A Fit Mommy Breakfast - Step by Step - Shakeology

Several people have asked me about Shakeology recently.  "When do you have it?  Is it a meal?  What does it taste like?  Will it keep me full for awhile or will I be hungry soon after having it?  Will it help with my cravings?  Will it help my digestion?  Will it help me to lose weight?"

I'll spare you the novel and simply say that for me, Shakeology is an integral start to my day.  When I'm not on top of my nutrition and I choose other breakfast options, let me tell you, my digestion gets "stuck", I get bloated and I crave chocolate.  Generally if I choose a different breakfast, it's something from Starbucks when I'm on the run or some other gluten, sugary food that I should be avoiding.  If that goes on for a few days in a row, I gain weight, eat an earlier lunch due to the empty calories, crave even more sugar, and so on.  Therefore, for me, it's a great breakfast option.

Mornings are crazy in my house.  I have to get three kids ready for school, do their hair, help them get dressed, make their lunches, get their backpacks ready and get them out the door on time.  Most days we don't catch the bus, so I drive them to school.  Having a shake is my best option because it's easy to make in a pinch and take in the car with me.

Here's a little step by step pictorial of how I make my morning Shakeology.

First things first - my Probiotic

Fish oil & Vitamins (I usually use New Chapter but ran out)

Start with crushed ice and water

Then some unsweetened vanilla almond milk

A scoop of Chocolate Shakeology

2T powdered peanut butter (PB2) - or sometimes 1T natural peanut butter

Throw it all into the Vitamix

Blend!

Yes, I had it in a Guinness glass today.  Don't judge.

40 Minutes of Awesome!

I had one of those days today.  Nothing awful happened, the girls were decent, I did pretty much everything I had to do today.  However, I felt lazy.  I procrastinated ALL day when I thought about working out.  I made excuses, found other things to do, and thought about bagging it...several times.  Have you been there?

Reluctantly, I went into the basement and made a mental checklist of my entire home workout library.  P90X, Insanity, Insanity: The Asylum, TurboFire, ChaLEAN Extreme, Les Mills PUMP, Les Mills COMBAT, Brazil Butt Lift - lots of choices.  I went right to my favorite workout - TurboFire: Fire 30 and Stretch 10.  I love the music, the moves, the HIITs and the stretch.  It's a whole body, high intense cardio workout.  The stretch helped with a lot of my soreness from yesterday's upper body weighted workout.  I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but after 30 intense minutes, I was spent!  But, I felt AMAZING.  My mood lifted, my energy increased and my body felt less stiff and sore than it did before I worked out.  Why did I hem & haw all day when I knew I'd feel like this after?

I know you have heard this before.  We all have.  When you don't feel like working out...when the excuses are free flowing...stop and remember how GOOD you feel after an intense workout.  It doesn't have to take 2 hours - or even an hour.  If you give it all that you can, you will NEVER regret a great workout.  Who ever said "Gee, I really wish I hadn't worked out today".  Right.  No one.

Exercise not only helps you to lose weight, burn calories, melt fat and improve your cardiac health but there's also a plethora of other benefits.  The ones I experienced tonight are just a few.  I had MORE energy after my workout than I did before I started.  Exercise - while one might think it drains energy due to exertion - really does increase it over a period of time following the workout.  I know I'll be burning calories and fat for a few hours at a higher rate too.  Bonus!

Remember this post next time you want to bail on your workout.  Here's a tip - Journal!!  If you're already journaling what you eat and what your workouts are, add in how you're feeling throughout the day - especially following your workout - so you can look back and remember those thoughts & feelings when you're procrastinating.

Here's a few pictures from today!

Dinner - Zucchini Cashew soup and big salad

Stretching - it's SO important after your workout!

Post Fire 30 - and look, Ray's jersey over the TV - GO RAVENS!! :o)

After Stretch 10 - it took me a minute to get up off the floor after that 40 minutes

A Very Green Dinner!

In order to combat the nutritional damage I did over the long weekend, I decided on a green dinner tonight.  I planned on a good salad and one of my favorite meals from my Beachbody Ultimate Reset - Zucchini Cashew Soup.  Say it with me...YUMMMM.

The salad was easy.  I just tossed some baby mixed greens with leftover diced chipotle chicken, radish, red onion, goat cheese and one of my favorite dressings by Organicville - Dairy Free Ranch.

For the soup, I tripled the recipe from the Ultimate Reset nutrition guide so that I would have leftovers.  I soaked 3/4 cup raw cashews for a few hours this afternoon, then drained prior to making the soup.  The recipe, for a single serving, calls for one large or two small zucchini.  I used 5 small, organic zucchini tonight.  I love to steam vegetables, so I tossed the sliced zucchini in the steamer until they were tender.  One it was finished, I retained the water from the steamer for the soup.

Super simple preparation - add zucchini and drained cashews to blender.  Add water and blend to desired consistency (I used about 3 cups of the steamer water).  *Be sure to vent the lid on your blender to avoid an explosion from the trapped heat in the canister!  Add spices to your tasting.  I used my favorite four.  These are my go-to spices: cumin, HimalaSalt brand sea salt, granulated garlic and white pepper.  That's it!

Cashews soaking

Organic zucchini

Zucchini in the steamer

My Favorite Four!

Prior to blending

All blended and ready to serve!

You can add roasted or steamed veggies for a chunky soup

My favorite dressing

Dinner: Soup and Salad

Fish Tacos...YUM!

As I sit here looking at my blog, trying to figure out why I haven't posted since November 1st, contemplating the many posts I have swirling in my head and wondering why I cannot seem to get those thoughts into words, I figured it would suffice to do a quick dinner recap post.  No glass of wine needed for this post, friends.

Josh picked up a great piece of wild caught mahi mahi at The Fresh Market yesterday.  I was thinking I would season it lightly and bake it in the oven, serve it with greens and call it a meal.  You know, a nice healthy meal.  However, because I wanted to use up some (not-so-healthy) things in my fridge, I chose a completely different preparation.

When he was eating it, Josh kept repeating "Wow!"  Therefore, I consider it make again meal.  Maybe in 6 months...or maybe gluten free and without the sauce.  We'll see.

Let me start by saying that I really should not be having any cow's milk dairy or gluten due to my food intolerances.  This meal had plenty of both.  I'll be regretting it tomorrow.  If you are not sensitive to these foods, then please feel free to recreate this meal.  Put your own spin on it to make it dairy or gluten free.  Pretty much everything I used has a substitute available.  It is nice to use up things that were already in the house so I'm going with that.

We love fish tacos, so I rummaged through my pantry and fridge to see what I could use.  I found some whole wheat panko crumbs; whole wheat, low carb flour tortillas; fresh salsa; goat cheese; avocado and then the sauce ingredients (see below).

I seasoned the fish (after removing the skin) with sea salt, white pepper, garlic powder and cumin and then dipped it in an egg & almond milk wash, then into the panko.  I broiled it in the oven for about 25 minutes on a wire rack over a cookie sheet so that the bottom would crisp up too.

The fish was super tender so I flaked it over the flour tortillas and topped with fresh salsa, a sprinkle of goat cheese, sliced avocado and the sauce.  We each had two and they were fantastic!!

The Sauce.  Be warned - it's NOT healthy at all.  It's more like something you'd see on a Paula Deen program.  But once in a blue moon - go for it!  All measurements are approximate.  I don't measure.

~ 1T butter
~ 1/2 cup plain almond milk
~ 3T light cream cheese
~ 3T light sour cream
~ generous handful of shredded cheese
~ 3T salsa

Melt butter in skillet and add almond milk.  Whisk and add in the cream cheese and sour cream.  Once those incorporate, whisk in the shredded cheese.  Last, stir in the salsa.  Spoon over the fish in the tacos.  Enjoy!!  Drink lots of water (or a light beer - haha!)

 

A November of Thanks

Back in September I started reading a book titled A Simple Act Of Gratitude: How Learning To Say Thank You Changed My Life by John Kralik.  I'd been looking for ways to feel grateful for what I have in my life.  I know I live a life of abundance but oftentimes I get so caught up in the stresses of every day life that I forget to be thankful for my blessings.  I also thought that seeking out things that I could be grateful for would help me to heal from my adrenal fatigue (which is caused by many lifestyle factors including high levels of stress).  I loved how John's thank you note project aided in his personal transformation so I decided to follow suit.

I began by writing notes to two people who affected my life in a hugely negative way...but I found things I could still be grateful for in my relationships with them.  I knew this would be a big first step in emotional healing as well as starting this project off with a bang!  As seems to be the case with a lot of things I start, I stalled with my own personal thank you note project after a couple of weeks.  I was feeling tired and run down from my adrenal fatigue.  I was busy with the girls - school, soccer, homework, daily chores & activities.  I was trying to fit in gym time.  You can see I'm pretty good at making excuses for what I do with my time, yes?

With this new month, a month where we celebrate a holiday that reminds us to be thankful for the blessings we have in our lives, I thought that it would be a great time for me to reignite my project.  I pledge to write 30 thank you notes in November.  My notes will serve as a reminder of an event, a person who made a positive difference in my life, a service, a happy moment, a friendship.  Some notes may even be to people that don't even know me.  With each note I write, there's a memory of something that's impacted me...something I'm grateful for.  I will share these bits on my Facebook page Fit & Healthy Mommy each day in November.

I feel very strongly about letting people know when they do something positive, something that made me smile or turned my day around.  It could be something as simple as the first girl who extended her friendship to me when I was the new girl in school twenty years ago.  It could be the few extra minutes my doctor spent with me, listening to my concerns even thought her next patient was waiting for her.  Let's not forget my family's favorite restaurant where they once went out of their way to allow us to sit outside on the patio after they had closed it...just because my girls wanted to dance in the rain.

Last month I sent a letter to friend from high school.  We haven't talked in well over ten years although we connected on Facebook a few years ago.  I explained that while I know we went through some difficult times in our friendship, those times are nothing but a shadow of a memory compared to the vivid, colorful memories I have of all the good times we shared together.  I thanked her for having such a positive impact on the person & mother that I am today.  While I expected nothing back from her, I recently received a note in return.  Her gratitude towards me brought tears to my eyes.  To think that I affected her so positively when I sent my letter...that meant a lot to me.  And I was grateful that she took the time to write her own letter of gratitude back to me.

There's proof right there that giving thanks is healthy for our bodies, minds and souls.  We can help others to embrace a healthier body, mind and soul just by letting them know we are grateful to them.  Why wouldn't we want to do that?

Please join me in giving thanks this November.  You don't have to write thank you notes to show your gratitude.  But, if you would like to share your thoughts, please visit me on my Facebook page.  Each day I will create a post asking what we're thankful for on that day.  You can comment, you can like the post or you can even start your own conversation on my wall.  I'd love to see a huge participation in this month of gratitude.  Let's share with one another what we are grateful for...what we are blessed with...what has made a positive impact in our lives on that given day.  It can be something as simple as, "My husband emptied the dishwasher and put everything away for me" or "There was no traffic in the school car pool line today so I made it to my doctor's appointment with time to spare" or "I'm blessed to have an aunt who has devoted her time to volunteer at a local food pantry on Thursdays".  Anything at all!

Are you in?  Hop on over to my page and let's be thankful!!  Share this with your friends and invite them to be grateful in November too!

Conscious Chocolate Indulgence

Hi friends!

Today has been a fun family day - Apple Festival, Halloween decorating, Orioles & Football on tv.  And while I was dressed for summer (who knew it would be chilly today?  Everyone but me, apparently) the crisp fall air made for a PERFECT day for hot cocoa.  I'm a chocolate girl at heart.  Always have been and very likely always will be.  I'm finding myself eating more dark chocolate now that I'm avoiding gluten.  Let's face it, my quick go-to snacks are limited when I don't prepare properly.

When I was at the Natural Products Expo East yesterday, I made sure to visit one of my favorite organic chocolate makers, NibMor.  These girls are beautiful, glowing and super friendly.  I saw them speak at an Institute for Integrative Nutrition conference last fall in New York and I really fell in love with their conscious business practice and their philosophy as well as their amazing chocolate.

Jennifer and Heather took many things into consideration when making their chocolate.  Some of these included sustainability, eco-friendliness and the avoidance of any GMOs.  They wanted to make sure that their chocolates contained the health benefits associated with cacao (antioxidants, anti-inflammation & anti-aging, mental clarity, anti-depressant, vitamins & minerals) while keeping their products raw, vegan, gluten-free and free of refined sugar.

I love this statement on their site: "The NibMor Lifestyle is about making healthy, sustainable, charitable and fun choices for YOU."  Right?!?  I agree 100%!  My lifestyle choice today was to indulge in a packet of NibMor's AH-MAZING Drinking Chocolate.  I did not feel guilty at all for having it (like I would have if I had my hot cocoa of choice back in the day...a.k.a. Starbucks venti non-fat no-whip hot chocolate).  My stomach bloats just thinking about those.  Oh yes, there are WAY better choices these days and at the top of my list - NibMor's Drinking Chocolate.  It's made with natural Coconut Palm Sugar which is lower on the glycemic index than other traditional sugars and it has higher levels of Potassium & Magnesium.

I'm grateful to Heather for giving me a packet of the Traditional as well as a packet of the Mint.  Next, I'll have to find the 6 Spice locally so I can try that out.  A girl can't possibly have too many Drinking Chocolate options this time of year!

A funny thing happened to me yesterday too.  My lovely friend Jill Brack of Glow Gluten Free - whom I was working with at her beautiful booth at Expo East - brought me two small squares of NibMor Mint Dark Chocolate.  If you know me, you might know that I do not like mint.  For many years I had to use a cinnamon toothpaste because mint was too strong for me.  To this day, I still prefer anything cinnamon over anything mint.  I digress.  Jill brought me two squares of NibMor's Mint Dark Chocolate.  I took them and thanked her for thinking of me, and thought that I'd give these to my husband to try.  On the way home in the car, however, I was hungry and the chocolates were right next to me in my bag, on the seat, peeking through the mesh pocket, saying "Debi!  Try me!  I'm REALLLLLY good!!"  How does a chocolate loving girl say no to that?  I tried one...and was really pretty shocked.  I have never been a fan of mixing mint & chocolate...but this was not only good, it was fabulous!  So, I ate the second one too.  Take that you mint aversion!!  I'm already planning on when I'll be trying my Mint Drinking Chocolate sample.  Mmm...

Want to find a retailer near you?  Check here:  Locate NibMor near me.  You can also order directly from their site.  So drop what you're doing and go find some of this chocolate.  You can thank me later.  Yeah, it's THAT good.

I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk

I used a whisk for a smoother drink

I couldn't think of a happier mug to put my NibMor in!

One Happy Mommy!!

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers Recipe

I've seen quite a few black bean quinoa burger recipes recently on Facebook, Pinterest and in Vegetarian Times Magazine.  I figured I should stop fantasizing about them and just make some already.  Glad I did!  In typical Debi fashion, I adapted my recipe based on a few that I've seen and made it my own.

Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.  Perfect!

 I love quinoa.  It's a nutritional powerhouse food and I'm happy to incorporate it into my meals.  Black beans are another healthy food and they pair very well with quinoa.  A few spices, onion, garlic and my favorite oil - coconut - and I was off & running.  Well, off & cooking actually.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of salt-free organic black beans (I like Eden Organic brand)
• 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• generous sprinkle of steak seasoning (I like Omaha Steaks seasoning)
• coconut oil
• 3T salt-free tomato sauce or paste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1/2T coconut oil.  Saute onion for about three minutes until translucent then add garlic.  Remove from heat before the garlic begins to brown.

Rinse beans very well under cold water and drain.  In a mixing bowl, add 3/4 of the beans and mash with a potato masher.  Add cooked quinoa, onion & garlic, cumin, steak seasoning and tomato sauce.  Mix well and add rest of the whole beans.  Once those are incorporated, set the bowl aside.

Take a baking sheet and line with non-stick foil (not necessary, but helpful).  Brush foil with coconut oil.  Scoop the quinoa black bean mixture into round heaps onto the pan (mine made 4 good sized burgers).  Brush the tops of the mounds with a little more coconut oil and use a spatula to press them into burgers.  (I rolled mine by hand and formed them into patties - but it was messy.  You can choose how you prefer to make your burgers).

Place baking sheet on top rack in oven and bake the burgers for about 10 minutes.  Flip burgers and cook an additional 8 to 10 minutes.  I turned on the broiler for the last 6 minutes of cooking time to make the burgers crispier.  (I'd recommend that step!)

Serve with a Greek yogurt sauce or guacamole.  These can go on a bun or in a lettuce wrap.  Whatever suits your fancy.  I skipped the bread and topped mine with homemade guacamole.  I also served it with fresh, local corn on the cob and chard sauteed in coconut oil with a drizzle of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.

Here's how I made my guac tonight.  Since it was only for Josh & me, I only used one avocado.  Mash avocado by hand and add around 1/4 cup (or a little less) diced red onion.  Add a sprinkle of granulated garlic & cumin.  I chopped a small yellow tomato and tossed that in there.  When I make guac, I usually add the juice of a lime and diced jalapeno but I omitted those tonight since it was such a small batch.

Helping hands mashing the beans

Mashed beans

Coconut Oil - I use it for everything!

This is what your onion & garlic should look like

Here's the mixture with all ingredients added & mixed

I love storing my greens in vases of water - it looks beautiful in the kitchen

Homemade guacamole

My dinner plate!

Cooked perfectly!

Dole Bananas and Fit & Healthy Mommy: Special Event

Psst!  Yes, I'm talking to you!  You have GOT to read this.  I am so excited I can barely sit still.

I have been chosen by Dole Bananas to host a super exclusive event this month.  I know - how exciting, right?!?  I'll tell you more about the event in a moment.  But first, here's some really neat information regarding Baltimore and bananas.

Did you know that residents in Baltimore and the surrounding area consume more bananas than most other cities in the United States?  Baltimore has been named a 2012 "Top Banana City".  Pretty fantastic, right?  Have you ever walked into a grocery store and not seen a beautiful pile of sunny yellow bananas?  Maybe you slice them and put them in your cereal, make an ice cream sundae with them, eat them before or after a workout, grab one and toss it in your briefcase or lunchbag for a mid-morning snack.  However you choose to eat your bananas, you're helping our area to be one of the highest in banana consumption in our country!  Go you!  Read more about Baltimore being named a top Banana city here:  Baltimore and Bananas on Bloomberg

Here's another little factoid.  Dole has coined the phrase "Bananas - Nature's Natural Energy Bar".  Bananas are super healthy and are packed with nutrients such as vitamins B-6 & C, potassium, manganese & dietary fiber.  They're a natural, sweet treat and can be enjoyed in many healthy recipes.  They're also an amazing choice pre & post workout (hint, hint).  More on that in a minute.

First, a few more tidbits for you.  More than 90% of U.S. households buy bananas regularly - they're our nation's most popular fruit AND the #1 item sold in supermarkets.  Dole is the #1 banana brand in the world.

Studies have shown that bananas are an excellent energy source and they also help to replenish lost carbohydrates & glycogen that are burned off during exercise.  They contain electrolytes and are great for a post-workout boost without the added sodium and sugars of popular sports drinks - plus, they're a fraction of the price!

Now - what you've been waiting for - The Main Event!
*When: Saturday, July 28th at 8:00 PM
*Where: My house - please contact me for my address & directions

I'll be serving up several treats and we'll also be making some together.  All will include Dole bananas and each recipe will be healthy!  Do you think bananas are only best used in sweet baked goods, ice cream or smoothies?  Think again!  I'll share some savory snacks and dishes that would make wonderful main dishes at parties and gatherings (just like the one I'm hosting).  I'm even going to share 2 things that are from my recipe vault.  Exciting!

Even more exciting than that, though - yes, it gets even better - is that Dole is giving away tons of GOODIES to YOU!!!  I'm going to keep those top secret until you arrive at my house for the event.  There needs to be some element of surprise and awe, right?

Be sure to RSVP as soon as possible.  In fact, step away, go check your calendar and mark the date & time.  There, now you're all set on your end.  Next, email me to reserve your spot.  They're filling up quickly and I want to make sure you get on the list.  You can reach me at Debi@FitNHealthyMommy.com or message me on Facebook here:  Fit & Healthy Mommy on Facebook

Before the sneak peek of the delicious recipes you'll be tasting, please find Dole Bananas on Facebook and Twitter.  Like & follow them - post, share, discuss - and tell them how much you love me.  Okay, maybe not that last part....well, unless you want to!

Dole Bananas on Facebook: Dole Bananas
Dole Bananas on Twitter: Dole Bananas
366 Ways to Go Bananas in 2012: Banana-A-Day

~ Go For The Gold ~

What:
2 week Fitness & Nutritional group challenge to enhance your summer routine and jumpstart your fall fitness & nutritional goal planning

When:
July 27th through August 12th 2012

Where:
Facebook (secret group) and
Telephone (live or recorded calls depending on your availability)

Cost:
$12 per person (via Paypal - link below)

Prizes:
Gold, Silver & Bronze “Medals” and grab bag prizes
(Skakeology packets, DVDs, Books, and more!)

Set your sights on the Gold.  For two weeks I will lead a group of participants (that’s YOU) through an Olympic Challenge.  You will be given recipes, meal planning, grocery lists, fitness & nutritional tips and advice, mini Olympic challenges (both fitness & nutrition-related) and a variety of other tools that you can take from this challenge and apply towards your fitness & overall health goals going forward.

The value comes not only in the tools and tips provided in the unlimited Q&A and support by me in the Facebook group, but also in the conference calls (or, if you are unable to dial into a live call, in the recordings of those calls).  Having a group of peers to work with has been proven to be invaluable due to the support and accountability!  Not only will I support you with the fitness & nutrition, but I’ll help you set goals – clear, structured, attainable goals - that you can start working on during this short challenge, and carry into the fall & remainder of 2012.

Really?  Only $12?  YES!  After all, we are celebrating the 2012 Summer Olympics.  Additionally, I want to make this easily affordable for anyone who would like to participate.  It's the cost of a couple of lattes or a lunch at Subway.  You have little to lose and much to gain with this 2 week challenge.

Can you do this on your own without the support & accountability of this challenge?  Sure, if you're easily self-motivated.

Would you be more apt to stick to it and follow the program for two weeks if you spend $12 and participate in the group?  100% YES!!

Here’s some added incentive.  I will offer the following prizes based on a point system.

Gold Medal:
3 x 1 hour phone health coaching sessions with me
between August 13, 2012 and October 30, 2012. 

Silver Medal:
2 x 1 hour phone health coaching sessions with me
between August 13, 2012 and October 30, 2012. 

Bronze Medal:
1 x 1 hour phone health coaching session with me
between August 13, 2012 and October 30, 2012.

*These sessions generally run upwards of $50 each via my health coaching program.
*Additional grab bag giveaways will be awarded throughout the challenge and these range in value between $3 and $15.

Working one on one with a holistic health coach can result in increased energy, reduction of food cravings, deeper sleep, weight loss and improved personal relationships.

Questions?  Please email me at Debi@FitNHealthyWholeBodyWellness.com or message me on Facebook at Fit & Healthy Whole Body Wellness or Fit & Healthy Mommy.


Pay securely via Paypal using the link below.  A new window will open and you will be directed back to my website once you have completed your payment.

Mexican Quinoa Bake Recipe

Mexican Quinoa Bake Recipe

Yes - it's as good as it sounds.  Thank you to Healthy Bitch Daily for sharing this recipe on June 29th.  I pinned it and vowed to try it soon.  Tonight was the night - I had pretty much all of the ingredients on hand.  Sweet!  I love when that happens.

Here's how I made it - you know me, I tweak everything!

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 can no-salt fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup organic frozen corn
• 1/4 small red onion, diced
• 3 small spring onion bulbs, diced
• 1 can no-salt black beans
• 1 medium sweet potato, shredded
• 1T Trader Joe's taco seasoning (it's SPICY!)
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1.5 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 cup non-dairy "cheese", divided (I used almond based "cheddar")

Preheat oven to 400.  Since I already had the quinoa cooked, I sauteed the onions in a little bit of coconut oil and added the frozen corn to thaw a bit.  Once the onions were translucent, I added those and the corn to a large mixing bowl with the cooked quinoa, shredded sweet potato, beans, spices & herbs and 1/2 cup of the cheese substitute.

I oiled a baking dish (I think it's 9x6) and added the mixture, then topped that with the remaining cheese substitute.  Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 35 minutes, until bubbling.  I love that the almond based "cheese" got crispy instead of melted.  It gave the bake a really nice crunch on top!

You know it's a good meal when my husband has seconds!

I served this with mixed greens (a combination of mustard greens, chard from my garden, and a mystery green from my CSA) which I sauteed in coconut oil and then added a few drops of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  I also mashed some avocado which was a welcome addition with the Mexican flavors - and it helped to cool the spice from the quinoa bake.  I loved it so much I had seconds too!  I'm really glad there's leftovers for tomorrow!

And, now for the pictures!

After adding everything to the mixing bowl

Before putting it into the oven

After coming out of the oven

The whole plate - Mexican Quinoa Bake, mashed avocado & sauteed mixed greens

The Mexican Quinoa Bake - front & center!