Author Archives: Balanced Modern Mom

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About Balanced Modern Mom

An Italian gal, who loves a healthy lifestyle with a little bit of cheat, loves to workout with a little bit of rest & has a whole busy working mom/wife life going on simultaneously. If you think it’s crazy... your right; it’s crazy up in here. But thank goodness I’m learning how to balance it all! And I’m here to share how.

Grilled Chicken and Quinoa

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This is my Husbands favorite dish; we make it at least once every other week. This is great served with my green bean and cherry tomato recipe, or grilled asparagus, or any vegetable of choice. Just make sure that you serve a nice vegetable with it so you get all the food groups in one meal. I especially love to cook with Quinoa, it’s not only a great substitute for carbs but it’s also a great source of iron and has lots of good vitamins. I also like grilling a lot because it adds amazing taste to the food without a lot of sauces, or fats on it. It keeps the food light and healthy. Please enjoy, and I hope this becomes a signature dish in your house as well.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

1 3/4 cups water

½ Bullion cube

2 Chicken breasts

4 tsp. Olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Chili Flakes (optional)

Place the Quinoa and the water in a small saucepan; add 2 tsps. of olive oil and the bullion with a dash of salt and pepper. Allow to boil and then turn heat down to minimum and let the Quinoa absorb the water for about 15 minutes, (time may vary so be sure to check).

Heat your grill and in the meantime you may marinate your chicken breasts with the remaining 2 tsps. of olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on the grill and cook through (just remember that depending on how thick your breasts are cooking time may vary), normally I’d say about 10 minutes on each side.

If your Quinoa is cooked turn off and let sit until chicken is ready.

Now you may begin plating, put Quinoa in a small bowl or ramekin and push until leveled, flip upside down on plate and quinoa should have remained nicely on the plate put the chicken breast on the side and serve.

In the pictures below I served sauteed zucchini with the chicken and quinoa. But you can serve it with any vegetable of choice, spinach, green beans, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, a salad, tomatoes, corn and so on whatever you like.

Quinoa Nutrition facts

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What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is known as a superfood, some people relate it to grain but it is actually a seed that comes from a plant most closely related to spinach. It is grown in the Andes mountains of South America.  The ancient Incas considered this plant sacred and called it “chisaya mama” which means ‘Mother of All Grains’. Quinoa grains are about the same size as millet, but flattened, with a pointed, oval shape. The color ranges from pale yellow through red and brown to black.

 

These are the Nutrition facts and why it’s so good for you:

Quinoa is a great source of iron, manganese, potassium, riboflavin, copper, phosphorous, tryptophan, B6, niacin and thiamine.  One cup of cooked quinoa has only 220 calories.  It also has 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein.

Quinoa is stocked with life-sustaining nutrients all across the board, including all eight essential amino acids. There are other highly beneficial compounds, vitamins and minerals.

It is not surprising that it is being recommended for people who want to lose weight, for people who suffer from migraine, heart disease and atherosclerosis, for people with gluten sensitivity, for vegans, and basically for everyone who wants to eat healthy.

 

How to Prepare:

Quinoa cooks very easily, in about 15 minutes. Like cooking rice in a stove top pot, you’ll want almost 2 cups of water per one part quinoa but be careful not to pour too much water in the pot, otherwise it will take even longer.

Cook quinoa at a high setting until it starts boiling and then cover and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. When you see the ring-shaped sprouts popping out, you’ll know the quinoa is almost ready. Stir the quinoa so all the water gets absorbed.

Quinoa by itself is rather bland, I like to add olive oil, bullion, and if you like spicy food as I do some chili pepper as it boils. Quinoa is fun to cook with and you can add anything you like to it, from veggies to poultry, or you could make it as a cereal with milk and cinnamon, you can incorporate it into dessert, it’s a chameleon.

I hope that this was helpful for more information I added below some of the sites I pulled this off of. Enjoy!

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/quinoa–nutrition–facts

www.quinoa–nutritionfacts.com/

nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2

 

Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

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This is something that is extremely easy and fast to prepare. It’s great served as a main dish or a side dish to fish, poultry or meat. It’s low-fat and healthy. What I love about this salad are the colors they compliment just about any dish and help make it look elegant.

 

Ingredients:

Serves 2 (if used as side dish serves 4)

 

1 lb Green Beans *

6 Cherry tomatoes

Handful of Arugula (Rocquet)

Handful Baby greens

Fresh spicy cherry peppers (optional)

4 tbsp. Olive oil

2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

 

In a medium pot fill with water at about ½ way add salt and boil. Once your water has started boiling add the green beans that you have previously cleaned and let boil for 8 – 10 minutes. Strain green beans and let cool.

In a salad bowl add your arugula and baby greens. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add to bowl. Slice your cherry peppers in ¼ slices and add to bowl as well. Now you may add the green beans to the bowl along with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients well and serve.

 

* If you don’t have fresh green beans you may substitute for frozen ones just remember that cooking time may vary.

Blueberry and Honey Yogurt Pie

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This is a delicious recipe that I actually found in an addition of a food and wine magazine. I tweaked it a little, but the outcome is amazing and I feel was delicious. Perfect as a snack or dessert. Exceptionally great with a spiced themed dinner, Greek, Indian or Middle-Eastern, it’s the cooling sensation that the yogurt along with the ginger leave.

Ingredients:

12 whole graham crackers

5 pieces crystallized ginger (finely chopped)

4 tablespoons butter (melted)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

smidgen of salt

1 egg white

2 cups of non-fat greek yogurt (drained overnight)

2 tablespoons of honey

1 1/2 – 2 cups of fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a circle  pie pan 9 x 9 and set aside. In the food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the sugar, salt and crystallized ginger until finely ground. Add egg white and butter and pulse until mixed well. Pour the crumbs into your prepared pan and press evenly over the bottom and the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is lightly brown. Let the crust cool.

In a bowl mix the drained yogurt and honey. Pour the yogurt evenly over the crust and arrange the blueberries evenly over the top of the yogurt. Now you can slice and serve.