Here’s this week’s lineup! The feature food is quinoa!
Quinoa is often touted as a high protein grain….okay… to get real technical it’s botanically actually a grass, not a grain! But it’s culinarily similarly to a grain so it’s fair to lump it in with the rest of them. Kind of like how tomatoes are botanically a fruit but we call them a veggie because they taste more similar to other veggies!
But I digress… back to quinoa’s reputation as being high in protein!
Cooked quinoa has 4.4g protein per 100g while couscous has 3.7g and oats have 3.2. Sure, it’s higher but it’s not exactly towering over the other grains! An extra 1g protein in a half cup serving is not very much. Drinking a gulp of milk will give you more protein than that!
However, there is something unique about the protein in quinoa! The composition of the proteins in quinoa is considered complete, meaning they contain all the essential protein building blocks (called amino acids) the human body needs. Quinoa is one of the few plant-based foods that can make this claim!
KITCHEN TIP: check your bag of quinoa. Some quinoa comes pre-rinsed. If not, you’ll need to rinse it before cooking or else it may taste soapy/bitter/ or in the words of someone I know “like dirt” due to the saponins the plant produce to protect itself from pests. The bugs don’t like the soapy taste and leave the plant alone!
NOT A QUINOA FAN? okay, I get it: some of you just aren’t quinoa fans! I’ll forgive you, LOL. You can sub in barley or rice in these dishes but they will take longer to cook.
Grocery Shopping List
This Week’s Lineup!
If you have an hour or two on the weekend to take some time to prep parts of your meals, then you can get dinner on the table so much faster during the week! Here are some meal prep ideas:
1. Chop your veggies
Chop your veggies and then place each meal’s worth of veggies in a ziploc bag.
Turkey Quinoa Chili: Dice the onion and red pepper.
Chipotle Mexican Quinoa: Dice the onion and pepper.
Easy One Pan Pad Thai: Slice the onions and shred the carrot.
Ratatouille Baked Eggs: Dice the eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, and onion. Slice the mushrooms.
3. Prepare your protein
Cook the black beans.
Easy One Pan Pad Thai: Slice the chicken or pork (if not using shrimp) and place in a sealed container in the fridge. Press and dice the tofu.
Happy meal prepping!
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