First post of 2019! I’m excited to finally share with you a reader favorite slow cooker recipe of mine that I updated into an Instant Pot recipe. This Slow Cooker Lentil and Quinoa Chili has been one of the most popular and most cooked recipes from the blog, I love that everyone enjoys it so much! Now you can make it in the Instant Pot!

I’ve had my Instant Pot well over a year now and cook a lot of basics in it (chicken, pork, spaghetti squash, hard boiled eggs and now rice), but I don’t make enough full meals in my Instant Pot. I am going to change that this year, that is my goal – starting with this Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili recipe.

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If there is one thing I love, and really appreciate having in the fridge ready for me to eat, is a healthy whole grain salad. I got into whole grains about 10 years ago when I started following The South Beach Diet after having my daughter. There are so many whole grains out there, a lot of them in my pantry still waiting for me to try out. Whole grains make a great base for salads, especially in the summer, because they are so filling yet still light at the same time. They are great for grab-and-go lunches, which come in really handy when you are focusing on eating better or trying to lose weight.

Here are some of my favorites!! Hope you are inspired to try something new!

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I’m pretty obsessed with grilling all the veggies right now. I have been loving experimenting with different veggies on the grill from this cauliflower to this grilled broccoli I made a couple of summers ago.

A few years ago, I picked up a simple little grilling basket/wok at Target. Since then, I’ve been grilling vegetables in it like crazy. I normally stick to peppers and onions or some kind of squash medley, but this grilled cauliflower is definitely one of my favorites.

Before throwing it on the grill I added sliced Vidalia onion to it and seasoned it up with some dried oregano, salt, pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. During this time I made sure I was preheating my grill basket. Preheating your grill basket is like preheating your wok on your stove, it ensures your vegetables will get a good char and stay a bit more crisp. I just started doing this recently and love the results.

We loved how the grilled cauliflower turned out!

Honestly, we could have eaten just as is. It was delicious and a side dish that I will definitely be making again. But since I had some leftover quinoa in the refrigerator begging to be turned into a salad, I went that route. Using up some odds and ends in the fridge, this Greek Grilled Cauliflower and Vidalia Onion Quinoa Salad recipe was born.

It was light, fresh but still substantial enough to stand as a vegetarian meal (I enjoyed leftovers for lunch the next day!). We served it along some typical barbecue fare: grilled steaks, chicken sausages, corn, potatoes, a tomato and basil salad. It really worked well as part of our meal and would be a great addition to barbecue or picnic this summer.

Enjoy!

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I love the week that falls between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I am a reflective person so it brings me a lot of joy to look back at my year of personal experiences, my family, and my blog. I have to admit, having a blog makes it much easier to remember since it’s all documented and stamped with a date…makes me appreciate what this blog means to me even more, although due to the evolution of the (sometimes big, bad, scary) internet I find myself sharing more about food and less about personal & family over the years. It’s all good.

2016 was interesting. I turned 40. I went back to college. I embraced fitness and got strong (surprised myself). My oldest started middle school. We survived a scary hurricane. My daughter was a guest judge for a recipe contest at a produce conference. My baby turned 3 and became a little person, not really a baby anymore. I went out of my comfort zone and was a speaker at a dietician/healthy blogger conference (and loved it). I traveled to Vermont, Savannah and the Florida Panhandle. My friend Kristen came to visit me and we went to see Justin Bieber and Mickey Mouse. My family & I went to Disney – a lot. I withdrew from college. My husband & I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. I watched family members go through some health problems. We attended the most epic Indian wedding celebration. My daughter and I volunteered for the 2016 presidential campaign. I grew personally and professionally.

2016 was interesting, and good. As always, I’m ready and looking forward to a fresh start from starting a new year.

As for food…I shared a lot of recipes! I’m so grateful for all of you who visit me here, I wish you a very healthy and happy New Year.

Here are your favorites:

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Click here to pin these Vegetarian Enchilada Stuffed Peppers!

If you’ve been reading my blog a while, then you may remember when vegetarian meals were more of the norm here. There was a good couple of years that I cut a lot of meat out of my diet (sticking with mostly seafood and whole grains for protein). I have always enjoyed eating meatless meals but I’ve learned it’s not always easy to pull those off with the entire family. I still try, though not as often as I used to…and honestly, sometimes I end up eating most by myself (makes lunch during the week extra easy this way!).

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One of the keys to keeping my weight under control is to have grab and go options ready for me in my fridge. Right now, my family’s schedule is jam packed and I’m finding myself constantly in need of something quick, filling and healthy to grab for lunch or a snack. Quinoa salads (or grain salads in general) have always been a great option for me and this Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad has particularly been one of my favorites for years. You can pretty much always feel good about eating a protein rich salad like this when you are hungry and don’t want to sabotage all of your efforts at the gym (if you know what I mean!).

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For the most part, my family has been eating whole grain pasta for as long as I can remember (which translates since having kids, lol). I got hooked on whole grains right after my son was born when I was trying to lose baby weight while following South Beach Diet. South Beach really got me in a healthier frame of mind when it came to eating well, always making sure to include whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins into my daily diet. Eating this way eventually just became my lifestyle.

Lucky for my family, since I do most of the cooking, it’s their lifestyle too. 🙂

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Let’s kick of June with some delicious, HEALTHY, food shall we? Healthy quinoa salads are a total lifesaver for me in the summer. Just yesterday I found myself opening up my refrigerator looking for something quick to grab for lunch before we ran out the door. My kids are easy to feed in the summer, lots of quick sandwiches and quesadillas with fruit and baby carrots on the side…but that doesn’t do it for me. I need something a little more substantial and interesting if you know what I mean.

Of course, with summer come lots of barbecues and pool parties with family and friends. I don’t know about you but I’m always thrilled to see a couple of healthy options offered with the spread. Quinoa salads are a go-to dish always served at my family’s get-togethers (I can always count on my mom and sister to bring one or be happy about me bringing one).

I’ve compiled an incredible list of beautiful and flavor packed healthy quinoa salads from blogger friends for you to try – there’s something for everyone here!

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Another day another frittata muffin. These little baked egg muffins have become a little obsession of mine the last few months, especially since my kids like them (not to mention, they are a good protein packed healthy alternative to the same old after school snack). These Broccoli Cheese Frittata Muffins with Quinoa are light and just right – adding quinoa to the egg mixture adds some density and a little extra filling which I love.

I have made them a few different ways now, Maria’s Frittata Muffins with peas, parmesan and quinoa and Baked Italian Sausage and Mushroom Frittata Muffins – both so good! The combinations are endless and fun to come up with, especially since my daughter is constantly asking for them and giving me ideas!

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I haven’t been great at meal planning and prepping last couple of weeks and boy do I feel it. On the weeks that I take the time to look at our schedule, plan a few meals and then shop for them…well it’s obvious those weeks run more smoothly. What I really find helpful is when I can make a few recipes ahead of time, like this All Purpose Barbecue Shredded Chicken and use it for 2 meals (or 1 meal and a lot of lunches!) during the week. I love having a batch of that chicken on hand for meals just like this last minute throw together BBQ Chicken, Kale and Quinoa Bowl recipe. It’s like stir fry meets BBQ meets health food. Good stuff.

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