{I always laugh when I think about how my daughter refuses grilled cheese, mashed potatoes and chicken nuggets, but how she loves quinoa in every form! Thankfully, we always have quinoa on hand and I love how adaptable it is. You can add lots of ingredients or keep in simple with very few, and this is one of our recent favorites for a flavorful and bright quinoa dish}
what you'll need:+ white quinoa, cooked according to package instructions+ diced butternut squash+ diced red onion+ S&P / coconut or olive oil+ small frying pan
what you'll do:+ cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside {I usually make ½ to 1 cup of quinoa at a time, because although it doesn’t look like much, it expands a lot when cooking}+ in a small frying pan, heat oil of choice over medium heat+ add in diced red onion and butternut squash and cook until tender and caramelized+ mix cooked quinoa with squash and red onion, adding S&P to taste+ serve warm
{This recipe is also delicious with turkey or chicken sausage added for extra protein / I buy ours fresh from the meat counter and remove the casing, and then crumble it and cook it in olive oil before adding the vegetables to the frying pan!}
{Mexican is always on the menu around here and this is a great way to amp up tricolor quinoa any day of the week! You can customize it to yours and your child’s preferences, adding diced avocado, green onion, or tomatoes for extra flavor}
what you'll need:+ tricolor quinoa, cooked according to package instructions+ 1 cup of frozen corn of choice {we love the fire-roasted variety}+ 1 can of black beans+ S&P+ lime {optional}
{The most basic of all 3 quinoa recipes today, buttered quinoa with peas is a comfort food for Olivia since she has loved peas since she started solid foods. You can sub any vegetable your child really likes, or serve buttered quinoa plain. Be sure to use real butter when cooking and avoid butter-like spreads and margarine, as it is often filled with ingredients your child should avoid}
what you'll need:+ ½ cup of white, red, or tricolor quinoa – cooked according to package instructions {in this recipe, I used white but you can use any type you have on hand!}+ ½ cup frozen peas, defrosted or fresh peas, pods removed+ 1 TBSP butter / S&P+ small frying pan
For any of the previous posts in this healthy eating series, click the links below:avocado / cauliflower / sweet potatoes / chia seeds / protein punch / zucchini / lovely lentils / carrots
Hope your weekend is off to a great start!
~ Megan
