Why Quinoa?

Quinoa, pronounced ‘Qee – no – wah’ is a gluten free seed like plant that is a great substitute for rice.

Quinoa is extremely easy to cook.   It’s high in protein and contains all the essential amino acids your body needs. In particular, quinoa is

high in lysine, an amino acid important for tissue growth and repair

A great way to try out quinoa is to mix it with roasted vegetables. Please see the recipe below:

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Quinoa

This salad is delicious warm or cold. It keeps for around two days. It can often be a good idea to make up a big double batch so you can have it for lunch the next day. It’s good to have something healthy in your fridge you can grab instead of going for a less nutritious quick fix like a packet of crisps. It’s delicious topped with a little feta, lemon zest and a light sprinkle of pistachio or pumpkin seed.

Ingredients

2 capsicum, cut into chunks (red and yellow)
500 g pumpkin cut into large chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges
2 zucchini, cut into chunks
180 g (1 cup / 6oz) quinoa, well rinsed + drained
2 cups water
1 lemon
small bunch parsley chopped
1 tablespoon pesto

How to Cook

Preheat oven to 200 C.
Combine capsicum, pumpkin, zucchini and red onion with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Season with ground pepper and a little cinnamon.
Roast for 30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.
Cook quinoa by combining into a small pot with 2 cups of water, similar to rice. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to low and cover.
Cook for 15 minutes until tender and water is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and allow to sit for another 10 minutes.
Remove vegetables from the oven and place into a large bowl.
Add the quinoa, lemon zest and a little juice, parsley and pesto.
Mix through lightly until combined.
Spoon into serving bowls and enjoy.

Additions: Top with crumbled feta or ricotta or top with fish for extra protein.
Add extra vegetables such as baby spinach or sautéed kale.
Sprinkle with chopped pistachio nut just before serving.

Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 8.5 g
Total fat: 7 g
Saturated: 1.2 g
Carbs: 27 g
Fiber: 5.8 g
kilojoules: 882
Calories: 211

Quinoa is available from most supermarkets and health food stores.

Run then a swim the day after? Come on!!

This gentle 6.5km run is on Saturady 4th February… check it out on: http://www.sunrun.com.au

http://www.sunrun.com.au

Australias largest ocean swim…. earlybird closes Friday January 20th.

Dive into Australias largest ocean swim and secure your spot for Sunday, Febuary 5, 2012.

Ingredients:

• one slice of Burgen toast
• avacado (quarter)
• 2 eggs
• 1 chopped tomatoe
• spring onion
• basil
• baby spinach

Method:

Simply fry (with olive oil spray) the tomatoes, onions, basil and baby spinach until lightly cooked. Add the eggs and scramble all together. Spread the avacado on the toast. Add the scambled vegies and eggs on to the toast, add a pich of salt and pepper. Enjoy : )

Life’s a long, long journey” so we are told, and most of us would not set off on a journey, even a short one, without some idea of where we wanted to go. Yet many people travel on life’s journey with no sense of direction at all.

They travel the by-ways and highways of life taking side roads, detours, even re-tracing their tracks from time to time, and while they may have exciting experiences on their journey, while they may meet interesting fellow-travellers, learn a great deal and see some pretty scenery, they may also be disappointed when they reach their final destination in life.

On the other hand, those life travellers who do have a clear knowledge of where they want to go, who can point themselves in the right direction, and who know when they want to arrive, travel as the Romans did, in straight lines and with great efficiency.

Most of us have careers to think of, futures to secure, people to provide for, things to do. We need maps! We need direction. We need an itinerary. In other words, we need to set ourselves goals.

Goal setting is a very powerful technique that can yield strong returns in all areas of your life.

Benefits of personal goal setting:

• Clear and focused direction giving a sense of      security and purpose.
• Maximum use of time.
• Enthusiasm is high for what you want.
• Moving steadily towards and achieving the      results you really want and ultimate success.
• Boosted self-esteem, confidence and belief in      your ability to make things happen and feel in control.

Research (Damon Burton, 1983) has shown that people who use goal setting effectively:

• suffer less from stress and anxiety
• concentrate better
• show more self-confidence
• perform better
• are happier and more satisfied.

Choosing Your Personal Goals

When you are developing your goals, you’ll want to give yourself a peaceful environment so you can brainstorm. And, you do want to brainstorm, which means: you write it ALL down, and you throw out nothing, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. When you try to mix brainstorming and practicality, you always lose the benefit of brainstorming. You’ll have time later to be practical with your list. Don’t forget the world is your oyster; you can do whatever you want.

Sometime during this brainstorming exercise, you ought to do like Steven Covey recommends and visualize your funeral. What would be said about you if it was held today, and how does that differ from what you really want to be said about you? Did you leave your family with a financial situation that you really want them to have? Did you do all that you wanted to do? Did your health stop you from achieving things? Where you the best person you could have been?

Dream of everything you want, and have always wanted in every facet of your life.

Consider what you would do if you had no limitations. Consider what you would do, be, have if money and health (for example) were not obstacles for you. Also, think about the people you admire and what it is that they have, do, and are that you want to emulate. Note that you might even want to consider one of these people to be your mentor, to help you think through these areas (at least partly), and to tell you what he/she has found to be effective for them.

Below are 6 Categories that I find help to divide the different aspects in your life:

Financial and Career
Do you enjoy your work? Do you feel you are making a contribution to society? Are you living up to your potential? Have you achieved a satisfactory standard of living? Have you planned for your children’s education? What about your own retirement?

Social and Cultural
Does your circle of friends enrich your life and contribute to your sense of fulfillment and well-being? Is there at least one other person with whom you can discuss important life experiences? Do you have interests outside of your career and family (e.g., sports, theater, outdoor events)?

Spiritual and Ethical
have you ever articulated specific personal values to yourself? Are you living up to those personal values? Do you feel at ease with your own spirituality? Do you meditate? Are you calm and at peace with yourself on the inside?

Family and Home
Have you realized your dream in terms of your home and family relationships? Be sure to use your own personal standards rather than society’s standards. Are you happy with your relationships with say your brother or sister? Maybe set goals to see/talk to them at least once a week.

Mental and Educational
did you accomplish the educational goals you set for yourself following high-school graduation? Are you still growing and learning? Do you invest in your continuing education on a regular basis? Mental strength can be exercised and improved too.

Physical and Health
How satisfied are you with your current level of physical health? Are you living up to your own standards in terms of diet and exercise? Are you fit enough to do the things you want to do? How do you feel when you wake up on the mornings? (Remember its Warrior Dash in February!!)

Once you have written out everything you want to give yourself a realistic time line and make a note in your diary to recap. You’ll be surprised by how much you achieve without even knowing it!!

Timetable 2012