Simple Quinoa Tabouli

The thing about eating healthy is to explore foods that you wouldn't ordinarily eat. People get so fixated on eating the same items over and over with the belief that it’s safer this way. NO! Why put yourself or your tongue on such boring restrictions. You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to create delicious and healthy meals. Besides, once you put forth the effort to create some healthy recipes, before you know it, you’ll be whipping up your own dishes and saving money too!

Quinoa Tabouli

1 cup dry quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)

After quinoa is cooked and fluffed, in a large bowl move it into a large bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, onions and herbs and toss to coat.

1 1/2 cups chopped cucumbers (I used one large cucumber)

1 ½  cups chopped tomatoes (or use cherry tomatoes - halved)

1/2 cup chopped onion (can substitute green onions)

1 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1 ½ cups fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk garlic and lemon juice. Drizzle in the olive oil. Add the cumin. Season to taste with Kosher salt and pepper.

1/3  scant cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 garlic clove, grated

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½  teaspoon ground cumin

½  teaspoon Kosher salt

¼  teaspoon pepper

Drizzle dressing into quinoa mixture. 

Absorb the Positive

The other morning as I was driving, I happened to catch a look at the moon. It was making its way west. I had to go and take a look from one of my favorite spots on Lake Erie. 

The streets here were covered with snow. The side streets were even worse, but I just didn't care. I made my way to the lake. Parked my car. Walked to an extremely cold spot and stood there and took in such a beautiful moment. 

It's times like these when the universe reminds you of how precious life is. How important it is to stop and look around you. Life isn't perfect and neither are we. But, if you take a moment out of each day and just absorb the positive around you, your eyes will open to so many more positive things. 

Being healthy isn't just physical, it's also mental. Hugs!

I've Returned...YAY!

I’m back. Since, my last entry, I got caught in the social media tornado! So, it’s not that I’ve fallen off the face of the earth, very far from that. It appeared that I had landed up in the “social media oz” that took me on the path to the “Land of Instagram”, playing with the flying “Tweets” and ended at “The Facebook City”…LOL!

I can say, it’s been a very interesting journey. It appears that I had to “re-route” a huge area of my life.  I had to let go of a major relationship.  Often times, we fight that feeling in our gut that tells us to let go.  Maybe, we think we will be seen as failures because it didn't work out. NOT! If things are always negative and where both people are not nourishing the relationship, it will have no life and die! I see myself as a success in making the decision to let it go. Lesson learned! New routes bring interesting paths and undiscovered territories. LOL!

I’m still learning more and more about my body after my thyroid cancer. I will continue to share as I hope that my story will help others to not give up on their goals. I have so much to share and look forward to the adventures of 2015.