Mango Quinoa Salad

Mango Quinoa Salad
Recipe from Our Best Bites (adapted from Biggest Loser)

2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled

1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth.  I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor.

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

I often add other bell peppers (orange, yellow, whatever I have) & I like to use avocado oil instead of EVOO because I prefer the flavor.  You can serve over grilled chicken or fish to make it more of a meal.

BodyWise Fitness

If this summer heat is making it difficult to exercise or you need something different for these next 6 weeks, come join my gym! (Sorry to those whose ears I have already talked off on this subject…)

BodyWise Fitness is in Foothill village and they do month to month contracts ($40 a month). Which is more expensive than the bigger warehouse gyms like Vasa, however I've felt that its worth it because of the quality of their classes and instructors. They have lots of different classes all day long and I have yet to find an instructor I didn't like. They charge $10 a class if you are not a member, so if you want to come check it out, come do a class with me! I am there every day except Sunday. I've never been into gyms,  and have absolutely loved this one. Close knit community, smaller and private, average member age is 40 and 90% women. A very uplifting and friendly place. Definitely a hidden gem. I don't work for them or get any perks if I recruit people, I just really like this place. 

Below is a link to the schedule of the classes on their website. They have descriptions of the classes but if you have any questions on what they are like, send me an email at j.evelynbrown@gmail.com.

My last plug is that Leslie Robbins is a member of this gym so yeah, its good. 

http://bodywiseslc.com/schedule/#Thu 

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is my favorite whole wheat pancake recipe as they are light and fluffy because you fold in the egg whites, where many wheat pancakes are so dense.  Prep does take a few more bowls, but definitely worth it.  And my kids LOVE them.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 egg whites
2 egg yolks

Directions:
Beat egg whites until stiff peak forms then set aside.  Mix whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt. In another small bowl, combine milk and egg yolks.  Gradually stir into the flour mixture until smooth. Gently fold in egg whites.

Yields:
6-8 pancakes

*they do take a little longer to cook than regular pancakes.

Simple Spinach Smoothie

Lets be honest, this is probably the only way I'm going to eat a huge serving of kale or spinach every day. Popeye would be so proud. I was surprised how much I loved this smoothie when I first made it. By the ingredients list it doesn't sound like its going to be that tasty but it sure is.


1 banana
2 pitted dates
large handful of frozen spinach
2/3 cup almond milk
1 heaping tsp of almond butter

Pricing (best deals I've found):

dates- $4.49 for 1 lb at Trader Joes or Costco is the same price $8.98 for 2 lbs
almond milk- Silk Unsweetened 3 64 oz containers for $7.59 at Costco
almond butter- Kirkland brand $8.99 for 27 oz at Costco 
spinach-more convenient to get the bags of pre-chopped, $1.99 for 1 lb at Trader Joes

Tortilla Chips

A question I am hearing a lot is, "Can I have tortilla chips?"
The Negative Food List includes:
Potato Chips, Cheetos, Fritos, Doritos, Cheezits, reg. crackers, etc.
Fried Food

That being said, I think it is ok to have some tortilla chips.  Most are corn and oil, trace of lime, etc.  We could get into the nitty-gritty about the quality of the oil, how it is refined, etc. but that isn't really necessary and not the focus of this challenge.  So are Fritos ok? They are technically just corn and oil.  If you feel ok about having them, then do so in moderation, knowing that they are not a health food.

Trader Joe's sells organic Corn Dippers (aka Fritos) that come in a smallish bag for $1.99.  From their website, "Trader Joe's Organic Corn Chip Dippers are simple. And by simple, we mean only three ingredients — organic corn, organic sunflower oil and salt."


In an effort to get some healthier tortilla chips (Doritos are still a negative!) and to do a bit of 'research,' I went to Traders and did a bit of shopping!  Other good options include:

 















 Trader Joes: $2.69
Ingredients: Organic stone ground yellow corn with a trace of lime, organic vegetable oil (canola and/or sunflower and/or safflower oil), sea salt.

Trader Joes: $2.99
Ingredients: Organic stone ground blue corn, organic sunflower oil, organic sprouted amaranth, organic sprouted quinoa, organic sprouted chia, sea salt, water, trace of lime.  

Looking for a cracker alternative? These are great.  I enjoyed a few with canned Wild Alaskan Salmon from Costco with homemade mayo today.
Trader Joes: $1.79
Ingredients: Organically grown whole wheat flour stone ground, clover honey, sesame oil, dairy butter, sesame seeds, yeast and salt. 

I also picked up these for sandwiches or to stuff with hummus and veggies for $1.99.  I'm going to store them in my freezer and take them out as I need them.
Ingredients: Stone ground whole wheat flour, water, sea salt, yeast, citric acid (for freshness.)

Hope this helps!  Don't hesitate to shoot me an email or text with questions!
Gentry

Serving Size

I found this information rather interesting and useful. I hope that it helps some with serving size and portions! The visual charts have really helped me understand the different portion sizes.  

What is a serving of vegetables?

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/what_is_a_serving_of_vegetables

Serving Size Comparison Chart 

http://www.healthyeating.org/Portals/0/Documents/Schools/Parent%20Ed/Portion_Sizes_Serving_Chart.pdf

http://nutritionandmedia.org/page16/page5/files/block_34/nick-jr-portions.pdf.jpg

Green Pineapple Smoothie

This is the smoothie Troy and I make every morning. It is the only reason I peel myself out of bed. That and I guess I have to go out and make money to buy stuff. But really the smoothie.

• 1/4 cup almond milk
• handful of frozen pineapple chunks (best deal is at Costco-$6.99 for 4 lbs)
• large handful of Kale (pre chopped bag for $1.99 at Trader Joe's)
• 1 banana
• 1 orange

It is so delicious and fruity, you don't taste the kale, just make sure to blend for awhile to make as smooth as possible. My sister in law makes this for her kids every morning and they love it.

*sometimes we replace the pineapple with frozen mango chunks ($10.99 for 4 lbs at Costco) or a frozen berry medley ($2.99 for 1 lb at Trader Joe's) when we want something different that day.