ALL ABOUT FOOD AND THE GARDEN

Over the last couple of months we have been trying to change the way we view food and eat.  We have tried to pretty much eliminate preservatives and unnatural sugars from our diet.....

Some times this poses a huge challenge but so far the good by far outweighs the negatives.  We are feeling so much more healthy, we have lost weight, and have more energy to boot...

The other Sunday after church we headed out to dinner together...  It has been great looking for the healthy alternatives and in the most part we can find them.  It is much harder when you are staying with people and don't have a measure of control which has happened to us a little lately.

Lunch out - blistered tomatoes, chicken , bacon and avocado topped with feta cheese.

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Our gardens are particularly looking good at the moment....
This pink and purple flowering plant is a mass of colour at the moment and is one of my favourites.  Couldn't resist photographing it whilst it was out in bloom.

Grandpa's beard is really flourishing at the moment also. 

Enjoying flowers inside as well.

 I've come across this great website called "Ambitious Kitchens" which really does have some great and healthy recipes and so decided to give this salad a try.  I get sick of taking the same thing to work for lunch each day so thought some salads in a bottle would be a great way to go, especially since you can prepare them in advance and then just grab a bottle out of the fridge each morning and lunch is taken care of....
 Balsamic Chicken Berry Quinoa Salad

 It was delicious and definitely one I will be making again.... 
A copy of the recipe for future use...

 Ingredients

• For the chicken:
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• For the dressing:
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon raspberry jam
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• For the salad:
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup quartered strawberries
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds (or chopped roasted almonds)
• 2-4 cups arugula or baby spinach

Instructions

1. Add chicken and marinade ingredients to a large ziploc bag. Marinate chicken for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
2. While you are marinating your chicken, make your quinoa: Add 1 1/2 cup water to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Then, stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for exactly 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and let stand covered for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Quinoa will pop upon cooking and expand. To help separate the grains, use a fork and fluff the quinoa. Set aside.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, chop all your ingredients for your salad.
4. Next, make your raspberry vinaigrette. Add all ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and mix until well-combined. Set aside.
5. Once ready to cook chicken, preheat grill to medium high heat. Lightly oil the grate. Grill chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. Once chicken has cooked, transfer to a cutting board and dice into bite sized pieces.
6. Make the mason jar salads by dividing ingredients evenly between 4 (32-ounce) large mason jars in the following order: dressing, strawberries, cooked quinoa, blueberries, chicken, goat cheese, avocado, arugula, almonds.
7. When ready to serve, pour contents from the mason jar onto a plate or into a bowl and enjoy! Makes 4 large mason jars.

Notes

To make vegetarian: replace chicken with 1 (15oz) can chickpeas

My lunch in a bottle all ready to go....

 The following day,  I had a chicken salad with blue berries and strawberries with the left overs from making the salads...

 This pork cutlet and pear, rocket and nut salad was also a winner served with beetroot...with potato in it's jacket with Greek yogurt.  Eating whole foods definitely fires up your taste buds again...

Poached eggs on smashed avocado on toast... YUMMMMMMMMMMM....

I had some friends over for morning tea last week, so rather than serve biscuits and cakes,  I decided to make a little healthy snack and made these little fruit baskets to munch on.  They went over really well and everyone enjoyed them.

 I have been trying to make it about small changes,  rather than great big ones that end up being difficult to follow through on.    The bonus is that without any exercise at this stage and just eating a balanced and healthy diet I have managed to loose 10kgs and I am feeling great...