Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini & Peppers

Packed with protein from the quinoa this recipe can be served as a main entrée or enjoyed as a side dish. The green and red colors are perfect for a Holiday meal.

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini & Peppers

For PDF copy of recipe, Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini and Peppers

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

2 zucchini
2 red peppers
1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
2 cup Raw Spinach, finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive oil
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Basil (or 1 tbsp fresh)

Directions:

Add quinoa, salt and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside.
Cut zucchini lengthwise. With a spoon scoop out centre. Set aside.
Cut peppers in half. Remove stem, seeds and white parts. Set aside.
In a frying pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté peppers and zucchini on both sides until browned (about 10 minutes). Set aside.
In same frying pan add chopped onions, carrots, spinach and pepper. Sauté for about 15 minutes. Add to cooked quinoa along with 2 tablespoons olive oil, pepper and basil. Stir.
Place zucchini and peppers on parchment lined baking tray, and fill with quinoa mixture.
Cover and bake in 350° oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve warm.

2014 Honolulu Marathon Update

Cups lined up at start! photo credit: Staci.

Some of you might be wondering how things went last Sunday at the Honolulu Marathon. Here’s just a brief update with pictures.

Well, most would think that running a marathon in Honolulu weather would be a pleasant experience. Most of the time it is! Some would say that the weather was perfect this year and others would question the judgement of those who said that.

After a restless sleep because of a noisy group of party-goers who seemed to enjoy screaming at each other until 4 am, Joylin and I awoke to our 3 am alarm feeling less than excited about the day. As we peeked out the lanai (balcony) for clues about what to wear, we realized it was raining lightly. I said to Joylin, “No worries. It will stop by the start of the race.” I was dead wrong.

Smiling at the start with Staci.
photo credit: Joylin

Along with our friend, Staci, we walked to the start line in the rain and ran 25 miles of the marathon in rain. Along one stretch of the highway, we were also met by what seemed like hurricane-force winds. I had to tilt my head down to keep my ball cap from flying away! The diehard spectators and cheering crowds were awesome. We can’t believe they were out in that weather to see a bunch of drowned rats running and splashing them as we stepped into puddles we couldn’t see in the dark.

Joylin approaching the finish. Giving it her all. photo credit: Gail

Despite the not-so-fun weather, we all had a good race. Although I lost Joylin at mile 1 as she raced madly through crowds to get ahead, we met at the finish coming in within about 40 seconds of each other. It was fantastic to hear Joylin’s voice call out to me as event photographers tried to take our pictures, and volunteers handed out water.

Heading for the finish, trying to catch this guy!
Photo credit: Gail

Equally wonderful was seeing our good friends, Gail and Steve (avid runners themselves), who were at the end taking pictures of us crossing the finish line. Thank you for being there, Gail, and capturing these pictures for us!

This was Staci’s first marathon and had a fantastic race. She says it was her first and her last but we’re thinking she’s hooked!

Mantras

You might want to know that the mantra I created for this race worked. On the tough parts of the race, my inner voice would switch from “strong and smooth” to “smooth and strong”. The back and forth seemed to soothe me and the two words kept my running in rhythm. At a few points in the race my mind also kept saying to me, “A walk in the park”. My body felt good and the time seemed to pass more quickly than expected.

Overall, I’d say it was good day.