Orange Quinoa Salad

Quinoa pronounced "keen-waah" was one of the first new foods I tried when I started eating a clean whole foods diet. Now that I follow a gluten free diet it sits center stage as a go to grain and side for several meals a week. Most brand's require you to pre-rinse in cold water and drain your quinoa before cooking to rid it of its bitter taste. I use Nature's Earthly Choice  Organic Quinoa which I purchase at Costco and it requires no rinsing. This little seed was a staple to the ancient Incas and was called the "mother grain." 

Quinoa Facts:

• Has more protein than most grains
• A great alternative to rice or couscous and versatile in many dishes
• Compared to wheat, quinoa is higher in fat content and can provide valuable amounts of heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated fat oleic acid
• Quinoa contains small amounts of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

Nutrients in Quinoa,1/4 cup uncooked ( table source) 

         Nutrient           %Daily Value

manganese58.5%

tryptophan31.2%

magnesium29.6%

phosphorus28.1%

fiber20.7%

folate19.4%

copper18%

Calories (222)12%

Orange Quinoa Salad

1 cup of dry quinoa rinsed
2 cups of water
1 orange  juiced
1/2 tsp of orange zest
1/2 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of sliced almonds
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon


Bring  2 cups of water to boil in a sauce pan and add rinsed quinoa. Cook until water is absorbed and quinoa is soft. Add in remaining ingredients. Serve as a side dish or as a breakfast porridge. Enjoy!

Today's Workout Blip:

Today's workout from my Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan I did 40 minutes of an incline walking/sprinting treadmill workout. At one point I was at a 10.0 incline sprinting at 6.5 mph (phheww!) it was intense! I oscillated between 3.5 mph for 2 minutes at a certain incline and then would spend 1 minute sprinting at 6.5 mph at the same incline and increasing the incline every 3 minutes. I thought for sure that due to the 3.5 mph 2 minute interval my cardio burn would be wimpy, but I torched 422 calories in those 40 minutes. Interval training is fantastic for blasting calories during workouts and your body will continue to burn calories even after your workout has stopped. You can read more about interval cardio training here  at Bodybuilding.com.

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Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn