My parents and I are currently heading into Paia, our favorite Maui spot, for lunch before we conquer their fears again by taking a helicopter tour of Maui! After yesterday’s sun filled adventure down to Wailea, we’re excited to see Maui from a new vantage point today!

Since I’m off gallivanting, I figured this was a perfect time for a guest post from a fellow New York City gal who manages to work full time and cook a lot more than I ever do! Since I can’t provide the number of healthy recipe ideas that I’d like, asking Caitlin for some is always a great idea!

Hello! My name is Caitlin and I write at Caitlin Lives Well about making healthy choices one day at a time. This approach has helped me lose 45 pounds and keep it off for almost 5 years now.
Despite the fact that the majority of my meal choices are healthy these days, I often gets in food ruts. I don’t pretend to be a chef – most of my meals involve a few simple ingredients and quick prep/cook times. If something is healthy, easy to make and tastes good, I’ll eat it for days on end. Oatmeal is one of those foods – I eat it at least 2-3 times a week, and lately I’ve been getting a little bored. Food ruts not only get boring but they can have a negative effect on weight loss – your body gets too used to anything, even something that’s good for you, and it gets comfortable! It’s important to switch it up often and try new things.

Taking inspiration from one of my favorite places, the Whole Foods hot bar, I decided to mix it up this week at try quinoa for breakfast. I was a little nervous as I’ve never tried sweet quinoa before, but it turned out to be a great experiment. It was quick, simple and delicious! The only thing I would do differently is make more so I can have it all week.

Breakfast Quinoa: Serves 2 – adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

Directions: Rinse quinoa, then add quinoa and cinnamon to a pan and toast on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes until it begins to brown and starts popping.

Add almond milk, water, vanilla and salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy, about 25-30 minutes.

Add toppings of your choice – I added berries and walnuts, you could easily add other fruits, nuts, brown sugar – the options are endless! The texture and nuttiness of the quinoa provide a nice change from oatmeal – it’s also higher in protein and provides more vitamins and minerals than oats do.

Feel free to pop over to Caitlin Lives Well to read more about me, my weight loss, and find quick, easy recipes!