I blame this interruption of thoughts on the fact that it’s 2am and I’m still awake! disturbing observation of two giraffes fighting on the Animal Planet the other day…I swear I always just thought of them as being such peaceful creatures…haven’t been able to get it out of my head since! Obviously my mini one would be too cute to have such a violent temperament. 😉
Yeah, so if this insomnia-motivated post isn’t a contender for Amanda’s linkup of randomness, I don’t know WHAT is! 😯
Edited to add: Out of complete desperation, I took a Benedryl at 3:30am and woke up at noon today…thank you sweet baby Jesus!
If you were a superhero, what would your semi-practical superpower be?
I hope you all had a great time celebrating last night…or holding your eyelids open with toothpicks until midnight…whichever is your thing! I rang in the 2014 within the confines of lead-lined hospital walls, but fear NOT…no matter how many drunks made their way in, come dinnertime, I was partying it up with this delicious POWER-PACKED bowl!
Is it normal to dream about food? Because I seriously have not been able to get this salad out of my head for nearly TWO WEEKS!
It all started when the man-friend and I went to Istanbul Cafe for dinner and had the best frickin’ tabbouleh I’ve ever had in my life…along with the creamiest of hummi! 😉 I wasted NO time and hit up the international market on my way home that weekend to grab up a bunch of fresh parsley!
Then it was the week of Christmas and instead of staying home and making all my foodie dreams come true, I just HAD to join the crazed masses and get those last little gifts that I knew would spoil my family rotten.
Please, St. Nick, take note of my incredible selflessness! 😀
Can I just say it’s a GOOD thing parsley has a good shelf fridge life?! Because it wasn’t until YESTERDAY afternoon that I was finally able to get my booty in the kitchen to make some magic happen!
What started in my head as quinoa tabbouleh inspired by Laura’s version back in August quickly transformed into a quinoa salad after MORE inspiration hit me from all the Christmas-colored salads I’ve been tossing up lately…
And I have to say I’m pretty darn proud of it!
Bursting with the light and fresh flavors of parsley, mint, and lemon with an incredible contrast of textures…
Smooth and creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, juicy pomegranate…and with the last-minute idea to throw some chickpeas in there, this is one satisfying salad!
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (approximately 1 cup cooked)
1 cups water
1 15oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced English cucumber
1 cup pomegranate arils
1 medium-sized avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice from one lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. In a medium-sized sauce pan, bring 1 cup of water to boil over high heat.
2. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce to simmer.
3. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside.
5. Once quinoa has cooled slightly, combine it with the chickpeas, avocado, cucumber, pomegranate, and herbs in a large bowl and stir well.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and lemon juice and then drizzle over salad.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
9. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
With the heavy eating of the holidays behind us, a big bowl of superfoods is the perfect way to get your new year off to a fresh and healthy start! So what are you waiting for? That parsley’s not gonna chop itself! 😉
Can you believe it?! I swear it manages to sneak up on me each and every year! I kinda wanted to get some sort of “year in review” type post up yesterday, but I was crazy busy at work and there was no time. Then, when I got around to opening my computer today, I realized that there are far too many favorites and that post would likely be something around 902186750 words. So…you’ll just have to take this sweet and condensed version instead…you know, like the stuff that makes Christmas fudge taste like crack! 😉
Yup, it’s time for my TWELTH Currently post! I have to say I’ve LOVED doing these each and every month and will be continuing them in the new year…though I think I may throw a few twerks tweaks in here or there. 😆
Current Book:
I’ve been tearing through the Divergent trilogy! I just started Allegiant yesterday and I’m already a quarter of the way through…can’t get ENOUGH!
Current Music:
Carol of the Bells is definitely one of my favorite Christmas songs, so after seeing this Pentatonix version on Sam’s blog the other day, I was in complete awe!
Current Guilty Pleasure:
Reading…as in I’ve been ignoring practically everything I can for “just one more page”…hence the reason I’m so behind in blog reading at the moment! Oops? 😳
Current Nail Color:
The ONLY snow I’d like to see…on my nails! 😀 Last week, I got a little festive and “dusted” my nails with Essie’s hors d’oeuvres, which may be my new favorite glitter!
Current Drink:
While I’m still loving on theLa Croix (and actually am drinking one right now!), this month has been too cold to go with out some HOT coffee! I picked these two up at TJ Maxx last month and have been loving the taste of them mixed together!
Current Food:
Christmas-themed salads…
Tuna melts (with more Christmas-themed salads) and…
Cereal + peanut flour + fruit (mostly pomegranate, but you’ll have to accept this recycled pic as most bowls have been eaten in less than 5 minutes)
Current Favorite Show:
There hasn’t been any time for TV this month with all the movies the man-friend and I have been watching. We added another THREE to the list this past weekend: The Great Gatsby (LOVED it…just like I knew I would!), The Way Way Back (very cute…reminded us of Perks of Being a Wallflower…and it had my girl from The Carrie Diaries in it!), and we were going to watch both the Percy Jackson movies, but I was pretty tired and wasn’t sure if I could hang through another 2 hours of exceptionally bad acting! #sorryimnotsorry
Current Wish List:
Gonna let you in on a little secret: This year, on my birthday, I wished to finally have a normal relationship with food. Not to jinx anything, but I just have to say that I have been feeling GREAT this month…I honestly haven’t given much thought to deciding on what to eat, consequences, guilt, anything…I’ve just been eating and enjoying ALL food! I even partook in the man-friend’s EPIC sandwich on Saturday!
That would be steak, Swiss, bacon, mushrooms and onions, cheddar, and more steak! 😉 It was really REALLY good and after patting himself on the back for a good hour, he started thinking of ideas for his next one! Lol
Current Needs:
An arm massage because…
Current Triumphs:
After almost a YEAR out of any and all classes at the gym (thanks to the bum knee), I finally felt ready and jumped (figuratively of course) back into Bodypump last Friday!!!! …and my triceps are STILL sore!
Anna Sophia Robb…WHY does this girl have to be so dang CUTE?! #girlcrush
Current Indulgence:
This past weekend, the man-friend and I put a major dent in the discount chocolate I picked up after Christmas…as in, there are only about five pieces left! I would just like to say though that before I even had ONE, he had already eaten SEVEN! I seriously thought about hiding it from him!
Current Blessing:
The reaction from my friends and family while opening their gifts this Christmas and enjoying that warm fuzzy feeling once I saw their faces light up…or getting a text with all caps and eighteen exclamation points saying thank you! 😀
Current Slang:
Hashtag hashtag HASHTAG! #word 😎
Current Outfit:
What with all the cold weather we’ve been having this month AND my general lack of enthusiasm for going out in it, I’ve pretty much been wearing my PJ’s non-stop…and my birthday scarf…you know, when I’m not using it for a photography prop! 😉
Current Excitement:
I can’t really say that 2013 has been a bad year because I’ve had the opportunity to do and SEE so much, but now that I’m finally feeling what it feels like to be centered, to be carefree, to be NORMAL, I’m so excited to see what the new year has to bring!
My name is Heather! I'm a southern gal with a passion for food, fitness, and photography...and alliteration if you didn't notice! Here you'll find a mix of random musings, delicious recipes, and hopefully a chuckle or two! Check out my "About' tab to learn more!
