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This week’s meal is brought to you by Athena, a fellow instructor whom I met through Corpbasics.  I’m very excited to have her contribute to my Healthy Dinner Series. After all, you aren’t the only ones who enjoy new meal ideas.  ;)  Plus, I LOVE quinoa.

If you haven’t seen the first 3 dinner ideas you really should check them out.

Week 1:  Mediterranean Turkey Burgers and a Colorful Salad

Week 2:  Marinated Chicken, Grilled Watermelon and Couscous Salad

Week 3:  Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Fresh Roasted Tomato Sauce

Oh and stay tuned for another great quinoa recipe coming your way very soon!

Hi everyone!  My name is Athena and you can find me blogging over at Fitness & Feta.  I am a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and a wellness coach in training.  I am a full believer in “everything in moderation,” and I blog to help others find balance in their lives and achieve an active lifestyle through my mix of wellness tips, recipes, workouts, and more.

I am thrilled to be here guest posting for Kristen today while she is enjoying her vacation.  I’m especially excited that Kristen asked me to participate in her Healthy Dinner Series!  I love trying new recipes and sharing them with the healthy living blog world, and I’m pumped to share one of my latest favorite recipes with all of you.

Ground Turkey and Quinoa Loaf

Some of you may be thinking, “What?  Quinoa in a meatloaf?”  I too questioned this after stumbling upon the recipe on The Healthy Happy Wife a few weeks ago.  But after giving this recipe a shot, my answer for you is:  Yes!  Try it!  This is a must-have weeknight meal, especially for those of you with busy schedules.  If you are as go-go-go as I am, I know you will appreciate this recipe because aside from boiling the quinoa, all this meatloaf entails is mixing a bunch of ingredients in a big bowl.  Seriously, it’s very easy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1.25 pounds of ground turkey
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 1 cup oats
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• Ground pepper, to taste
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Grease a loaf pan.
3. Cook quinoa according to package directions.  A general rule of thumb for cooking 1 cup of quinoa is to bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa, then let simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.
4. In a separate pan, add extra virgin olive oil.  Cook the onion with oil, then add minced garlic for 2-3 minutes.  Finally, add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown.
5. In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, the raw turkey, the onion sauté, and the rest of the ingredients.  Mix with your hands until well combined.
6. Place in pan and cook for 45 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

If you haven’t hopped on the quinoa bandwagon yet, get on it!  I think many people think of quinoa as a grain, because it LOOKS like a pasta, rice, or couscous; however it’s actually a protein filled seed and a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard.  That means your body feels like it’s consuming a carby food, but really you are getting protein which then equals feeling full and less overeating later.

This protein filled main dish tastes great along with a side salad.  Featured in the picture above is a simple side salad of spinach leaves, chopped red pepper, sunflowers seeds, and crumbled goat cheese.  You could even add another veggie side such as Grilled Asparagus with Feta Cheese or Greek Style Green Beans, one of my personal favorites for obvious reasons!  

Enjoy!!

Any quinoa fans out there?  What’s your favorite way to eat quinoa?

If you liked this post, you can read more about me, my workouts & playlists, what I eat, and other random tidbits by subscribing to Fitness & Feta, my personal guide to healthy living and a happy life.  Please also feel free to follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page.  Have a great day!