salad on the side. My kids even loved it! 

• 
  

Joshua Tree National Park

Living in Southern California we are close to Joshua Tree National Park. Having my parents here we were able to get in with their "Senior Pass" for free! It was a fun morning trip with some beautiful sights! 

A Joshua Tree

The desert has a stark beauty to it and the National park affords a good look at it! 

Food Cravings and Weekly Meal Plans

 Well I have officially lost 4 lbs! Yah! A small victory, but i'll take it. My ultimate goal is 35-40 lbs, this would put me in the 'normal' BMI range. We have been making good progress with our food, eating healthy and keeping at our calorie goal. But the food cravings that hit, usually in the afternoon are HARD to beat! I gave into it yesterday and my snacks equalled a whole meal, 350 calories, but I did exercise so I had a little leeway. All of the snacks were healthy (well mostly); some tuna, cashews, a cheese stick, and three doritos (the not so healthy part) these things add up fast! That is why I am very thankful for livestrong.com, it helps you get a picture of how much you are eating. 

 I have decided to put my weekly meal plan on my blog, I will do this every Monday. If you are wanting to eat healthy dinners i'll be sharing mine with you weekly, because our budget is tight, I guarantee they will be reasonable money wise. After I make the meals, I will feature one of them with my reviews also if I did change any of the recipe or if it should be changed. 


This week's meals are as follows:
 Monday- Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast and grilled vegetables, my family had rice with the meal. (We grilled the whole package and then used the leftovers for chicken salads at lunch)
Tuesday- Beef Braciole with green salad, my family had spaghetti and sauce with it. (This is the meal I will be featuring tomorrow, so I'll include the changed recipe and pictures!)
Wednesday- Grilled Hamburgers (lean ground beef, 4 oz uncooked) with green salad. I will be using a thin bun or if those are too expensive for your budget use no bun or whole wheat bread, also watch the condiments, they add up quick! 
Thursday-  Grilled pork chops and roasted asparagus also a starch of some kind for my family, probably a whole wheat bread slice and butter.
Friday-  Stuffed Zucchini Boats and Cheesy Brown Rice (if you want this recipe let me know and I'll post it)
Saturday- We will be out of town all day helping a sister church on outreach so we'll be eating out, I'll have to keep it healthy!
Sunday- Pan fried South Western Pork Chops with green beans and baked potato (because this is lunch I will be having the potato with them) 


I will always try and follow my meal plans for the week, but sometimes life just gets in the way! So meals may show up on the next week's menu. If you ever have any questions about a recipe or want nutrients facts ask and I'll figure them out for you. 

Robbery...wait I mean shopping!

Well we went grocery shopping today for some healthy food and let me tell you in Souther California it is highway robbery!! First of all we live in a small town and we have a total of two grocery stores, yes TWO! This is actually an improvement from a few months ago, the second one just opened. The first of the two requires us to rent our shopping cart, you deposit money then when you return it you get it back, although I am glad that we actually get it back it is a pain in the butt! We bought vegetables, spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese and the total came to 45 dollars! We then proceeded to the second store in town and spent 70 dollars on chicken, ground beef, a small package of steak, some more vegetables that weren't available at the first store, olive oil, quiona (a 12 oz box for $4.99, yikes!) plus a few small items. I am all for this eating healthy stuff but I am worried about how we are going to fund it! We have a very set and tight budget for our groceries plus household needs every week and I can't and won't break the bank. I think if I buy food that is healthy for only me I could swing it, but I want to include my family on this journey, (even if I have to drag my husband kicking and screaming!). I want to instill a good foundation for my children in every area of their lives and that includes food and eating habits. So I don't feel right feeding them junk while I eat good balanced meals. I am going to give this my best shot and I am going to make this my mission, but it might just be mission impossible! 

The Start of a Journey

Well today is day number 1 of my journey to a healthier MEg! My mom is here for a week and she has been doing so good with her weight loss journey (with Julie's help!) and it has helped me become motivated! I have been wanting to write a blog for a while and finally have a direction in which I want to go. I have decided to track my journey to a healthier me and also some of my life. I have been throwing the idea of a blog around for a while but wasn't sure what I wanted my forte to be...a food blog always sounded fun, but I they are over in abundant and I didn't want to eat all the food that I would make, plus the messes the kitchen would have to undergo make me shudder! A blog dedicated specifically for health related things was too narrow for me and I don't think my life is so interesting that people would want to read about the ins and outs of it. So with all these in mind I decided to forge onward with this blog which is dedicated to all and of the above and at the same time none of them! 
 I have joined livestrong.com and have made two friend request; Julie my sister-in-law and my mom. This is the program that my mom has been using since January 8th and has lost 15 lbs !! (yah mom!). Julie is studying in nutrition and has agreed to be my motivation and my health mentor. As a member of livestrong.com you track all your meals and fitness, basically being aware of what you eat and how much is a great key to weight loss and management. So like the old saying "How do you eat an elephant? One day at a time"  I feel this will be the same key in my journey or your own journey, take it one day at a time. Today I did good! Sunday is our busiest day of the week, my husband is a Pastor and so it is our work day. It is also the day that is hardest to stay on track with good eating habits, rushing in the morning to get out the door hardly provides an opportunity for good choices. Then Sunday afternoon has always been our 'out' day, so going to restaurants has been a down fall. Then we don't eat dinner until after church Sunday evenings, which by that point we are tired and I don't want to make a huge meal or we go out again for fellowship. Mom helped with breakfast and lunch was provided by a dear sister in the church, she made homemade chicken noodle soup for our family. Then we had leftover chili for dinner, low carbs and mostly protein. These little changes helped so much and I am taking notes on how to improve Sunday's in the future! Well it is late and I will be keeping you updated, I will try to write daily BUT no promises! :)