Quinoa Patty Recipe For Friday

It truly is TGIF!  It's been a challenging week, what with all my work at my real J-O-B and stuff to do at home and then my sweet, adorable pain-in-you-know-what cats that seem to insist on waking me up somewhere between 2 and 4 a.m.! 

Don't they look so sweet and angelic?  Well, in the middle of the night they have paws of steel that sound like tree branches scraping on a metal roof in a strong storm and meowing cries that could send the neighborhood dogs into fits.  If it weren't for the fact that I'm eating such nutritious foods, I think I'd find myself in a mental slump every day after lunch.  The kale salads, fresh fruit and fantastic lentils have kept me alert and buzzing all day long.  Who needs caffeine to stay awake when you can supercharge your body with nutrients?!


I'm really looking forward to some good sleep this weekend.  As long as I don't take too much work home with me, I think I'll find time for a nap one day.  I'm also eager to spend some time with a long-time friend who I haven't seen for a while.  I still need to give her the Christmas gift I bought for her.  We're planning a walk around the little neighborhood lake nearby, weather dependent.  Also, I think a pedicure is in order.  So I'll try to squeeze that in there too.  Wow!  When will I prep and cook my week's foods?  I guess I do have Sunday to do some things.

Speaking of prep & cooking...  Last weekend I made some quinoa patties that I told you I'd share the recipe for later.  Well, Thursday night we were at a loss as to what to eat and I remembered I'd made those little hockey pucks over the weekend, so I pulled them from the freezer and, including the time to saute veggies that accompanied them & warming the patties in a pan, dinner was on the table in less than ten minutes!  It was delish!  I have to admit I overate, just a tad.

 

I've been dealing with some sweets cravings and so have been fulfilling my cravings with eating more than I should at mealtime.  I think it's getting easier though to push the thoughts of sugar out of my head.  Fruit is a good substitute for processed sugar things and I'm finding it to be pretty satisfying too. 

So here the RECIPE for my quinoa patties:

1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 sweet potato, baked & mashed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red pepper, minced
1/4 c. chia gel (1 Tbsp chia seeds mixed w/ 3 Tbsp water)
2 Tbsp cheese alternative
1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder
black pepper to taste
1 handful spinach finely chopped

Moosh all the ingredients together and form into patties.  Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake at 325 for 40 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes.

I froze the patties wrapped in waxed paper and then placed in a Ziplock bag.  When it was time to re-heat them, I just placed them in a dry hot skillet and warmed through.  I served them with a giant serving of sauteed cabbage, mushrooms and asparagus.  Hubby liked patty with a little dallop of mustard on top.  It was a nice addition.

Last summer I had a green smoothie more mornings that I didn't have one.  Because the weather is cool now, a chilly smoothie just doesn't jump into my mind when I'm thinking of breakfast, plus I don't want to run the VitaMix at 5 a.m. and wake up the house.  I learned something yesterday though.  As long as you consume the smoothie within 24 hours of it's creation, you're still getting the vital nutrients.  BINGO!  Guess what I had for breakfast this morning?!  Yep.  I was so excited to have this giant glass of green goodness waiting for me in the car after my workout this morning!  It was the perfect breakfast for me.

Having a smoothie will also free up the ability to have a serving of grains later in the day, say, for lunch or dinner.  I had been having raw oats almost every morning, so I think I'll save those for rare occasions and get back to my smoothie making.  I just can't tell you how excited I am to be back in the smoothie saddle!  I will try to contain my excitement  and come back here on Monday with a new creation from my time in the kitchen over the weekend.

I hope your weekend is healthy and happy!