I’ve been a little bit wary to try some of the stuff on the Jump Start Diet meal plan because it’s pretty far from my usual diet. I’m generally a meat and potatoes kind of girl — hold the vegetables — and while I love to try new things, usually those things involve carbs, grease and salt. Things like kale, lentils, fennel and arugula just don’t sound that appealing to me.
One thing in the meal plan sounded especially weird — quinoa. The first time I ever saw the word was when I was scrolling through the meal plan just before Day One and I quickly decided to ignore every quinoa recipe. While looking through the meal plan today, I re-thought that decision. I google-imaged it and found that it sort of looked like couscous or rice or something. Drooling over the thought of a grain-based meal, I decided to try the Quinoa Pepper Sauté.
Quinoa and Pepper Sauté
Sauté 1 cup chopped red bell peppers, 1/2 cup chopped red onion and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika in 1 tsp olive oil until vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add 2 cups spinach; sauté until spinach wilts. Serve vegetable mixture over 1 cup cooked quinoa. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp grated Parmesan, 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley.
375 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated), 58 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 14 g protein
Let me be clear about something — I am a hungry girl. I can’t just eat two leafs and call it a meal. So, when I saw that I would only have one cup of cooked quinoa as the main part of my meal, I thought I would be left far from satisfied. But! I was wrong. I was left feeling so full, yet not in a heavy way.
While the quinoa was sort of bland, the red bell pepper and red onion mix was packed with flavor, so it turned out to be delicious. Also, according to “Superfood of the day: Quinoa!” from the SELF Magazine website, quinoa is packed with protein, fiber and potassium. Finally, a grain I don’t have to feel guilty about!
Still full from dinner,
Samantha