Caprese Quinoa

Horror of horrors!  My gym instructor is leaving!

Ever since my friend Tasha convinced me to go to an aerobox class with her in university, fitness class have been the key component of my fitness regime.

Because they are at set times, they force me to actually schedule it into my day, and I have to go at that time or I’ll miss it.  Without this structure, it is way too easy for me to opt for laziness instead of workout glory.

But not all fitness instructors are created equal.

I have my favorites, and over the years I have seen many come and go.  It was me who had to leave my favorites after I finished university.  Then I found a new gym, and in the four years I’ve been going there, I’ve seen many of my favorites leave.

But Laura, my Thursday morning mixed cardio and muscle conditioning class instructor, has remained constant over the last four years until now.  On Friday she announced she would be taking a new position at the new civic center that is opening in the fall and that she would be finishing up at Goodlife in a week.

This comes after my Tuesday fitness instructor left at the beginning of the summer.

So basically, I need a major overall to my fitness schedule, or I’m going to end up looking like a little piggy if the nachos and beer from the weekend have anything to say about it.

And we all know how much I love change.  Not.

I’m seriously considering cancelling my gym membership and signing up at the civic center.  I’ve been known to follow my favorite instructors when possible.  I followed Celeste, one of my favorite yoga instructors, when she left Goodlife to her new yoga studio… and then to her new gym after that.

I need consistency in my life.  And routine, apparently.

So the only problem now is figuring out if I can get out of my Goodlife membership.  I just keep thinking about that episode of Friends where Chandler tries to quit the gym.  And figuring out what I’m going to do until October.

So anyway, Caprese is good.  Remember that grilled chicken?

The other day I decided to make a quinoa salad because I’ve been eating a lot of quinoa lately and why not add some tomato, cheese, and herbs to it.  Plus I haven’t killed my basil yet.

And that balsamic vinegar I used?  A little old lady sold it to me when I was Italy.  It’s the real deal.

This was the end result.  Yum.

Caprese Quinoa

seves 2

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar + more for drizzling

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed in cold water

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise and large ones quartered

100 g fresh buffalo mozzarella

6-8 fresh basil leaves

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Combine stock and 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar in a pot.  Add the quinoa and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes, until liquid is all absorbed.

Meanwhile, slice tomatoes and cut mozzarella in bite size pieces, about the same size of the tomato slices.

Stack basil leaves, roll tightly, and slice into chiffonade.

Once quinoa is finished, stir in the olive oil.  Add tomatoes, cheese, and basil and stir to combine.  Drizzle a little extra balsamic on top.

Arugula Pesto Pizza

Luckily, I had this in my archives.  Due to my virus, I haven’t cooked anything more complicated than a boiled egg in the last week, and I’ve been popping ibuprofen and acetaminophen like candy.

I think the worst is over, knock on wood.  The high fever seems to be gone, and I’m left with a headache now.

I am the WORST sick person EVER!

Whenever I get sick, I am convinced I have some deadly disease.  It’s horrible.  I’ve always been like this, ever since I was a little kid.  That’s why I’m so terrified of pandemics.  And the worst part is, that two years ago, I went to outpatients with what I thought was a chest infection and ended up finding out I had lymphoma.  I’m glad it was picked up on so I could get treatment, but at the same time, it validated my irrational fear.

Being sick and living alone is also the worst.  It’s nice to have someone there to bring you juice, make you food, buy you more ibuprofen and popsicles, and rush you to the hospital if need be.  I was lucky Michael was around for part of the week, but the last few days I’ve been on my own.  I’m starting to feel better, but I’ve decided I definitely don’t like being sick and alone.  I’m so lonely and bored.  I can’t wait to go back to work.

And I don’t like the interruption to my life.  I hate calling in sick, because I know it’s difficult to get my shifts covered and I hate other people having to work extra for me.  I missed going on a pub crawl Saturday night.  And my apartment is in shambles!  I missed my “get sh*t done day” because of the damn fever so my apartment is desperate need of a cleaning and I’m running out of clean underwear.

So if you’re not sick, and in the mood for pizza, give this a try.  It’s one of my favorite pizza recipes!

Arugula Pesto Pizza

 

Herby Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (see below)

1/2 cup Arugula Pesto (or you could use basil pesto, homemade or store bought)

1/2 – 1 pkg mushrooms, sliced (I used mini portobellos this time, but I’ve made it with white mushrooms in the past)

1 large tomato, sliced

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Parmesan

 

Preheat oven to 375º. 

 

Saute mushrooms in a frying pan over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan until browned.  I suppose you could use oil if you wanted to, but I didn’t.

 

Spread dough out on pizza stone or in pizza pan.  Top with pesto.  Top with sautéed mushrooms.  Then spread with mozzarella cheese.  Top with tomato slices.  Sprinkle with a spoon or two of parmesan.

 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden.

 

Herby Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

(adapted from Lacey Hubbard’s Homemade Pizza Dough in one of those community cookbooks)

 

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp yeast

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion flakes

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

 

Heat water in microwave until slightly warm (like 20 seconds or so).  Stir in the sugar until dissolved.  Add yeast and salt.  Let sit until foamy and yeasty (about 10 minutes). 

 

Pour yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add oil, all of the whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of white flour, and the herbs.  Mix on speed 2 for a minute.   Add the rest of the flour and mix on speed 2 until the dough forms a ball and the planetary action of the mixer cleans the sides of the bowl, just like the shopping channel said it would (about 2 minutes).

 

Place dough in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp towel in a warm place and let rise for 30 minutes.