Tropical Fruit Quinoa

So I made the blackberry quinoa yesterday and a friend gave me the suggestion of making it with tropical fruit. I love pineapple and coconut so of course I was more than happy to try it out! It turned out really yummy. I used canned fruit though, I can't wait until spring comes and I can get fresh fruit easily. This one is a little higher calorie, but it has a ton a fruit in it and it's super filling.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup milk/soy milk/ coconut mil/ etc
1/4 cup water
1/4 quinoa (rinsed)
1/4 cup pineapple or 2 rings cut into chunks
1/4 cup mandarin oranges (I used a fruit cup)
2 tablespoons coconut

Directions:

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in berries and cinnamon.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 355  Carbs: 67  Fat: 8  Protein: 9  Fiber: 6  

Blackberry Quinoa

I have wanted to try to incorporate more quinoa in my diet. I was told about eating as a breakfast cereal so I thought I would experiment. This is what I came up with. It's nice and fruity, but it's also filling and satisfying. I also pit a little cinnamon on top and it reminded me of blackberry cobbler. So try it and let me know what you think about this recipe. 

INGREDIENTS

·         1/4 cup low fat milk/ soy milk/ almond milk etc.

·         1/4 cup water

·         1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

·         1 cup blackberries

·         1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         2 teaspoons honey or sweetener

DIRECTIONS

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in berries and cinnamon.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 237  Carbs: 45  Fat: 4  Protein: 10 Fiber: 11

3-2-1- cake

 Link to recipe

This is a wonderful idea, thanks Jennifer! I have to admit that cake is a major weakness for me, but now I can cake whenever I want! Plus the recipe makes 32 servings so when you have those super strong cravings it's there and ready in 1 minute. You can also put all kinds of toppings on top so it doesn't get boring, just make good choices. For my first try I mixed the angel's food and devil's food....and let me tell you it was sinfully good! The calories change depending on what kind of cake mix you choose but if you use MyFitnessPal to log calories they have several different flavors already calculated. 

Another variation: (I tried this tonight)

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1 tsp sugar/stevia/splenda/etc.

3 tbsp cake mixture 

Fat free ready whip to top

Mix the frozen strawberries and 1tsp sweetener, heat for 2 minutes. No need to add water because the strawberries make their own syrup, just mix in the cake mix and stir. Microwave for 1 minute and yum!

Nutritional Value:

Calories: 134  Carbs: 39g  Fat: 2g  Protein: 3g  Sugars: 14g  Fiber: 2g

Healthy Breakfast Pockets

This is the link to the original recipe that I changed a bit.

Yield: 16 Breakfast Pockets

Ingredients

Dough

·         1 pouch yeast

·         1/2 c warm water

·         3/4 c fat free evaporated milk

·         1/2 c vegetable oil

·         1/4 c sugar

·         1 egg

·         1 tsp salt

·         2 cup whole wheat flour

·         1 ½ all-purpose flour

Filling

·         1 lb sausage (I used the jenni-o Italian flavored ground turkey)

·         1 ¾ cup of liquid eggs (or 7 eggs)

·         1 cup chopped turkey ham

·         1 package weight watchers shredded cheese

·         1 bell pepper chopped

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/2 tsp pepper

·         1/2 tsp garlic salt

Instructions

Dough:

1.       In a bowl, dissolve yeast in the water.

2.       Add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.

3.       Add enough flour until it makes a soft dough but do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Filling:

4.       Cook the sausage and pepper over medium heat until browned. Drain. Add the eggs, turkey ham, and spices. Cook and stir until set. Sprinkle with cheese and keep warm.

Assembling the pockets:

5.       Preheat oven to 350°.

6.       Punch down the dough and cut into 16 equal pieces.

7.       Roll each piece into 7 in circle on a floured surface. Top with 1/3 c filling, fold, and pinch shut. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

To freeze:

8.       Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Once cooled, place in the freezer until frozen. Store in a ziploc bag in the freezer for 3-6 months. To reheat, place on a paper towel and microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 295 Carbs:25g Fat: 13 Protein: 19 Fiber: 2g