Vanilla Cinnamon Spice Crockpot Quinoa

Hey My Spicy Vanilla Swirls!

We had a snow storm this morning.

I had my first personal trainer appointment this morning too!

What do those two things add up to?

A crazy morning.

I woke up at around 7:00am (a sleep in for me), ate breakfast, and then worked on some school work for a couple hours until it was getting close to the time I needed to head out the door. When I looked outside, I saw the wind. I could feel the chill. I saw the storm.

I didn’t want to miss my appointment (10:00am) at the gym, so I bundled myself up and headed outside. My face stung. My hands froze. My eyes quenched. Nonetheless, I pressed forward against the wind. It took me a little longer than usual to reach the gym, but I through the affliction of the wind and snow whipping and scratching at my eyes and face. It hurt the entire trip (it felt like rocks incessantly hitting my face without mercy).

When I got inside my hair was a mess from the wind and my face was bright red from the cold. Thankfully the building is heated and my face recovered after a few minutes. I changed, grabbed my water bottle, and headed down to the main gym to meet up with my personal trainer.

The personal trainer I worked with is one of the guys I see when I walk to and from my classes – and he’s so much fun to hang out with. He told me I should try the personal trainers, and so I thought I’d give it a try. He pushed me. It was not an easy workout, and because of that I really liked it. I didn’t want a wimpy workout – I wanted it to be a workout I would feel afterwards. And I did. And still do. The feeling I had afterwards was similar to the feeling I get after a home-workout with Jillian Michael’s or Bob Harper with their workout DVDs. It was a killer. He was also quite impressed with my knowledge of motor units in the muscles, circuit training, and names for exercises.

So, even though today seemed like a day of impossibilities, it turned out alright in the end. I still got to walk through knee-high snow few times, but for the most part I was able to stay warm and dry.

And in addition to all of this loveliness, here’s some deliciousness. As promised, here’s my recipe. It’s gluten-free, sugar-free, high-protein, vegan, and made easy with a crock pot.

My Vanilla Cinnamon Spice Crockpot Quinoa

Place quinoa in a bowl,

And cover with water.

Stir it around with your fingers until the water starts getting cloudy. (That cloudiness is the bitter flavor coming off of the quinoa – it’s a good thing.)

Once you’ve done that for a few minutes,

Drain and rinse the quinoa to get the rest of that cloudy water off.

Scoop the quinoa into a 1 ½ -2 ½ quart slow cooker.

Add the vanilla soymilk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon (and optional sweetener if desired).

Put the lid on and cook for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. (Keep an eye on it; stir it and/or add more liquid if needed.)

Once it’s done the liquid should be all absorbed and the quinoa should be big and fluffy with their little tails sticking out like happy little dogs.

Take a fork and fluff it up, like you do for rice.

Serve yourself and bowl and store the rest in a large bowl with a lid in the fridge for the week.

Top with desired goodies, grab a spoon, and dig in!

Vanilla Cinnamon Spice Crockpot Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, well-rinsed
  
• 2 cups vanilla milk (I used organic vanilla soymilk)
  
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• Optional: a few packets stevia or sweetener of choice (I don’t usually add this)
  
• Toppings of choice: I really like blackberries and almonds
  

Directions

1. Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with water. Stir it around with your fingers until the water starts getting cloudy. (That cloudiness is the bitter flavor coming off the quinoa – it’s a good thing.) Once you’ve done that for a few minutes, drain and rinse the quinoa to get the rest of that cloudy water off.
   
2. Scoop the quinoa into a 1 ½ -2 ½ quart slow cooker. Add the vanilla soy-milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon (and optional sweetener if desired). Put the lid on and cook for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. (Keep an eye on it; stir it and/or add more liquid if needed.) Once it’s done the liquid should be all absorbed and the quinoa should be big and fluffy with their little tails sticking out like happy little dogs.
3. Take a fork and fluff it up, like you do for rice. Serve yourself and bowl and store the rest in a large bowl with a lid in the fridge for the week. Top with desired goodies, grab a spoon, and dig in!

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With lots of hugs,

P.S. Up next I’ll be sharing with you some of the things I’ve learned up here in college.

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