Tomato Pesto Quinoa

Quinoa is a regular in our house. I buy large bags at Costco so we always have some on hand. We have made it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are always finding new ways to flavor up this whole grain. We had just harvested a bunch of fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. I wanted to make some pesto but we didn't want pasta AGAIN. So I decided to wing it with quinoa. I started the quinoa on the stove and whipped up my pesto while my daughter cut up tomatoes. Everything came together in a snap and everyone enjoyed this dish!

Pesto Recipe adapted from Color me Vegan

2 Cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (2 handfuls)

1/3 cup pinenuts

3 cloves garlic (peeled)

3 to 4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions

Combine basil, pinenuts and garlic in a food processor and blend until all ingredients are finely chopped. You may have to scrap the sides to be sure everything gets blended. Add oil a little at a time and process until smooth. (You don't have to use a lot of oil). Mix in the lemon juice and salt. 

The Quinoa is prepared according to the package and normally takes about 15-20 minutes.

When your quinoa has finished add a couple spoonfuls of pesto at a time and blend together. Continue adding pesto until coated. (You may have to sample a spoonful to be sure you have enough pesto! Yummy!!) Toss in your tomatoes, give it a couple spins and serve!! Great for a fast dinner or lunch. Serve warm or take leftovers cold. This dish is BOMB!!

Beetlicious!

We are in love with Beets this summer! We planted some in our garden this year. I have never eaten a beet before. Dr Oz said they are great for you and you can use the tops too. I figured why not. I really had no clue about canning beets so I did a couple of web searches and made up my own little recipe. So here it goes!
You'll need:
Onions
Beets
Sweet Potatoes
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Rosemary

Turn on the oven to 350 to preheat. I take a cast iron skillet and drizzle a little olive oil and preheat on stove. I throw the onions and sweet potatoes in to get them started. Give em a few minutes and then toss in the beets. I'll season them a little and continue to cook on the stove until everything is nice and hot!

The oven should be ready to go so I will sprinkle a little rosemary over the top and place in the oven to cook for about 30-45 minutes.

This dish has a great texture that the kids love and beautiful color! We have had this with and without the sweet potatoes. It's great either way. Sometimes the kids don't like the rosemary so I have chopped it smaller so they don't get the large pieces. Seems to work! The night I took pictures we served this with stuffed grape leaves from Costco. We ate them but Jeff was the only one who really liked them! ;)

I made as much as my cast iron skillet could hold. These are a family favorite so there are rarely leftovers however they are great cold the next day! Enjoy

Forks Over Knives

We have spent a lot of time and energy reading, watching, learning, discovering and experimenting with food. We share a love for food. Food confronts us three times a day, 21 times a week and 90 times a month. Keeping it fresh and exciting can sometimes be a challenge. As a family we eat together almost every single meal. Creating health and education on our plates is all part of our journey.
We were leading a vegetarian lifestyle before I became pregnant with our sixth child. My morning sickness, and food aversions were intense. I craved red meat and began adding meat back into our repertoire. I monitored my blood sugars and increased my protein until she was born.
Eating meat had become a gateway to compromise. Processed foods had made there way back into our kitchen. We knew better options but chose convenience over health. It began to show. Weight gain, fatigue, bloating, mood swings, cravings and lack of energy. The kids had runny noses, changes in behavior, moodiness and had each gotten sick at one point. We hadn't had illness in our house for a long time and knew that the food choices we were making had to change.
Jeff had read the book "The China Study". He shared the information and grabbed the documentary "Forks over Knives" that featured the book. The movie is a reminder of how precious our food choices become to our health. This was the wake up call we had wanted.

We have made the transition to a plant-based diet with no animal protein. It is like veganism with a greater focus on eating plants and avoiding processed foods. I grabbed a cool cookbook called "Color Me Vegan". The kids LOVE this cookbook! Everything is organized by color. You can imagine the rainbow of food we are serving now. The internet has been super helpful in finding new recipes and ideas. There are a lot of new dishes and flavors that we have served. Some we love and some need love!

 I'll post recipes and pictures and give you the honest reviews from the family.
This has been a welcome change to our home. We have all seen changes in our energy, our skin, our moods, our bodies and our cravings. Hoping for continued health and happiness through our food journey.

Book "The Omnivores Dilemma"
Movie "Food Matters"
Movie "Food Inc"
Movie "Fresh"

Super Size My Salad Please

A super dinner full of color and all natural! Three different lettuces, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms and sugar snap peas. A few berries for a touch of sweetness and color. Throw on a few nuts to add healthy fats and increase your vitamin absorption 10 times! Be sure and grab the biggest plate you can find. ENJOY!!