Quinoa with Spinach

I made this for lunch today. It was so tasty that I had to jump on my computer before I head to class and my first shift on the Orthopedic floor for my new CNA job! Definitely nervous and excited for today, I hate being the new kid but I can't wait to learn and see so much.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I've adapted and it is delicious. Perfect side dish for only 3 points per serving! If you have never had Quinoa before, this is the way to start. The flavors are savory and wonderful :)

Quinoa with Spinach

{4 Servings}

-1-1/2 tsp Olive Oil

-1/2 Yellow Onion, minced

-1 clove of minced Garlic

-1/2 cup uncooked, pre-rinsed Quinoa

-1 cup Fat Free Low Sodium Chicken Broth

-1/8 tsp Pepper

-1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

-2.5 ounces frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and liquid drained

-1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.

Add the minced onion and garlic, stir and cook until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the Quinoa to skillet. Cook while stirring frequently until Quinoa starts to turn golden brown. Then add the chicken broth, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. 

Cover the skillet and simmer for 13-15 minutes.

Waiting is the hardest part!

Stir in the chopped spinach. Cover the skillet and let the rest of liquid get absorbed, about 4 minutes. 

Season the Quinoa with 1/4 tsp salt and serve!

Remember...only 3 points per serving! 

Hello Again!

Long time, no see! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. When life and school are crazy, unfortunately the blog has to suffer. I'm sure those of you that are nurses or currently in nursing school can relate...care plans are crazy and take over your lives! Currently I'm taking Medical-Surgical nursing and Pharmacotheraupeutics (yikes!), and these two classes alone require about 20 hours a week from me outside of class. The exciting part is that I get to have a clinical rotation in the OR this semester...yay! Hopefully I get something really awesome and crazy, and not an appendectomy. That would be disappointing :(

Otherwise, since I last wrote, quite a few things have happened! I went to Hawaii with Dusty and his family for 10 days over New Years. It was my first time on a plane and I gotta tell ya, I loved it! Why haven't I flown before? 5 hours from MT to CA...that is 100x better than the 20 hour drive! I only freaked out once and that was on my first flight from MT to Denver. The plane was super tiny, like tin can tiny, and I was overwhelmed with this thought....

I'm in a little tin can in the middle of the air. I'm going to die!

Look at me, this is before take-off. So excited, so unaware of how terrified I was about to be.

But THANK GOD my anti-nausea patch kicked in after an hour so that I could sleep the rest of the way. After that little "moment" I was good to go for the entire trip. I'm now a veteran flyer and love it!

After 12 hours of flying, it was all worth it because Hawaii is gorgeous! I fell in love immediately with the Big Island and considered not coming back to freezing Montana. Here is why I loved it...

Black Sand Beaches...

Sea Turtles...

Luaus....

Volcanoes...

Waterfalls...

The tropical flowers....

And the ocean.

I could have lived here forever!

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip with Dusty's family. I became addicted to Macadamia nuts and eating seafood everyday. I also gained 5 pounds, but that's okay because I've worked it off already. It was a blast gaining that 5 pounds, let me tell you what, Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies are freakin' delicious!

But now I'm back to reality, eating light and working on endless care plans and drug dosage calculations. I worked hard yesterday so that Dusty and I could attend the Billings wedding fair today. Hopefully it's not a stinker like the one we went to in the fall. We haven't done much planning since I last updated you, but I've definitely been cutting out and bookmarking ideas I love! I'll leave this blog post today with some of my ideas I've found and love....

I'm in love with this dress and dying to find it and try it on!

Talk to you later!