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Italian-Style Spinach & Tomato Quinoa

By Courtney 21 Comments

I am absolutely loving today’s eats. Not because I tried one new food…but two new foods!

The first one came at breakfast:

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Seeds!

Many of you have probably already tried and are already loving chia seeds, but I’m just finally jumping on the bandwagon. I love how they’re such a great source of Omega-3’s, since I really don’t get enough of those day-to-day.

Well, this morning, they earned a coveted spot in my yogurt bowl.

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A mixed a vanilla flavored Chobani with half of a sliced banana, and the rest of the strawberries I had on hand from making my low-fat chocolate strawberry trifle, along with about a teaspoon of chia seeds.

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They actually added a really nice texture to the yogurt, but once I added my other mix-ins (1/4 cup Kashi Go Lean Crisp) I couldn’t really tell they were in there.

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With some caramel macchiato coffee, of course. Winking smile

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Lunch

Today’s lunch was easy-peasy to put together, thanks to having the rest of my spaghetti squash leftovers.

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I simply topped my leftover SS with some marinara sauce, low-fat ricotta, and some broccoli that I steamed up last night…which obviously, if you look at it, was cooked a little too long. Hello, weird brown spots.

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Hey, it still tasted good! Smile

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Around 3:00, I munched on that amazing golden delicious apple you see above, along with a couple Livin’ Spoonful Crackers. (Or as Jay calls them, my “bird seed” crackers.)

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I had never tried the pizza flavor before, but I really like it!

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These snacks kept me fueled for my post-work workout.

I completed 20 minutes of HIIT, before heading to a BodyPump class. The instructor actually did the first half of the class with Release 61…goin’ wayyyy back! It wasn’t my favorite, but I will say that I was lovin’ me some Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” for the triceps track. Winking smile

Dinner

As soon as I got home, I immediately got to work on tonight’s dinner, which included new food #2:

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Quinoa!

Thank you so much to everyone who linked up their favorite quinoa recipes. There were so many that sounded amazing, it was so hard to choose! I definitely have them all bookmarked, but I ended up deciding to play off of Kelly’s Bacon, Spinach & Tomato recipe.

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I made a few changes to her original recipe, one of which was omitting the bacon. To be honest, I’m sure the taste of the bacon would have been amazing…I just didn’t feel like cooking it and getting all greasy. Winking smile

In place of the bacon, I decided to add some toasted pine nuts, along with a few other ingredients that made this dish a winner!

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It’s official…I’m hooked on quinoa! Open-mouthed smile

[print_this]

Italian-Style Spinach & Tomato Quinoa

(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 big handfuls fresh baby spinach
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tbsp Ken’s Lite Northern Italian w/ Basil & Romano dressing
  • Fat-free feta
  • Directions:

    Rinse quinoa and place in medium saucepan with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer, about 20 minutes.

    While quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large sauté pan. Add garlic and onion, cooking until onion is translucent. Add spinach, tomatoes, and pine nuts, and continue cooking 6-8 minutes or until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are soft and tender.

    Add sautéed vegetables to cooked quinoa, along with salt, basil, and dressing. Stir until combined. Top off with feta cheese. ENJOY! Smile

    [/print_this]

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    I’m already excited about leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Open-mouthed smile

    Gotta run…almost time for some Modern Family!!

    Question for the Evening:

    What’s the last new food that you tried? What did you think?

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    March 2, 2011 Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Workouts Tagged With: Bodypump, chia seeds, chobani, HIIT, Italian-Style Spinach & Tomato Quinoa, Kashi go lean crisp, livin spoonful crackers, quinoa recipe

    About Courtney

    I'm a working mom of two beautiful little boys, Lucas and Alex, and I began writing Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life in April 2010. I enjoy chronicling my love of food (healthy and indulgent!), baking, motherhood, fitness, fashion, and everything in between!

    « Give Me Your Quinoa (Recipes, That Is)
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    Comments

    1. Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:31 pm

      looks great! i love when i have yummy leftovers for lunch that i can't wait to eat!
      Reply
    2. Kelly says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:31 pm

      So glad you liked it! To avoid bacon grease, I typically buy turkey bacon and nuke it in the microwave, no grease required. I just tried Chia seeds too for the first time this week and have putting them in all my breakfasts. They don't really taste like anything to me but I love that they're easier to eat than flax seed.
      Reply
    3. kate@ahealthypassion says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:33 pm

      ooh that quinoa dish looks delicious I cant wait to try it!
      Reply
    4. Diane says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:42 pm

      My fiance's dad and sister made this awesome blueberry-lemon desert with coconut oil (new food) and coconut flour (another new food)....I was very impressed...I'm considering buying some coconut oil to use in day-to-day cooking...Have you tried it??
      Reply
    5. Alexa @ SimpleEats says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:42 pm

      Yummy that looks so good! Pine nuts- I would have never thought of that addition, but I bet they're fabulous in there.
      Reply
    6. Faith @ lovelyascharged says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:46 pm

      Isn't quinoa fabulous? Funny you posted about it, because even though it's not new-to-me, I haven't used it in a while, and I just decided to bust it out tonight in making tomorrow's lunch!
      Reply
    7. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:48 pm

      I love chia seeds AND quinoa!! One new food I tried lately was TVP - it was okay, but Im not a huge fan.
      Reply
    8. Karen says

      March 2, 2011 at 8:49 pm

      This looks amazing!! I have a box of quinoa in my pantry that I'm anxious to use. I already have one recipe using quinoa picked out...can't wait to try this one! The addition of the pine nuts sound delicious.
      Reply
    9. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

      March 2, 2011 at 9:50 pm

      Mmmm... That quinoa looks scrumptious!! I haven't tried a new food in awhile!
      Reply
    10. Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries says

      March 2, 2011 at 10:16 pm

      The last new food I tried was egg plant - and I really liked it!
      Reply
    11. Parita @ myinnershakti says

      March 2, 2011 at 11:24 pm

      I LOVE Modern Family - easily one of my favorite shows right now!!! And I honestly can't remember what the latest new food I tried was - maybe soy milk or sunflower seed butter!? Anyways, I definitely loved both as they are now regulars on my shopping list!
      Reply
    12. Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles says

      March 3, 2011 at 2:17 am

      I LOVE quinoa - have it all the time. It packs a great protein punch, so it's great for my mostly-vegetarian diet!
      Reply
    13. Heather (Where's the Beach) says

      March 3, 2011 at 8:44 am

      That quinoa is similar to a dish I made last night - Baked Italian-Style Quinoa, Kale, & Cannellini Beans. It was so good. I used red quinoa in mine.
      Reply
    14. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says

      March 3, 2011 at 9:35 am

      I looooove chias!! They're such a good addition to smoothies...plumps up the liquid like whoa!
      Reply
    15. Thetreadmilldiaries says

      March 3, 2011 at 10:58 am

      Thanks for the new quinoa recipe. Looks tasty!
      Reply
    16. alyssa - fashion fitness foodie says

      March 3, 2011 at 11:36 am

      I love leftovers for lunch! I don't understand how some people refuse to eat them! Not this girl :) I could never omit the bacon though - I'm a true fatty at heart. I missed modern family last night - hopefully my DVD caught it
      Reply
    17. Alex says

      April 14, 2011 at 8:35 pm

      Cooked this tonight for dinner and my husband LOVED IT! Definitely making this again!
      Reply
      • Courtney says

        April 14, 2011 at 10:49 pm

        Awesome!! :)
        Reply
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      October 28, 2013 at 7:34 pm

      You will also need to arrange a buy to let mortgage in principal before going along to a property auction. If you're a little hesitant with your savings, then it's probably not a good time to buy. You'd be surprised how the perfect vehicle on paper can turn out to be the wrong fit when you drive it.
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