Recent Eats: Mexican Quinoa, One-Pan Dinners and Throw it in a Bowl

Hey there. Sorry I have been quiet this week. Things have been busy with the work I do outside of blogging while personal life and friendships have needed some extra attention at the same time.

One thing I have learned about juggling several job roles along with life in general is that everything ebbs and flows. These days I am able to roll with that a little better. It’s totally okay and normal to experience shifts in focus and I accept now that I can’t be 100% on top of the game on everything 100% of the time. That’s a recipe for crazy-making.

I’m going to do a quick catch up on food today and tomorrow I’ll share Friday favorites.

Let’s go in reverse order so a bowl of sweet potatoes isn’t the first thing you see again. 😉

I made stuffed peppers with my favorite Mexican Quinoa recipe and then topped it off with salsa, guacamole, cilantro and lime. I first posted this Mexican Quinoa back in 2010 and have been making variations of it ever since. In the recipe you see above, I added a can of diced tomatoes and decreased the cooking liquid by a half cup to accommodate for the liquid in the tomatoes.

Here’s my take on that One-Pan Greek Chicken and Rice recipe that I shared in my meal planning post. I skipped the marinade (didn’t have time) and used my own seasonings instead and used a sprouted rice and quinoa blend in place of white rice. Also, I used a chicken breast instead of thighs because that’s what I had. I’m really good at putting my own spin on things (haha) and don’t judge me because my photo isn’t as pretty as hers. If only I ate during daylight hours. Maybe one day.

All plated up with roasted brussels sprouts tossed with sliced almonds, lemon juice and dijon.

Leftover Mexican quinoa repurposed into a bowl of deliciousness. I shredded baby spinach and kale and tossed it in lime juice, olive oil and sea salt and then topped it with the quinoa mix and leftover shredded salsa chicken from the depths of the freezer. Finished off with guac, cilantro and limes.

Transitioning to lunch, one of my dearest friends sent me a last minute text on Monday asking if I had lunch plans. I had a feeling something was up so I dropped everything, threw on some jeans (getting crazy on a Monday for me) and met her and Dean & Deluca. We ordered matching lunches of salmon salads along with a glass of rose to toast fresh starts.

Clearly I’ve been all about meals in bowls this week. Here’s a lunch of the leftover quinoa/rice mix from the Greek chicken dinner over spinach with turkey, avocado and hummus.

Light lunch at Whole Foods. Salad with spinach, beets, artichokes, almonds, dried cranberries, oil and balsamic and the most amazing freshly fried plantains over coconut rice on the side.

It’s been COLD in Charlotte this week in the mornings. It was 34 degrees yesterday! I’ve been craving warm breakfast bowls so I’ve been sticking with the sweet potatoes. This bowl is topped with full fat coconut cream (YUM!) and cashew butter (DOUBLE YUM!).

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have to take my breakfast on the go and eat it while sitting in traffic which is not ideal but I do try to make sure the car is stopped when taking bites. I wanted to share this bowl because I mixed regular and white Japanese sweet potatoes and it was so good!

I’ll do another “after the Whole30” post in the next week or so and share where I’ve landed with food a little over two months later. It feels like a good spot! 🙂

Have a great evening and I’ll see y’all tomorrow! xx

Any favorite quinoa recipes to share? 

What’s been on the breakfast rotation since the arrival of spring?