Chicken Quinoa Casserole

This is my new go-to recipe for during the weeks. It's delicious, pretty healthy (make sure to check out the substitutes I use below), and the leftovers last literally all week for me. It reheats well for lunch and tastes just as good as when it first came out of the oven.

The recipe is pretty simple to make - just 11 ingredients (or less depending on what additions you add), and about an hour of your time. To begin, preheat the over to 400 degrees, and grease a 9x13 baking dish (I use coconut oil to do so). Bring the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk (I used almond milk) to a boil in a medium/large sized saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk the other 1/2 cup of milk with flour (I used almond meal - see portions below) and poultry seasoning. Combine both together in saucepan and stir until the mixture is creamy.

Next, mix the sauce with 1 cup of water, quinoa, and bacon (I used turkey bacon, you can substitute pretty much anything you'd like though, like ham, or sausage) in a large bowl and stir. Pour this into the greased baking dish and add the chicken breasts (sliced thinly) on top of the mixture. Sprinkle the seasoning over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

While the casserole is baking, we cook the broccoli! To cook it, I chopped up the broccoli into very small pieces, put it in a bowl with a tiny bit of water, covered the bowl and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. You can also cook it by putting the broccoli in boiling water until it turns bright green.

Once the casserole is done cooking, remove it from the oven and stir. You can cook it an additional 10 minutes if it's too watery. Once the casserole is thickened, add the broccoli and a little bit of water (1 cup or less), and stir until the mixture is creamy and stirs easily. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese. That's it!

Quinoa & Broccoli Chicken Casserole

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (option to substitute almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 cup flour (option to substitute pretty much any other flour - see this chart for help) 
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (option to substitute ham, sausage, or eliminate this completely)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons seasoning (I used garlic salt combined with an italian seasoning)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella - Gruyere is a great option too)
• 3 cups broccoli florets 

*recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

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1 Minute Microwave Muffin

Let me start off by saying that this picture does this recipe absolutely no justice. This is my microwave muffin that I make on an almost daily basis at work, and I had to share it with you guys. It is DELICIOUS, and even better yet, it is only 5 ingredients and takes less than 2 minutes to make! You can also use whatever fruit you'd like and the sweetener of your choice (I tend to use brown sugar, but agave or maple syrup works also!). It is the most simple recipe, and pretty healthy and filling - better than most things I would usually get at work. One of my favorites. Read on for the recipe below.

1 Minute Microwave Muffin

• 1/4 cup quick oats (I use Quaker)
• 1 egg
• about a tablespoon of sweetener (brown sugar, maple syrup, agave...)
• small handful of berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
• 1 spoonful of chia seeds (optional)

Directions: mix the oats, egg and sweetener together in a mug or small bowl (I like using a larger mug because then the muffin doesn't overflow in the microwave). Make sure it is really well mixed together. Add in the chia seeds if you want to go with that option, but I highly recommend putting chia seeds in everything possible - you won't even notice that they're there!. Throw the small handful of whatever berries you choose on top and throw in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. I usually do a 1:20, but our microwave is pretty strong... Let it cool and then turn the mug upside down onto a bowl or plate and the muffin should just fall right out. Done! 

Aloha

There is just something about drinking a green juice or smoothie that makes me feel like a million bucks. I'm a major believer in getting in your greens, and try to get at least a few into my diet on a daily basis. Sometimes, that isn't always the easiest thing to do (nor do most people feel like dropping $10 on a green juice from Juice Press on the reg). This is where ALOHA comes in. I discovered ALOHA Daily Good Greens a few months ago when a friend mentioned to me that they used it, so I decided to try it out. Needless to say, I'm slightly obsessed. It's almost easier that drinking a green juice! The Daily Good Greens is a powder full of all the essential super foods you need on a daily basis - such as coconut, wheatgrass, lemon, ginger, spirulina, spinach and more. Every ingredient is organic, and it's jam packed with everything you need to make your skin radiant, boost your immune system, and give you energy.

I wasn't kidding was I? The ingredients speak for themselves. Another awesome benefit of this power is the fiber - it really does fill you up, even if you're only mixing it with water, although I wouldn't recommend that. It definitely tastes best in a smoothie or mixed in with something that has a flavor. One of my favorite ways to drink it, if I don't have the resources to make a smoothie, is with coconut water.

It is incredibly easy to incorporate into your daily routine, whether you throw the powder in a smoothie, into water/juice, or into your yogurt/oatmeal in the mornings. It doesn't taste bad at all (it's sweetened naturally with coconut), and if you put it in the right recipe, you can't even taste it! Speaking of recipes... ALOHA lists some great recipes and ways to incorporate your powder into your foods on their website. My absolute favorite, go-to smoothie recipe is below.

Dana's Daily Good Smoothie

• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• a few strawberries
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 pouch ALOHA Daily Good Greens
• 2 large handfuls of kale (or spinach)
• Optional: 2 scoops protein powder (I include this if I'm drinking the smoothie after a workout)

PS: ALOHA is on sale on Gilt today! Pick it up for 45% off here.