Pantry Raid: Leftover Naked Burrito Quinoa

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Rice, quinoa and grains in general are hard to measure out exactly when setting up the rice cooker. In our house, I never wind up with the right amount. There's either 1 scoop left, which is not enough to divide into lunch containers for the next day, or we have a mountain left. Unfortunately, it tends to get packed away and forgotten about in the refrigerator until its too late and too smelly. I challenged myself to re-purpose our leftover quinoa this week into something different using ingredients from the pantry...no shopping trip required. This recipe ended up being the perfect triple treat of taste, protein and veggie all in one!

Peaches 'n Cream Chia Pudding

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Back to School: What's for Lunch?

A little brain teaser to get started...
What is dairy (lactose) free, gluten free, vegetarian, organic, anti-inflammatory, naturally low sugar, but 100% tasty?
Peaches 'n Cream Chia Pudding, of course!

It's back to school season. This means the tiny humans are on the go, eating at school, heading to soccer practice and doing homework while their respective adults are playing chauffeur and personal chef, packing lunches and snacks. Although I am the tiniest human in the Benjamin house, and by no means headed back to school, as summer winds down and school kicks up I feel the changing seasons (gone are the lazy days). I am challenging myself to plan ahead and stay organized, especially when it comes to food.

Tossing a pre-made snack or frozen meal into a lunchbox is obviously the most convenient option, but the calorie and sugar content can be through the roof. I myself am guilty of this when it comes to my lunch at least once a week...I run out of leftovers and here I am on Thursday morning digging through the freezer for a HotPocket. Don't fall into the habit of prepackaged, high sugar snacks. Homemade can be just as simple but loads healthier when executed effectively. Take 5 minutes to throw together some Peaches 'n Cream Chia Pudding. The perk of this recipe is that it preps well and keeps throughout the week. Try making a batch on Sunday night, divide it into smaller containers and suddenly you are armed with a week of fresh and healthy snacks!

Sorry, Not Sorry! It's September!

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My calendar (check out this month's new one here) says its September. Is that right? It can't be...last time I checked it was like June or July. Where has the summer gone?! It's Labor Day weekend, which is like the unofficial end of summer and what have I done? Well, writing for my blog wasn't really one of those things, but I did get to spend time at the shore (NJ and Florida) with family for several weekends, go out on the lake with Ross, and spend some time in NYC for my birthday. I plan to spend the holiday weekend with friends and family celebrating my birthday one last time and saying goodbye to summer. 

As fall creeps in, I PROMISE that more posts are to come (I think I have 10 drafts brainstormed, saved and ready to fire off to you). August was my worst month for writing last year...so sorry, not sorry...I warned you a month ago 😊 So despite September being just as busy as August, I am more prepared.