We are on week 2 of Peak 313’s first challenge! I hope you enjoyed last week’s challenge, introducing Greek Yogurt into your diet and praying for your Pastors and church. Please, keep those up as we do the other weeks if you enjoyed them. I’d love to help you create some new healthy habits! Watch below for our new “Try It” item!

Quinoa was considered “the gold of the Incas’ and is native to South America. It is considered a complete protein meaning it includes all 9 essential amino acids. I’ve read that it’s great for migraines (due to the amount of magnesium in it), it’s awesome for your cardiovascular health, and even a great antioxidant! I seriously have not found one thing wrong with it, except that the taste may take some getting used to!

Here are a few reasons why I want you to “try” quinoa this week!

♦ It contains TONS of protein!!! Even a higher quality protein than any other grain! (We all know my love of a lean protein!)

♦ It has a double the amount of fiber than traditional grains.

♦ It’s gluten-free!

♦ It is quick and easy to prepare.

♦ It’s very versatile.

Let me give you some ideas of how to incorporate it into your diet this week.

– Eat it for breakfast. That’s right. I REALLY wanted to try this this last week, but since I didn’t have all the ingredients , I made this instead.(This is what I told my facebook fans what I had Friday morning that filled me up ALL morning long. I ate 1/4th of this bowl!)

– Substitute it for rice or pasta as a side. You can fix it conventionally per the box, or google some recipes for a pilaf.

– Use it in a main dish. I’ve seen stuffed peppers, meatballs, and soups made with quinoa!

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Spiritual Try It:

Try a podcast! I have experienced the beauty of the podcast over the past year and I love them!! I add them to my iPod so that when I workout, I can listen to them. (My hubby listens to them too as he works out!) My favorite thing is when the kids are napping or in quiet time, I turn on my computer and pick a podcast to listen to while I am cleaning the kitchen or prepping for dinner. You can find podcasts from just about any well known author/speaker and about any subject, so have some fun finding some to listen to. Think about an area you want to grow in and look for podcasts regarding that. I’m always up for information about marriage, parenting and growth in the spiritual life.  If you don’t know where to start, here are a few of my favorite places to grab them:

Focus on the Family

Family Life

Revive our Hearts

Maranatha Bible Church (my church!)

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