Quinoa Caprese Salad

Happy Monday everyone!  Hope you all had a great, refreshing weekend!  I’ve been utilizing the chalk wall in our kitchen to write out our weekly meal plan and I love it!  I think I resisted because it’s hard to know on a certain day what you’re going to want to eat, but I figure, get it all planned out and grocery shopped so you have something to eat and you can just switch the days around if you want.

Preparing weekend lunches is a favorite of mine.  It’s really nice to enjoy a home-made meal if you’re at the house to eat it:)  With all the weekend running around, sometimes eating while out is more convenient.  This Saturday, having completed the morning errands and getting home in time for lunch, I made a quinoa caprese salad with grilled chicken.  This is one of those easy-to-assemble meals that is packed with protein and flavor.

I start by grilling boneless, skinless chicken breasts in olive oil for a few minutes at the same time I boil the quinoa.  Quinoa cooks quickly, about 8 minutes.  I used 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of organic chicken broth to give it more flavor. 

Then, because the caprese ingredients are a favorite combo (tomato, basil, and mozzarella) I assembled them all together. 
Quinoa is a good source of fiber, magnesium, iron, calcium and fiber.  It has a slightly nutty flavor, but mainly takes on the flavors you cook it with.  It cooks quickly, in about 8 minutes.   Then I chopped the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half and tossed in the basil. 
I seasoned my salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt-free seasoning. 
A bright, refreshing (and filling) salad!

After lunch, I portioned the rest out into plastic containers for quick meals later on during the week.  
Have you tried quinoa- do you like it? 
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I finally completed all 12 weeks of the Live Fit challenge (yay!)  and will be bringing you the low down with my progress later this week- I need to get my body fat measured first:) 

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

11 Comments

  1. I recently tried quinoa & I really like it. So far I've just had it plain & with veggies mixed in. This looks really good.

  2. I made this for the first time a few weeks ago and I loved it! It was very filling and I did it for lunch for a few days that week. I will have to try it with chicken in it.

  3. I too love quinoa and chia!
    On a seoarate nite, You have inspired me to do the live fit challenge, my first workout was tonight! Took a lot as I didn't get time to work out until 830 pm after my kids were in bed and the couch looked soooo much more inviting! But I already feel great and would have never found this plan if it weren't for your blog. My QUESTION is, do you know where in the website I can find all of the workout PDFs in one spot? Downloading and printing each one day by day is going to take too long! Thanks 🙂

    1. Amber, I am so happy to hear that! Good for you- yes, the couch does look more tempting at times but the way you feel after a workout is so much better! I have seen the workouts in a dropbox somewhere but I can't recall where- try googling it. I printed a week at a time.

  4. I've been making this all week and it is so good! I love how filling this is, despite the small portion. I found that a little squeeze of lime really helps to brighten it up and bring out the flavors. Thinking about trying a little drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette next time I make this.

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