Quinoa Peanut Butter Flax Seed Bar

Morning snack - whole wheat cinnamon pancakes with clementines

Lunch - turkey avocado and cheese roll up, pretzel sticks and baby carrots

Afternoon snack - quinoa peanut butter flax seed bar and apple

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Quinoa Peanut Better Flax Seed Bar

Ingredients

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (though crunchy may have been better)

2/3 cup honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 cups cooked quinoa **

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup flax seed

Method

Cook peanut butter, honey, salt, cinnamon and vanilla over medium to low heat and stir constantly.  Once it has all melted down pour the entire contents over the quinoa, raisins and flax seeds.  Stir until it is completely combined.  Transfer onto a cookie sheet that has either been pregreased or use parchment paper (my preference).  Press down to flatten out the mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, this should solidify the bar a bit more.

WARNING: I haven't gotten the recipe quite right so the bar isn't as firm as I'd like for it to be, but it is still super tasty.  So enjoy!

**If you want something that you don't have to bake try using 6 cups brown rice cereal (very hard to find) instead of quinoa.  Set it in the fridge for half hour or so then cut up and enjoy.

Quinoa porridge

Morning snack: quinoa porridge sweetened with dates

Lunch: steamed carrots, pretzel Goldfish, grapes and Quorn meatless "chicken"

Afternoon snack: clementines and almonds

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Anybody who knows me knows that I just LOVE quinoa!  It's a very versatile grain, highly nutritious, high in protein, a good source of magnesium, dietary fiber, folate, zinc, and even contains Omega-3 fatty acids. So every Sunday I make a stock of quinoa.  Yep, you read that right...a stock of quinoa.  I basically cook an unseasoned batch of quinoa that I pull from for the week.  

Quinoa stock

Add 2 cups of water for each cup of dried quinoa to a pot.  Turn the heat on to high.  Once it starts to boil turn off the heat source and cover.  Once the water is all soaked in your quinoa is done.  (Makes 4 cups)

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Another thing I like to keep in my refrigerator is date paste.  I often use it to sweeten foods or baked goods to avoid using sugar.  

Date paste

Using a food processor process pitted dates and add a little water at a time until a paste if formed.  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  

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Bare with me here, as I try to describe how to make quinoa porridge because, like oatmeal, it really is a matter of preference.  In my house we all have a different preference, I like my oatmeal a bit runny, my husband likes it dry and LQ likes it a bit in between.  So I've provided the ingredients and I hope you can find your own perfect mixture.

Ingredients

Date paste

Chopped pecans (or walnuts would also work nicely)

Cooked quinoa

Almond milk

Cinnamon

Method

Combine the ingredients to your desired sweetness (dates), moisture (almond milk) and texture (pecans).  If you don't like the texture you end up with you can always throw it in the blender, it comes out very creamy. This can be eaten cold or hot, either way it's delicious!