quinoa

Another {What I Ate Wednesday}

by Brittany on April 4, 2012 · 28 comments

So yesterday went a little something like this…

Woke up hungry. Rejoiced that I didn’t have to dirty a bowl to make oatmeal.

chobani jam and oatmeal cup

Dirtied a bowl anyways. Smile

chobani and oatmeal cup

Plain 2% Chobani with strawberry jam mixed in + 1 oatmeal cup.

Then I proceeded to get my behind handed to me, yet again, by Tina. 45 minutes of a full body circuit later in my home gym (…ok, bonus room), I was sweaty… and hungry.

full body circuit workout

After a quick shower and a glance at the clock to see how many minutes of nap time remained, I threw together this:

quinoa kale beans goat cheese lunch

A grain (quinoa), a green (steamed kale) and a bean (cannellini). A new favorite. Plus herbed goat cheese, a tomato and pepper.

Right on cue, Hailey woke up. I looked out at the sunshine as I fed her and decided we needed to get out of the house.

20 minutes later I learned that Barnes and Noble doesn’t carry the Baby Led Weaning cookbook. Bummer. So instead, I set up my computer to get some work done, but quickly realized I couldn’t connect to wi-fi. I decided to take it as a sign to just eat my snack and enjoy the fresh air with my baby girl instead.

snack

Do you see what I see? She’s not very subtle.

baby led apple

We headed home and I decided that eating again sounded like a good idea. After all, I had to share my snack.

spinach egg cabbage salad

Spinach, greens, boiled egg (yolk shared with Hailey), purple cabbage (because it was in the fridge), feta and Newman’s Own Light Balsamic.

High five for extra veggies!

After enjoying an afternoon watching Koda chase fish, I came in to make dinner. Then, as they often do, plans changed. I went from preparing to make shrimp tostadas to beer sampling.

The Salty Caper Mooresville NC beer sampling

Someone overdid it with the samples…

passed out

Totally kidding. Despite her reaching, I don’t take baby led weaning that literally. I ended up going with Le Freak IPA from Green Flash Breweries. At 9.2%, I’m glad I just sipped on it!

The Salty Caper Mooresville NC breadsticks

We split an order of fried dough (ahem, breadsticks) from The Salty Caper with some friends. Then ordered their house pie, which was fabulous.

The Salty Caper Mooresville NC house pie

Pesto-ricotta base, mozzarella, fresh tomato and pine nuts. The pine nuts were key. I ate 2.5 slices… if you count giving the crust to Hailey on the third slice as eating only half of it. Winking smile

After dinner I came home and was assured by my twitter and facebook friends that my need for at least 8 hours a night of solid sleep was totally normal. Thank goodness I’m not alone. I was in bed asleep by 10. It was a good day.

How many hours of sleep do you require each night?

Shrimp Fried Quinoa

by Brittany on February 7, 2012 · 20 comments

Thank you, thank you for all your feedback on yesterday’s birth control after baby post. I read every single comment, clicked on a lot of links and feel prepared to fire a million questions at my doc today (he’s going to just love me- haha!). I’ll keep you updated on what I choose, because right now, I’m not sure what it will be. It seems like there are pros and cons to every option.

Moving on… do you have any idea how long it has been since I posted a recipe? Yeah, me neither, but today I have a good one to share!

shrimp fried quinoa close up

Well, it’s a good one if you love Japanese steakhouse fried rice. And really, who doesn’t?

Shrimp Fried Quinoa

shrimp fried quinoa- ingredients

  • 4-5 cups quinoa, cooked
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut in half
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 rounded Tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
  • 2/3 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 scallions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/3 cup Tamari (aged soy sauce)

The prep work takes a few minutes, but after that, it comes together quickly!

shrimp fried quinoa- prep

Get out a wok or a large nonstick pan. Add 1 Tbsp of oil and turn it to high heat. Beat you eggs well, and when the pan is hot, pour them in and start scrambling.

shrimp fried quinoa- egg scramble

Once they begin to firm up, add your shrimp.

shrimp fried quinoa- add shrimp

Stir until shrimp are cooked through. Add the other 1 Tbsp of oil, the garlic and ginger. Stir for 2 minutes, then add in the carrots, green onions and red pepper.

shrimp fried quinoa- add veggies

Stir and let is fry and sizzle for 2-3 minutes, then add in the quinoa, peas and tamari.

shrimp fried quinoa- add peas

See the steam? Yum. Stir it all up for another minute or two, then serve warm.

shrimp fried quinoa

It tasted just like shrimp friend rice from any Japanese restaurant, only with the benefit of extra protein and less oil. In fact, this dinner is packed full of protein between the quinoa, egg and shrimp. So forget the delivery and whip this up at home to satisfy your Japanese craving instead.

Do you like going to Japanese steakhouses?

I love them. I think they’re so much fun and the shrimp sauce they serve is delicious- I could drink it. But I know it can’t be healthy!

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