De-stress your life

Those of you who know me, know that I’ve been a little stressed the past week or so (to say the least). But of course, nothing helps me de-stress more than cooking my favourite meal (and a large glass of wine).

This one of my favourite easy/healthy/tasty meals in my repertoire:

Taco Salad:

1.     1 lb of ground beef (I use ground turkey because it's healthier but you can also use a soy-based taco “meat”)

2.     your favourite taco fixins including:

a.     Lettuce

b.     Cheese

c.      Salsa

d.     Ranch dressing

e.     Black beans

f.      Tomatoes

g.     Crunched up taco chips to sprinkle on the top

Combine and enjoy! 

Gnocchi, gnocchi, who's got the gnocchi?

As a (very) busy student, it's easy to overlook nutrition and good quality food.

I'd like to share one of my favourite recipes with you (and one that I came up with myself, thank-you very much). It's nutritious (sort of) and delicious.

You will need:
1 pkg of whole wheat gnocchi (you can just use regular but whole wheat is healthier. I haven't found whole wheat gnocchi in the grocery store but I get mine at Bulk Barn)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
splash of olive oil
1 pkg (1 lb) of turkey Italian sausage, casings removed (you can use the regular pork sausages but I like to try and cut the fat a bit)
Large handful of fresh basil.
s & p

What to do:
1. Brown off the meat in a large frying pan. Drain the fat and remove. (You can also add some fennel seed at this point if you like. Fennel seed is the traditional flavouring of Italian sausage)
2. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to package directions. (Basically, throw it in boiling water until they all float to the top) Set aside.
3. Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil until they're soft.
4. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and the meat.
5. Add the gnocchi and roughly chopped basil.

If you'd like, top with a little parm and enjoy!

Keen-What? Keen-Wah! (or Quinoa)

I'd like to dedicate this blog to sharing with you guys one of my favourite (vegetarian) recipes.

Quinoa salad! Yay!
I've made this salad before with couscous but to my understanding, quinoa is healthier and they are virtually the same size and texture. I like to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge. It will last a few days.

You will need:
There are really only a few essential ingredients you will need for this salad.
Quinoa (or couscous if you prefer)
Can of chickpeas
Any kind of cheese (I like feta but really anything will do - grated or in little chunks. You can leave this out for a vegan version)
An assortment of vegetables and/or herbs. Ones that work well are: peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, broccoli, parsley
Salad dressing of your choosing - I like Greek.

1. Make the quinoa according to the package directions. Then cool it off (for Winnipeggers in winter, this means sticking it outside for 10 minutes).

2. Chop all your vegetables into bite size pieces.

3. Mix the works together!