Thai Quinoa

I had planned on posting a different recipe today however I made this recipe for Thai Quinoa and it was so good that I needed to share. I never got a chance to take a picture because it was gobbled up so fast-I hardly got a spoonful of it myself as it was such a hit with my guests but the spoonful I got was delicious. The combination of the jalapeno, basil and cilantro were wonderful. I did make one change. I didn't have any mango so I threw in a handful of craisins instead. I served it at room temperature. Next time I am doubling this one.


1 Cup dry quinoa
3 cups water
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
6 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves gently torn (discard stems)
1⁄3 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 small red onion)
1 handful Craisins
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
fine sea salt
1 tablespoon lime juice

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly either in a strainer or in a pot and drain. (Do not skip this step or a bitter-tasting, natural soap-like coating will remain.) Once the quinoa is drained, place it into a medium pot with the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 10–15 minutes or until the grains turn translucent and the outer layer pops off. In the meantime combine the minced jalapeño, basil, cilantro, red onion, and craisins in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the oil, soy sauce, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and lime juice. Stir to combine.
Add the drained quinoa and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Slightly Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese

Yesterday I discussed baby steps and how adjusting to healthier versions of what my kids are used to eating was a little complicated. Thursday night dinners are very predictable in our house- it is either Wacky Mac or homemade Mac and Cheese using white pasta and American Cheese(read: processed). Again, like yesterday, I decided to take some baby steps and keep my kids in their comfort zone. So I present Slightly Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese:

4 C. Uncooked Pasta(I used 2 C. White Pasta and 2 C. Whole Wheat this time)
2. Tbls Butter
2 Tbls. Flour
1 1/2 C. Milk
1 1/2 C. Cheddar Cheese

Cook the pasta (if using a mix of white and whole wheat cook it together making adjustments for the different cooking times between the 2 pastas). Drain. In the same pan melt the butter. Whisk in the flour making a roux being careful not to burn. Add the milk and cheese and whisk until smooth. Add the pasta and serve.

Don't judge a recipe by it's photo. I planned on taking another photo of this once it was in a bowl but the kids were so hungry and then before I knew it the entire pot was empty!

I was surprised at how light in color and in weight the whole wheat pasta was. I haven't had whole wheat pasta in years and I remember it being dark in color and very heavy. I think nobody would have noticed if I used all whole wheat pasta in this one. That is my plan for next time. I am also going to use whole wheat flour in the roux next time. Baby Steps.

Baby Steps

Generally speaking on Wednesday nights we eat hot dogs for dinner. It is one of the few meals that all the kids like and look forwards to. Granted some kids want their hot dogs boiled and one wants them grilled-still easier than making 3 different meals for 3 different kids. In thinking about what to serve for dinner tonight I decided that this is one dinner that we are going to need to ease out of or just make a little healthier-plus the only other option in the fridge was tofu and I thought that would be too big of a jump. So we had chicken hot dogs on whole wheat buns. They were served with edemame and whole wheat couscous. This was one meal that nobody complained about.