Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

Valentine's day treats! I still have a few little chocolates and candy hearts left, and I've been slowly enjoying them throughout the last two weeks. I've always enjoyed the conversation hearts, although I would certainly appreciate it if their were some humorous ones as well. Or some specific profession-related hearts. That'd be a good time. Either way, you all know I love all things holidays, and I've been soaking up all the pink and hearts I can get the last few weeks. 

Favorite Quote of the Week

"To be alive, to be able to see, to walk... it's all a miracle." -Arthur Rubinstein

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Do One Thing - A great post on just doing one little thing- taking one step forward. It's easy to feel stuck and frustrated, and this post sheds some great light on the next step to take.

Favorite Past Post

This week I'm whipping out a post from almost exactly a year ago: Plantains! I've been a huge fan on plantains for a number of years, but this was the first time I'd actually cooked them. If you haven't ever cooked them, check this post out and give it a shot. They are delicious and really easy to cook!

Favorite Search Term

• the decision you make today make the person you'll be tomorrow
• chemical causes of seasonal affective disorder
• identifying cognitive distortions
• barrier to ocd treatment
• cooked guinea pig (i really hope someone wasn't looking for a recipe with that search)

Now it's your turn!

What're some of your favorites from the week? Have you ever cooked plantains or tried guinea pig? What's your favorite Valentine's Day treat? 

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

As I was scanning through pinterest a few weeks ago, I stumbled on a recipe for Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup on Manifest Vegan. I'm not a huge fan of sweet potatoes or cauliflower, but the soup looked good, so I decided to give it try. I did make a few slight modifications on the Ingredients list, but you'll need to head over to Manifest Vegan to see the actual recipe!

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
3 sweet potatoes
1 sweet onion
1 can of Chickpeas (I added this for some extra protein)
Garlic powder
6.5 cups Water
Lots of pepper

The Cooking Process:

You'll definitely want to check out her original post, because her pictures are so much better then my own! For not really liking sweet potato or cauliflower soup, I actually really liked this one! It's warm and filling for a cold, winter day! I made a big batch and was able to freeze half of it for later! This soup was very easy and quick to make, which I enjoy! My only complaint was that it used a few dishes to cook, but really, that is such a small thing that this recipe is still WELL worth your time!

Now it's your turn!

Do you make a lot of soups in the winter? What are some of your favorite ways to add protein to your favorite dishes? 

Gingerbread Oatmeal

By now you should all know how much I love oatmeal, and I'm pretty sure my only creativity in life involves creating different variations of it! After making the gingerbread pancakes over Christmas, I knew I needed to make gingerbread oatmeal as well. It's still winter, so gingerbread oatmeal can still be consumed:)

Ingredients
Oatmeal
Milk/Water
Molasses
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Ginger
Nutmeg (optional)
Cloves

All the spices added to the bowl and molasses drizzled on top

All the spices mixed into the oatmeal

This oatmeal is REALLY delicious, and is a little more wintery then some of the other oatmeal that I've posted. Oh, have you checked all of them out? If not, here they are:

• Candy Cane Oatmeal
• Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
• Apple Cranberry Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter & Jelly (with chocolate) oatmeal
• Tropical Oatmeal

After a few breakfast recipe posts, I promise that next week I'll be back at you with a dinner recipe, just to mix it up a bit! 

Now it's your turn:

Are you a fan of gingerbread, or would you rather pass by it? What are you most creative about making in cooking? 

Gingerbread Pancakes

The day before Christmas I decided that breakfast needed to be tailored for the holiday. Enter Gingerbread Pancakes. Yes, I realize that the Christmas season is now over, but gingerbread flavor is delicious throughout the winter, so I thought I'd share.

Ingredients
3 cups bisquick
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup milk to moisten (can add a little over 1 c actually)
2-3 Tablespoons of oil
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
3 tsp cocoa powder (optional)

*each of these spices can be increased if you'd like a stronger flavor.

These were really easy to whip up and were a delicious and fun way to start the morning!  

Now it's your turn:

What's your favorite food or drink to start the morning with? Do you have any fun plans for the day?

Peppermint Cookies Recipe

A few weeks ago, I saw this recipe for Peppermint Cookies and just KNEW that I had to try them out. Heather has some fantastic recipes that are absolutely delicious, and the pictures she included looked great. You'll have to head over her site to get the actual recipe, but I thought I'd share a little snippet of my attempt at her recipe.

Ingredients
Butter
Sugar
All Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Almond Milk
Vanilla
Peppermint Extract
Crushed Peppermint Candies or Candy Canes

According to Heather, the dough was supposed to be crumbly and be fashioned into a log and refrigerated. I went over the recipe multiple times, but it was not crumbly, and didn't get solid while refrigerating it (I wish I knew what went wrong!) I clumped it into balls instead, so they aren't shaped nearly as well as Heather's turned out to be. I also ended up cooking it for almost double the length of time that she suggested, and I'm guessing that's because of the different consistency of the dough.

Despite it not turning out exactly like Heather's cookies did, they were still DELICIOUS and well worth the amount of time it took to make them.

Crushed up candy canes. I put them in a plastic bag and smashed them with a meat pounder. 

See? Not at all the consistency they were supposed to be...

But all turned out well because they were DELICIOUS! 

Ok, so they don't look nearly as appetizing as they did with the original recipe, so make sure to check it out. But trust me, these little guys are worth your time to make. I'm planning on making them again soon:)

Now it's your turn!

What's your favorite Christmas cookie to make? Feel free to share your link below! 

Candy Cane Oatmeal

Last weekend I wanted to make a Christmas sort of oatmeal. If you've been following this blog for long, you may know how much I love making all sorts of varieties of oatmeal, and especially love making them for the season! As I paced about my living room and kitchen trying to come up with what to do to my oatmeal, my eyes landed on a box of "Candy Cane Lane" tea. I immediately knew what I wanted to make: Candy Cane Oatmeal!

Ingredients
Water
Candy Cane Tea
Oats
Brown Sugar
Raisins
Cranberries
Almond Slices

I started out by bringing the water to a hard boil. I then pulled the pan off the stove and put 1 candy cane lane tea bag in the water. For a stronger tea flavor, put in more tea bags! I let the bag sit in the water for about 5 minutes, and then pulled the bag out of the water.

I then put in the appropriate amount of oats for the fluid I had, cooked, and added toppings. 

Voila! DELICIOUS and healthy oatmeal that is perfect for the Christmas Season!

I stopped myself before adding crushed up candy canes to the top of it, but I'm a little tempted to try it out next time! Of course you could make this with any type of tea, but the Candy Cane tea made it more Christmas-y! 

If you're looking for other "fun" types of oatmeal, here's a few others to check out:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Apple Cranberry Oatmeal

Peanut Butter & Jelly {with Chocolate} Oatmeal

Tropical Oatmeal

Now it's your turn:

What are some of your favorite extras to add to oatmeal? Have you ever tried Candy Cane flavored tea? 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

This week one of my favorite "little delights" has been Christmas Baking. It started last weekend with a delicious creation of "candy cane" oatmeal ("recipe" coming soon!) and Heather's Peppermint Cookies, both of which I could eat continuously for weeks! YUM! I love cooking while Christmas music is playing in the background. While cooking can, at times, increase my stress, when it comes to "fun" Christmas cooking, I can feel my stress melting away. 

Favorite Quote of the Week

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you choose to be a "small mind" and simply discuss people (gossip), or do you choose to have a great mind, and challenge yourself? That choice is YOURS!

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Don't Put It Off by Tina at Best Body Fitness. This is an absolutely fantastic post from the first to the last word, and is a quick read. I would highly encourage you to check it out... after finishing this post, of course ;)

Favorite Past Post

10 Ways To Develop A Positive Body Image - Sometimes during the holiday season it is difficult to feel good about ourselves and our bodies. Check out my tips to develop and maintain a healthy body image! 

Favorite Search Term

• Acorn Squash Roasted with Sausage & Apples
• daily garnish quinoa
• reducing stress during the holidays (part 1 and 2 of this series was posted this week!)
• ecuador colors
• who I am today

Now it's your turn!

What's your favorite thing to cook or eat during the Christmas season? What are some of your "favorites" from the week?

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

This week one of my favorite "little delights" has been hot chocolate. Due to lactose intolerance, I had to give it up for awhile. Last year I figured out how to make my own lactose free hot chocolate mix, and I am now happily back to drinking it once again! Sometimes I drink it plain, but this week I've done things to add a little extra "zing" to it, like putting a peppermint in it, or a raspberry tea bag! It definitely adds a little happiness to my afternoons!

Favorite Quote of the Week

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.  ~Henry Ford

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Put Away the Turkey; Bring Out The Candy Canes! Heather at With A Side of Sneakers posted a mouthwatering recipe for cookies on her blog a few days ago, and I immediately "starred" it in my google reader as a must try Christmas treat. While you're on her page, make sure to check out her "tiny sneakers" link to read about her pregnancy!

Favorite Past Post

Choosing to Love After Loss - I did an entire series on Grieving back in April and May of 2011. Loving after loss (whether it's a death, a break up, or some other type of loss) can be difficult, terrifying, or seem "not worth it". Choosing to love again can be difficult, but is necessary and healthy. 

Favorite Search Term

• introduction thanksgiving
• let's break up (i wonder if the person who searched for this was disappointed when this post had to do with stress, and not leaving a relationship?)
• challenging cognitive distortions
• what to do if you have a bad monday (this post has some tips for dealing with a bad day)
• you may be healthy today and unhealthy tomorrow. Why. 

I hope you each have a great weekend! I know things get hectic during the Christmas season, so make sure to take some time to engage in self care and healthy behaviors. Get rid of the unnecessary stress and try to enjoy the activities! 

Now it's your turn:

What are you looking forward to this weekend? What's one of your "favorites" this week? 

Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt

Are you sick of pumpkin dishes that I've posted yet? I hope not, because I have a few good ones left for you! If you've missed any of the latest "recipes", here they are!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Pumpkin Coffee
Roasted Acorn Squash With Apples and Sausage

If you follow me on twitter or have read my blog for a few months, you know how much I love Greek Yogurt! In fact, on an almost daily basis I get a few random searches from google for a post on greek yogurt! I love it, and eat it every day. SO, as soon as I bought my first can of pumpkin a few weeks ago, I KNEW I had to make some "pumpkin pie" greek yogurt!

Ingredients

• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg (if desired)
• Greek Yogurt
• Pumpkin
• Granola (or other toppings you desire)

All the ingredients in the bowl. Looks healthy, doesn't it? 

Mixed together. Good thing that healthy can be delicious too!

The granola makes it much less "pumpkin pie" like, but it was still good! This held me for a good amount of time, as Greek Yogurt has a good amount of protein in it! Mix in some fruit and some healthy spices, and bam! Perfect breakfast or snack! 

I've whipped up a larger "batch" of this on Sunday night and put in individual containers to eat throughout the week at work. It's delicious!

Now it's your turn!

How do you tailor your breakfasts or snacks to fit the season (or do you think it's crazy to do so? :D)? 

Friday Favorites

Happy 11/11/11! What a fun date:) I'd also like to say Happy Veteran's Day. To all the people who serve our country (and their families and loved ones)- thank you so much for your service and sacrifice. It's not easy to have someone close to you in the military, and it's definitely a big sacrifice for all involved. I don't think we can say it often enough- Thank you! You ARE appreciated!

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

Ah, so pretty, isn't it? After halloween I went out and bought a bunch of candy corn on sale for CHEAP. I love it. It's a "pleasure" in life. Notice I didn't say guilty pleasure, because there's nothing I should feel guilty about! it's a pleasure I look forward to in moderation every year, and I've certainly been enjoying a few pieces at work every day!

Favorite Quote of the Week

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are... Let me not
pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. One day I
shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in my pillow, or
stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than
all the world, your return.

-- Mary Jean Iron

Favorite Post By Someone Else

2011 New York City Marathon Recap by Ashley at "A Healthy, Happier Bear" - If you want any sort of motivation on a story of strength and endurance in fighting through a difficult situation, you need to check this post out! I'm so inspired by Ashley's story, and cheered along via her tweets throughout the marathon. This post is well worth your time!

Favorite Past Post

Telling Our Secrets - I wrote this past back in January using a quote from wicked. I think the message of this post is important to remember! Feel free to share "your secret" there too!

Favorite Search Terms

• lowered blood pressure, gratitude
• sense of humor + wellness
• does acorn squash smell when you cut into it? (haha! I don't really answer the question in the post, but the post has a DELICIOUS recipe that I highly recommend!)
• sacrifice in wellness (doesn't health almost always involve sacrifice?)
• lobster tail meal

Now it's your turn:

What're some of your "favorites" this week? Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Are you close to someone who has served (or is currently serving) in the military?

Squash & Bean Pita Sandwich

The last few weekends I've been posting fall related and recipes, and decided to continue the trend today. Last week I wasn't feeling well, and needed to throw together a healthy dinner quickly. I had a number of leftovers in my refrigerator, and threw them together on a piece of pita bread. What resulted was SO delicious that I've made it for 2 more meals since then, and knew I needed to share it with you all. Here it is:

Ingredients
Refried Beans
Squash (or sweet potato)
Red Pepper
Onion
Red Cayenne Pepper
Pita Bread
Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

Assembly
1. Heat stove to medium temperature. Put small amount of olive oil (or coconut oil) in frying pan and heat. Place pita bread in pan and cook until lightly brown, then flip and cook other side.
2. Heat the refried beans according to instructions on can and warm up the squash (or sweet potato).
3. Spread refried beans so they completely cover one side of the pita bread.
4. Spread squash (or sweet potato) on top of the pita bread and refried beans
5. Place red pepper and onion on top of other ingredients (can include whatever other fillings you desire).
6. Lightly sprinkle the cayenne pepper on top of the pita for an extra little zing to the meal (and a little extra health too!).
7. Fold pita in half and eat. Yum!

 Pretty much everything about this is healthy and delicious:)

 Looks delicious, doesn't it? 

Oh my! Despite not having much of an appetite, I devoured this and it satisfied my hunger for the rest of the night! Of course you can add whatever you'd like to the pita! This is just what I had available. I've since eaten this for 4 lunches in the last week, and it gets better every time!

Now it's your turn:
Do you often throw random foods together when you're rushed for dinner? What do you think of the entire Penn State situation?

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Oh how we love pumpkin season.  You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right?  Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin.... We anxiously anticipate it every year.  ~Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, October 2010

Are any of you sick of the fall recipes I've posted yet? No? Good- I'll keep posting away then:) Today I have a delicious little recipe for you: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal! I'm sure you all know that I'm a fan of oatmeal, and am always looking for fun ways to mix it up a bit. So, while I was grocery shopping and saw a can of pumpkin, I immediately knew what I needed to do! I grabbed a can and some pumpkin pie spice, and came home to get to work on my masterpiece. I don't really measure out specific amounts of each item, so you can make it according to taste!

Ingredients
Oats
Water (or milk)
Canned Pumpkin
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Vanilla
Dried Cranberries

*Cook Oatmeal according to directions. Portion out pumpkin, about half the amount of oats you used, and mix in to oats while heating over low. Mix in a dash of sugar and spices, to taste. I put in some vanilla, but this certainly isn't "typical pumpkin pie" so it's not needed. I decided to throw on some dried cranberries the second time I made it just for something different!

While oatmeal is typically a filling food, adding pumpkin into it added to how filling it was! This was a healthy breakfast that kept me full for hours. This could also be a great evening snack, if a smaller portion was made! YUM:) 

Now it's your turn:

Do you try to tailor the foods that you make to the season? What's your favorite way to spruce up your oatmeal? 

Pumpkin Coffee

I know I've mentioned this multiple times on this blog, but I really love almost all things fall. I try to make foods I currently am consuming into something that falls under the "fall" category, and my coffee is no exception. While I love Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, there's no way that I will be shelling out money for it on a daily basis. I decided to make a little variation of this at home.

Mix for the perfect pumpkin flavored coffee!

I put pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon into my coffee grounds and brewed as usual. The hint of fall that this mix produced was delightful, and the perfect start to any fall morning! I just bought some nutmeg, and I'm planning to try a bit in it at some point this week.

A variation: take a small spoonful of pumpkin from the can and stir in to hot coffee. This of course made it taste much stronger of coffee, but it mixed in easily and tasted great! I wouldn't choose to do this on a daily basis, but it added something fun and extra. 

Either way, pumpkin coffee is the perfect start to any beautiful fall morning:)

Here's a recap of my posts from the last week. Make sure to check them out if you missed any of them!

• Friday Favorites! - a recap of some of my favorite things this week!
• Roasted Acorn Squash With Apples & Sausage - I cannot encourage you enough to give this a try! 
• Help! Someone I Love Has OCD part 1**
• Help! Someone I Love Has OCD part 2**
• Medication for OCD

** While both these posts are tailored specifically towards supporting someone who struggles with OCD, these posts included many suggestions that are helpful for any mental illness or issue in life. Check it out, educate yourself, and brainstorm steps you can take to support those in your life who struggle with various forms of mental illness! 

Now it's your turn:

Do you have any fun ways to tailor coffee to the season or holiday? 

Roasted Acorn Squash With Apples and Sausage

While perusing blogs a few weeks ago, I stumbled on a recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash with Apples and Sausage on Melissa's Blog at Hungry, Healthy, Happy. While I'm not a huge squash fan, my mom had given me an extra acorn squash that I needed to use, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try the recipe out. I used a few ingredients because I used what I had at home, and didn't shop specifically for this recipe.

Ingredients
Acorn Squash (cut in half)
Butter
Brown Sugar
Chicken Apple Sausage (2, cut into pieces)
Large Red Apple (1, cut into pieces)
Sweet Onion (1, cut into pieces)
Water (used this in place of broth in frying pan with sausage, apple, and onion)
Olive Oil (to caramelize onion)
Oregano (used this to replace the thyme)
Sea Salt
Pepper

 2 halves of the acorn

 Butter, Brown Sugar, and Salt in the Squash

 Caramelized Onions, Apple, Sausage, Salt, Pepper, and Oregano slowly cooking

 Squash immediately out of the oven

Final Product! 

For someone who isn't a fan of squash, this was absolutely DELICIOUS! It took a lot of self-control to save on half for another meal. It held up well after it was reheated, and it was just as good the second day. Every bite I took tasted like I was eating a little piece of fall. 

A few notes about the recipe: Squash can be very difficult to cut through. I put the squash directly in the microwave for about 2 minutes to start. This helped with the ease of cutting it! I didn't have broth, but just threw in a bit of water into the frying pan and that did the trick, and tasted just fine to me. I didn't have thyme, so I just threw in a tiny bit of oregano. To check out the entire recipe, click here. Melissa has a number of fantastic recipes on her blog, so make sure to check it out!

Now it's your turn!
What's your favorite way to cook squash? What taste or smell reminds you completely of Fall, no matter what time of the year you experience it? 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week
Cooking! I can't believe I'm typing that, as I have *always* hated to cook. This has slowly changed, and this past week I've cooked a number of fall recipes that have not only been fun to make, but delicious to eat (and healthy as well!). Keep your eye out tomorrow for a delicious new fall recipe!

Favorite Quote of the Week
"Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Favorite Post By Someone Else
On The Day You Were Born... - Emily @Daily Garnish had a 55 hour labor this past week. What a strong woman! This is the first picture she shared of her precious baby. She's also shared her birth story on her blog. Check it out!

Favorite Past Post 
My Little Lifesaver - It's allergy season, and many of us will suffer. Maybe you don't feel like you have allergies, but notice that you're getting more sinus headaches lately? This IS FOR YOU! This has saved me from months of antibiotics, steroids, sinus infections, and headaches due to allergies. Check it out!

Favorite Search Terms

• proactive boundaries
• dear stress lets break up
• talking with your young child about body image (SO important to do, by the way!)
• how to have a sense of control
• greek yogurt in banana bread

Now it's your turn!

What's been one of your favorite "tiny delights" of the past week? Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Banana Bread

A few weeks back, I decided to try a recipe I had saved for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment! Emily at Daily Garnish posted a recipe back in June for Blueberry Greek Yogurt Banana Bread. Sounds delicious, right? It was so good that I decided to share it all with you!

Ingredients
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Brown Sugar
White Sugar
Bananas
Vanilla
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Bananas

Nasty looking mashed up bananas

All mixed up and ready to be cooked!

Fresh out of the oven! 

YUM!

This was absolutely delicious! I ate it for a number of breakfasts, and was also the perfect thing to bring to a brunch I had! I cooked the bread a few minutes too long the first time, so it was too burnt brown on top, but it didn't taste burnt at all. The prep time was minimal and it was easy to make, which is the way I like it. For the entire recipe, click here (Emily's pictures make it look much better then mine do too!). 

*I'd also like to mention that Emily has many fantastic recipes on her blog, and it'll be well worth your time to check them out. Remember the Mediterranean Quinoa Salad I posted a few weeks ago? It's from her blog as well! 

Now it's your turn:

What's your favorite thing to make for breakfast or brunch? 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week:
Greek Food. I love it and could eat it every meal and be OK with it. I was in Greece once for a month and felt so sad when I left and didn't have easy access to it anymore. This weekend I made a various of this souvlaki salad and every bite of it was delicious! I love the extra challenge and fun that various cultures provide in terms of food, and it's my goal to add as much variety of these foods and cultures into my life!

Favorite Quote of the Week:

“Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management.  Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.”   – Betsy Jacobson

Favorite Post by Someone Else:
Are You An Addict by Emily at Perfection Isn't Happy - This post is a great look into working out and exercise as a balance in life, and the process of it becoming an addiction. Working out is healthy, but being addicted to it is not. I loved some of the thoughts she had on the issue!

Favorite search terms:

• scared to try spinning (to whoever searched for this- don't be too scared! The classes are a lot of fun and you can go at your own pace!)
• spring will come (but not for a LONG time!)
• ways towards healthy body image
• Dear Stress
• family food counselor (hmmm- this could be a good title for a blog!)

Now it's your turn!

What are some of your "favorites" for the week? What are your thoughts on exercise addiction? What does balance mean to you?

Pork & Veggie Kabobs

While summer may be gone, it doesn't mean we have to lose some of our favorite summer foods! One of my favorite foods in the summer are kabobs on the grill! I modified a bit and made kabobs by cooking the meat & veggies in the frying pan. 

Ingredients

Black Pepper

White Wine Vinegar

Garlic Powder

Basil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Pork

Onion

Pepper (Yellow & Orange)

Coconut Oil (for the frying pan)

These are the spices I used to marinate the meat overnight. 

I put the meat in 2 bags. I frozen one bag for later.

This gives you an idea of the size pieces I cut

Beautiful Orange & Yellow Peppers

Peppers & Onions in the frying pan

The final product!

Delicious!

This held up very well in the refrigerator and made enough for a few days of left overs. I just got a broiler pan after I made this, so I plan to try broiling the meat next time. Either way, this is delicious!

Now it's your turn:

When you make Kabobs, what are your favorite foods to add? 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Over the last year or so I've grown increasingly interested in quinoa, especially after hearing how healthy it actually is! This year, Emily at the Daily Garnish posted a recipe for Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. I knew I had to try it! If you've read this blog for very long, you know how I love Greece and almost all things Mediterranean, so i thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try quinoa!

I switched the recipe up a bit so head over to her recipe for the original.

Here's what I used:

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2/3 of a cucumber
2/3 cup grape tomato
1/2 cup red pepper
1/3 cup sweet onion
Feta Cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 tablespoons lime juice
White Wine Vinegar
Sea Salt

I followed the directions on her post, so check out the recipe here.

This meal turned out fabulously, and I'm glad I made extras so I will have another few meals. This was incredibly easy and quick to prepare. I made the quinoa in my rice cooker, and it turned out great.

The pictures on the Daily Garnish look much better. It was dark outside and I was using my phone. Not very good lighting. 

The pictures might not be beautiful, but the taste is absolutely delicious

I could've eaten 3 bowls of this for dinner. I controlled myself though. 

Now it's your turn:

Have you ever tried quinoa before? Does the look or consistency freak you out at all? What's one new food you'd like to try in the next week or two?

Apple Cranberry Oatmeal

I LOVE oatmeal, but took a break from it over the summer, choosing to eat greek yogurt and granola instead. Now that it's fall, I've whipped out my oatmeal and am back to eating it once again. In the spirit of embracing fall, I decided to make a fall inspired bowl of oatmeal. Here's what I came up with:

Apple Cranberry Oatmeal


Oatmeal (1.5 servings)
Apples- cut into small pieces
Dried Cranberries
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Yummy Apples

Cranberries hidden underneath the apples and oatmeal!

I may have gone a little cinnamon happy, but it was delicious!

This bowl of oatmeal tasted exactly like fall, and hit the spot this morning! This is a healthy and delicious way to start the morning (or would serve as an excellent snack too)!

Now it's your turn:

What fall products are you loving right now?