Well, here we are, back to Monday again. I had a nice busy weekend, full of activity and also relaxation. Tony and I did a lot of things, such as seeing a friend's work in a photography show, having dinner and drinks at a gastropub in Whittier, having an early morning workout at the gym, and enjoying the hot Sunday afternoon by riding our bikes to Yogurtland for some refreshing frozen yogurt.
Can you believe it was 91 degrees in Long Beach yesterday!? It was so incredibly hot, the beaches were packed, and it's only the beginning of March. Such crazy weather we've been having lately; one minute it's freezing cold and windy, then the next thing you know, it feels like summer.
Luckily, Tony and I went to the gym early, before it got too hot. I must mention, this was my first time working out at a gym! In the past, I never had to worry about going to the gym, since I kept myself active by playing sports; specifically, tennis. However, now, with work and school, tennis hasn't quite worked out with my schedule, so I needed to find a new way to get my excercise in. Thanks to Tony's purchase from a Special Olympics silent auction fundraiser, we now have a 3-month membership to a local gym (Tony always goes to the gym though, but usually to another gym quite a distance away).
I have an appointment with a personal trainer tomorrow, to help me set up an exercise routine that will suit my needs. I hope I can figure out a way to get in my exercise without having to burn a ton of calories...I need to keep these pounds on (crazy, I know). However, even though I am always trying to gain weight, I DO value gaining weight healthily, so with this new exercise routine I will (hopefully) be maintaining, I'll share a healthy recipe that will get your Monday off to a great start.
This Cowboy Quinoa is great because it contains a variety of fresh, healthy vegetables, and quinoa, the most nutritious grain of all! It's a really bright, colorful dish that is packed with protein and other vitamins, so you can feel confident eating this for lunch without feeling guilty. Best of all, it doesn't "taste" healthy...the beans, corn, avocado, and lime juice give it quite a bit of flavor, and is hearty enough so that you're not still hungry afterward.
Ah, one more thing...I forgot to add the tomatoes before taking the picture. So just picture a reddish-colored veggie in there too. The original poster of this recipe also added diced red bellpepper to this quinoa. I would've used it if I had it, but I didn't so that's why I used tomatoes. I'm sure both vegetables would taste and look great in this dish! You can even throw in some chopped chicken if you want to add even more protein. Head over to Gaby's blog here for a much prettier photo of this dish.
Cowboy Quinoa
Recipe slightly adapted from What's Gaby Cooking
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup fresh or frozen roasted corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional)
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 avocado, cut into small pieces
Directions:
Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, combine the corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, and red bell pepper (if using) in a bowl. Toss to combine.
Add the cooked quinoa into the mixture, and add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Add chopped avocado right before serving.
Notes:
- Add cooked, chopped chicken for even more protein
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