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Saturday, April 10, 2010

Fruity Quinoa Salad and Weightlossophy tip #7: How to Get off a Plateau

This salad is super-simple, quick to make, healthy and sweetish - a nice way to start your weekend. And the tip on what to do when your weight loss plateaus.
This week I was publishing tips from my Weightlossophy thanks to which I lost 55 pounds over 7 months. Like anyone else, during that time I hit many plateaus, when no matter how good I was, the weight would not go down. Here are some things you might want to try to get your scale cooperate again.
How to get off a plateau
  A plateau is probably the most frustrating aspect of every diet. When your scale shows a steady progress, it is relatively easy to keep yourself motivated. But when you are doing everything right, and the weight just would not budge, you start thinking that things are not working and are much more likely to give up. How many diets were broken by these plateaus!
  I think that indeed when you hit a plateau, your body is asking for a change. But the change does not mean giving up the diet altogether. Make small adjustments: change the types of food you eat, the workout style, your daily routine, the time of your meals, your calories intake. In fact, the changes don’t necessarily mean eating less and working out more. Taking a short break from your workout and eating slightly more can also work wonders, as long as you are doing it controllably and for a certain period of time. 
  I was very often saved from my plateaus by trips. I just cannot go to a new place without trying the local cuisine - for me food is at least 50% of my cultural experience :-). I decided that my diet does not apply when I travel, so I ate beignets in New Orleans, coconuts in Hawaii and steaks in Omaha. I tried to eat controllably, but it did not always work. I would come back home after 4-5 days and discover that I gained 1-2 pounds. But they would be gone after a day or two of my standard diet. And by the end of the week I would lose even more and move off that plateau! 
  If you’re looking for a “scientific proof,” check out the graph in “How I lost 55 pounds” post. The grey areas stand for trips, where I did not track my calorie intake and burn. In many place the orange weight line flattens out before the trip and then drops much faster after. 

And now for the healthy recipe of the day.
Fruity Quinoa Salad
Source 
Improvised
Taste 4 (out of 5)
Difficulty 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup quinoa (155 cal)
- 1/2 cup water
- juice of 1/4 orange (20 cal)
- 1/4 mango (30 cal)
- 4 strawberries (25 cal)
- 5 grapes (20 cal)
Total 250 cal, 1 serving
Instructions
1. Cook the quinoa with water and orange juice for about 20 minutes over medium heat until all the liquids are absorbed.
2. Chop half of the fruit and puree the rest for the dressing. 
3. Mix the cooked quinoa with the chopped fruit and pour the dressing over the salad. Serve warm or cold.
Afterthoughts
This is a detox recipe, so I tried to make the recipe as simple as possible, without adding any spices, sweeteners, etc. It might have been a little bland, but the dressing made a huge difference and it turned out a really nice dish. Not just for the detox.

21 comments:

Andra said...

What a fun recipe. I never tried quinoa with fruit but I guess it makes sense. I made it powder and fed it to my daughter when she was in the mush stage but havent cooked much with it since. We'll give your recipe a try!

Cookin' Canuck said...

Wow, congratulations on your weight loss! I cook with quinoa often and am always looking for new ways to prepare it. Great dish!

citronetvanille said...

I never tasted quinoa in a sweet dish, I'm sure it must be as good as in savory ones. Great idea!

Lazaro Cooks said...

I love quinoa. Very unique recipe.

Anonymous said...

I am game for anything with quinoa! If I didn't just have a fruit smoothie for breakfast, I would have made this! Thanks for sharing!

lelabodeloula@gmail.com said...

Thanks for the recipe because I've got a lot of quinoa and I was looking for new way to prepare it.
Have a wonderful sunday

tigerfish said...

I only tried quinoa recently. It's like a new discovery for me :)

Angie's Recipes said...

I love this fruity quinoa...looks not only beautiful but also healthy and delicious.

denise @ quickies on the dinner table said...

Ok, THIS I've never seen! Love the idea of sweet, fruity quinoa and the colours are so pretty and appealing! Super idea :)

denise @ quickies on the dinner table said...

Ok, THIS I've never seen! Love the idea of sweet, fruity quinoa and the colours are so pretty and appealing! Super idea :)

C and C Dish said...

I really enjoy Quinoa, what a great way to serve it! I am definitely going to give this a try!

s. stockwell said...

Very nice photo! Just make the dish look mouth watering.

bunkycooks said...

I need to read some more of your tips. I have to get rid of a few pounds before the Summer. Thank you for all the healthy recipes.

Mary Bergfeld said...

You are an inspiration. Your salad looks and sounds delicious. I hope you've had a fabulous weekend. Blessings...Mary

Lauren said...

Looks good I'll have to try this. Thx

Emily Malloy said...

I have never seen fruit and quinoa together in a salad!

Amazing. Definitely one to save!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this, I need something fresh to eat!

Brie: Le Grand Fromage said...

yum, what a great way to enjoy quinoa. and a great tip for moving past a plateau!

Marysol said...

I'm a big fan of (savory) Quinoa, but I hadn't seen the grain in dessert form. Another wonderful recipe!

Delicious Shots said...

I love Quinoa, I never had it with fruit! such a great idea! I have to try it.

bestfriend said...

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hwi