Yummy Summer Recipe: Quinoa Bowls

I love food. I love looking at recipes, cooking, and most of all, EATING good food. We try to eat pretty healthy around the Sharpe household, so I'm always on the hunt for delicious, yet healthy recipes. Thankfully none of us, including Mckenna, are picky, so it leaves a world of possibility. I like food that is easy, quick, and includes a variety of colors and textures, as well as being packed with healthy fats, protein, and carbs. Protein is a big one for us as I try to eat around 110g a day and Ronnie tries to eat around 180g a day.

In my daily scouring of Pinterest this morning, I stumbled upon quinoa bowl recipes (search sometime on Pinterest for "Quinoa Bowl Recipes". You'll drool. I promise). I found a million different, mouth-watering recipes for "quinoa bowls" - essentially quinoa, in a bowl, with a variety of different additional ingredient options.

This picture caught my eye (because, well, how couldn't it?!):

It linked to this recipe: 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 1/4 tsp chili powder (mild)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (spicy)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• Salt

OPTIONAL TOPPING INGREDIENTS

• Grated cheddar or jack cheese
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Pico de gallo or salsa
• Diced seeded tomatoes

• Hot sauce or sriracha
• Sliced avocado
• Guacamole
• Corn

I didn't have many of those things in my fridge, and didn't want to use some of them, so I did what any good fridge-scavenger would do...I dug through my leftovers and made it up as I went along...I'm pretty technical like that when it comes to cooking ;-)

In my bowl I included:

2 oz Cooked Quinoa

1/8 c Diced Avocado

1/3 c "Santa Fe" mix (a frozen bag of black beans, corn, peppers and onions)

4 oz Shredded Chicken

1/8 c Shredded Mexican Cheese

1 tbsp Organic Salsa

Grams from Fat: 13; Protein: 32; Carbohydrate: 27

Total Calories: 363

I mixed together the quinoa, Santa Fe mix, Chicken, and cheese, and microwaved it until it was hot. Then stirred in the salsa and avocado.

I thought it would be good. But it far exceeded my expectations. Ronnie didn't want any when I told him what I was making, as he had other leftovers in mind, but I could tell he had MAJOR lunch envy when he looked at what Mckenna and I got to eat for lunch. I could eat it for one meal a day, at least for a few weeks, before getting sick of it. Mckenna devoured her whole bowl (at least what wasn't on the floor - warning if you make it for a toddler: it was probably the messiest meal she's had in a long time). 

We don't very often share recipes here, but I will try to get better...as it's always nice to make a recipe that someone else has already been the guinea pig for!! 

Have you had a yummy quinoa bowl at home or at a restaurant? If so, hook a sister up with some recipe ideas by posting it in the comment section!