Quinoa & Chia Bread

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Last week saw me flattened with a virus my hubby shared. Sharing is caring, so I gave it to my eldest daughter.

I confess, while being ill, I may have eaten things that required a mini marathon to burn off. Since I'm not in training for a marathon, I decided to take a good look at my diet.

I really like eating meat, am a sucker for those tempting low-carb protein bars and tend to forget to eat my veggies and fruit everyday. Sad, but true story.

Insanity is doing the same thing but expecting a different result. My body has been going through enough hormonal turmoil without me making it worse. It is definitely time for a change. 

I'm sure most of you ladies out there have intuition. Mine has been whispering regularly these past months: eat vegetarian. I finally decided to listen to that voice. I include some fish with that, which technically makes my new label pescatarian. However, for the most part, I am a veggie gal.

May I confess, after only a few days, I feel so much better! I have more energy and a clearer mind already, even after visiting my sweet dad on Monday and eating less than ideal food. My cycle started back this week and is quite normal, and I was able to help my hubby with a massive collection of tons of pavers. Veggie food packs some power!

I have to say, veggie based meals are also soooo delish! Why, oh why, have I been afraid to eat like this before? I have been incredibly satisfied, and found my sleep is better just by making a dietary change. And if I eat carbs, it has to be whole food where possible.

Take a look below at the highlights of my week, and the recipe for my new addiction: Quinoa and Chia Bread. 

My weekday lunch: Quinoa/ chia bread with cottage cheese, tomatoes, basil and cracked black pepper. 

A beautiful sunset reflection on the clouds during an evening beach walk with my loves- hubby and my sweet toddler.

A super healthy, low carb cauliflower fried rice, made with minimal oil.

My three babies. Love these girls so much, and they motivate me to take care of my health.

And now, for the recipe of the day...

QUINOA & CHIA BREAD (thanks vegannie for the recipe).

ingredients

• 1 & 3/4 cups quinoa & enough water to cover it. (I used 1/2 a cup of linseed/ oat bran/ psyllium mix as I didn't have enough quinoa left).
• 1/4 cup chia seeds soaked in half a cup water.
• 1/2 cup extra water.
• 1/4 cup olive oil.
• 1/2 tsp baking soda.
• splash vinegar.
• 1/2 tsp salt.
• juice of half a lemon.

method

• Soak quinoa in cold water and leave in fridge overnight.
• Do the same for chia seeds.
• The next day, rinse and drain qinoa (I drained but didn't rinse).
• Preheat oven to 180 C.
• Line a loaf tin or baking tray with baking paper.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until batter like. I left mine with visible quinoa.
• Pour into tin/ tray and bake for approx 1.5 hours.
• Cool before serving. Store in fridge for up to one week.

I found an odd thing happened- the top popped up like a giant air bubble, creating a crispy top layer that I could peel off once cooked. It was actually tasty and crunchy, while the bread underneath remained a firm, but softer texture.

I just love it! It has a lemony tang to it and is a great savoury bread, high in protein, omega 3's and fibre.

The finished product. It doesn't rise like typical bread, but is a dense, nutrient rich and very satisfying bread that can also be toasted.

Enjoy!

That is all for today. My next post will be a community garden update,  where you can actually see how much hard work  I did on my new veggie based diet :)

Until then, thanks for reading.