One Pot Quinoa PadThai

Posted on 09/08/2012 by ArchaiChocolate

Ingredients: 1 tsp oil~1/2 cup dry quinoa~1 cup chicken or vegetable broth~1/2 cup frozen veggies~1/2 tsp garlic powder~2 tbs fresh cilantro+extra for garnish~1 green onion~1 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice~1 tbs soy sauce~1/2 squirt Sriracha chili sauce~2-3 tbs roasted & salted peanuts (chopped)

1) Heat up oil over medium heat and toast quinoa for about 6 minutes stirring often

2) Add broth, frozen veggies, 2/3 of the green onions, and 2 tbs cilantro, stir and bring to a boil

3) Reduce heat and simmer with lid for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed

4) Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients except for cilantro and peanuts

5) Garnish with cilantro and peanuts

6) Serve and enjoy

(recipe serves 1)

Spanish Quinoa

Posted on 06/13/2012 by ArchaiChocolate

Well..I’m back, after about a two month hiatus. I got discouraged about this whole blog writing thing. I was spending so much time trying to make all my words sound perfect and flowy, like a real writer would. I finally understood why I wanted to write a blog when I read a post by a fellow blogger where she said that she just writes how she talks day to day. It really hit me, instead of spending all this time finding the perfect words that blend so well together I should just be enjoying the ride, and the fun I am having creating new recipes, trying new recipes, & crafting. So here I am two months later, with some exciting experiments I want to share with you.

I decided not to stress about trying to get a certain amount of posts in each week, it takes the fun away when I’m more worried about getting enough posts instead of focusing on the quality of my projects.

Well here’s the delicious side dish, perfect paired with tacos or burritos but great as a stand alone meal, just add a little chicken or black beans.

Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa~1.5 cups water~1/2 cup of your favorite salsa~1/4 cup diced yellow onion~1 tsp cumin~1/2 tsp chili powder~1/2 tsp garlic~1/2 to 1 tsp salt~1-2 Tbs cilantro (chopped)

1) Rinse your quinoa off in a colander. 2) Add quinoa and remaining ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan. 3) Stir thoroughly. 4) Bring to a boil over medium heat. 5) When the quinoa begins to boil, reduce to low and cover pan. 6) Cook for 10-15 minutes or until most of the water has soaked in (the quinoa will have little tails when its done cooking and taste tender) 7) Serve and enjoy.

Tonight we paired the quinoa with black bean burgers topped with corn relish and an avocado cream sauce. Recipe found here.

Have a great evening! The temperature is perfect here in Lansing, I think I will go for a run!

Word Decor DIY

Posted on 04/17/2012 by ArchaiChocolate

We had such a fun-filled, busy, and eventful weekend! Saturday was my birthday so we woke up early to open a few presents and Randy made me breakfast in bed. We started off the weekend watching a few episodes of I Love Lucy, my brithday present from Randy and his Mom. I then proceeded to get all of my grocery shopping done for the week, the health food store I shop at has big sales on Saturday’s so I always try to get my main goods for the following week, give or take the few items that always seem to come up as the week goes on. I skipped my Saturday morning workout to enjoy a free birthday latte from Biggby. Randy and I then joined some friends to help with a fun event they were putting on, the Amazing Race MSU style. They modeled their game after their favorite show. It was a great turnout with 8 teams participating and having fun battling it out for the win! The day was finished spending time with one of our favorite couples, we went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday, bought and picked up our new car, and headed home to chill with a movie!!!

On Sunday we went to church and then got ready for a baby shower for my friend Stella, I planned a Safari themed party together with my friends Erin, Greta, and Becky. It was such a fun afternoon, celebrating new life, spending time with friends, eating good food, and watching Stella open presents.

This fun craft below is a great idea for new babies, newlyweds, or just adding fun letters or words to accent a room. This is one of the gifts I made for their baby, Preston.

You will need: unfinished wooden letters~acrylic paint in assorted colors~assorted paintbrushes~wood or super glue~1 roll of skinny ribbon in matching color~ruler~pencil

1. Begin by priming front side and edges of wood with two coats of paint, when dry, paint one coat on the backside. Painting the backside isn’t necessary if the project is for you, it just looks more put together when its a gift. I mix colors myself to get the exact color but you can also find most colors you want at the craft store.

2. Choose which letters you want to paint. Begin painting prints on the letters you have chosen, I like to follow a pattern or design to get ideas. For this occasion I was trying to match some patterns my friend was already using in her baby room. I also chose to leave some of the colors solid.

3. For any intricate patterns like plaid or stripes use a ruler to get more exact lines and use the smallest brush you have to make your lines more straight

4. When paint is done drying, cut enough ribbon for each letter, 12 inches long each.

5. Near the top of the letter measure over to the center with a ruler and mark with pencil.

6. Fold the ribbon in half, put a dot of glue and secure folded point of the ribbon on the glue, use the edge of the ruler to push the ribbon into the glue. I left them untied so Stella could choose her length.

7. If you are keeping it for yourself tie into desired length knot or bow, its easier if you tie it around the nail you will use. Here is an example of a bow I tied:

The finished look:

Manic Monday-Lapis Edition

Posted on 04/16/2012 by ArchaiChocolate

I am really loving the color lapis right now, it kind of has a bold neon affect that brightens up any outfit! It can also be made as a focal point for any room!