Caprese Quinoa Salad with Chicken

Okay so by popular demand (aka someone mentioned in passing that I should blog), I'm restarting this thing! I'm a TERRIBLE blogger as proven by my 5 month absence, so don't expect much! And since I'm writing this and watching the Bachelor instead of getting ready for work, we best get a snow day tomorrow...

So I've recently become obsessed with Wegmans. It used to overwhelm me, but since discovering their iPhone app (what??! you don't know about it?! DOWNLOAD NOW), I feel much less stressed! You build your grocery list online and it sorts it by aisle - ahhhhmazing!!

So I think that the best way to eat clean and be successful in whatever plan you're on, preparation is key! So, I like to do a bunch of prep at one time. And lately that prep has been school lunches for the week, which brings us to today's post...Caprese Quinoa Salad with Chicken. Here we go!

So I grabbed all the ingredients you need for caprese salad. Obviously the Harris Teeter glaze is not clean, but I'll use it until it runs out. And since it doesn't expire until March of 2020 (gross), I have some time to find a replacement...

Okay, along we go. I seasoned the chicken - just dusted it with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper (NO SALT FRIENDS). Bake it at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

While the chicken was baking, I made my quinoa - 1:2 dry to wet ratio. I just cooked it in water, nothing fancy today. But so fluffy!

Then I let both the chicken and the quinoa cool and started chopping. Let me just show you one of the best kitchen tools...

This thing is AMAZING! Buy it here!! You just put the tomato (or grape if that's what you're into) in the slot and it quarters it for you! Saves sooooo much time!! And it's super convenient! Sorry for all the exclamation points! Including that one...but seriously I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets. You'll see (if I keep blogging) :-/

Okay, back to chopping. Chopped the chicken, mozzarella, and basil.

Then, I just layered them into the jars and squirted some glaze on the top. Voila!

So there's a shelf in the fridge that I dedicate to lunch stuff. The past few weeks its been the main dish and then berry parfaits and yogurts.

And then I clean, chop, and divide all the other fruits and veggies that find their way into my cart and put them in the crisper. That way when I get home, I can just grab and snack. Its mostly about convenience my friends...

Yay! Next week, I'm thinking of a tuna avocado pasta salad, so that should be a good time :)

2 things...

A few big things happened this week...

1. I have gone 16 days without a Diet Coke. If you know me, you know that is a HUGE deal for me! I am so proud of myself.

2. Last night, I was alone for dinner. Normally I would have just ordered something or picked up drive-thru. But *drumroll please* I stopped at the store and bought organic, grass-fed beef. Now, if my father were still alive - he would have asked if I cooked/ate it. the big jerk :) And yes, I did! I put that delicious organic, grass-fed beef on a 100% whole wheat tortilla and then topped it with cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, light sour cream, and avocado! Do you know what's even better than the fact that I made the decision to cook dinner? I felt so good about it! I didn't feel gross after fast food because I didn't eat the fast food! Yay for me! It's all about the baby steps people :)

3. I went to the doctor for a physical this morning. Now, I haven't really been good about this. After I got too old for the pediatrician, I just never got around to going. If I got sick, I just went to urgent care. I avoided it because I knew how the conversation was going to go and I didn't want to hear it. I know that I'm overweight. I know I need to stop. But until I really made the decision to change, that conversation wasn't going to have any affect on me. But I was finally ready to hear it. My blood pressure and EKG were normal (yay!) and I have an appointment to go over my bloodwork next week (fingers crossed). 

I'm really proud of myself :) And I didn't even reward myself with food and that makes me even more proud.

Gotta go cook a healthy dinner!

Also I just checked my math...that was 3 things. So sorry for the lie :-/

Getting informed

The beach is the BEST place for reading (in my humble opinion). It's a big deal to my sister, my mom, and myself to go to the library and check out books. This year I checked out 14 and brought about 6 from home. I mean, I am obviously going to read 20 books in 14 days, of course I didn't overpack!

Anyway, my reading list this year has been extremely different than in years past. I've read 1 book for pleasure, but these 3 beauties have been my main companions on the beach:

I started with The Honest Life because Katie had it with her (I have clearly since ordered my own copy and written/highlighted/post-it(ed?) everywhere in it). That book is great for getting toxic chemicals out of your life taking baby steps. Letting you know the big ones to avoid and simple swaps that will make the biggest impact. 

Next up came the Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Clean. I love this book. It explains the benefits of the lifestyle change. It gives you great tips for making little changes or helping you go cold turkey. The last 12ish chapters are dedicated to awesome clean recipes. My book is seriously dog-eared, because lets face it...I love food!

I finished reading The Everything Eating Clean Cookbook yesterday. And if I thought the idiot's guide was dog-eared, I'm not sure how to describe this one. There are amazing sounding recipes in this book! 

I cannot wait to get home and make my first trips to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Costco (just to see what they have in bulk that I can use). I think I'm getting my mom excited about eating clean, too. 

I love cooking and I love eating, and this lifestyle lets me do that 5 times a day! Winner winner :) Please don't worry, I'll post pictures of my cooking on insta @kathryncleansup

The conversation that started it all..

Katie came over for tacos last week. She brought the beef and I brought the toppings. She was so proud of herself because she bought grass fed beef-she said it was supposed to be better for you. I just thought she was completely nuts because she spent $9 on a pound of beef! We have an immune system right? So what does it matter if we have a few toxins or extra chemicals in us?

I've always joked that I'm sure I'll live a long time because I'm sure some of the preservatives in my food will diffuse out of my stomach and into my organs. And that got me thinking...OH MY GOSH! WHAT IF THE PRESERVATIVES IN FOOD DIFFUSE OUT OF MY STOMACH AND INTO MY ORGANS?!?!?!! Food isn't supposed to last that long. If I go to the farmers market (stop laughing) and buy some berries, they'll need to be eaten in a day or two. So why would I be willing to add in some chemicals that would make it edible for an extended period of time? I have a degree in Biology...I know cells break down for a reason. Who am I to prolong AND THEN INGEST that process?

I'm starting small. I'll make a few changes. I'll have successes. I'll definitely have failures. I'll fall down (maybe have a kitkat or 2-I think I still have some left over from last Halloween that haven't expired yet). I'll get up. I'll be healthier. I'll be happier. I'll be making a difference.