Clean Eat Recipe: Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables

Quinoa is a very healthy, easy to prepare side dish.  Adding vegetables makes it even more delicious!  Try the recipe below or try your own variation and let us know how it turns out!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic quinoa
• 2 cups organic, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup organic edamame
• 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Combine the quinoa and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and lightly simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2. Mix together edamame, red pepper and cucumber.
3. Once quinoa is cooked add garlic, black pepper and sea salt and mix throughly.  Then add in your vegetable mix.

I will sometimes add baked chicken and eat it in a bowl as one of my meals while I am on the road!  Easy and nutritious...add any vegetables that you like!

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

- Whitney

Our Story: Scott & Whitney

We are very excited to finally be able to put all of our information and thoughts into one place and hopefully help others! We are often asked what we eat or what workouts we do, so what better way than a blog to help as many couples (and individuals) as possible discover the joys of eating clean?!

We decided for our first post we would basically just tell our story. So, here it goes….

We are Scott and Whitney and we are high school sweethearts. We got married in December of 2007. We were both at a healthy weight when we got married; however,

We gained a lot of weight in the first year we were married

(around 20 lbs each) by dining out frequently at places like On The Border, Chick-Fil-A, Zaxby’s, and McDonald’s, just to name a few.  In September of 2008, we took a trip to see the Cubs in Chicago and once we saw the pictures from that trip we knew that something had to change. Scott started going to the gym in the evenings and after making it part of his daily routine – he was then hooked. Typical of anything he becomes interested in...

He started reading EVERYTHING he could about nutrition and weightlifting.

A few years later, Whitney started paying attention to what she was eating but still was not eating clean enough or following a consistent workout routine. She would do workout videos at home because she was too shy to go to the gym. 

He finally convinced her to the gym and she has been hooked ever since!

What have we been able to accomplish with eating clean (combined with lifting weights)?

• He went from a waist size of 38” to a waist size of 32”
• She went from a size 10 to a size 4

The most important results are that we are both much happier, much stronger, and have much more energy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do you eat?

The best (and easiest) way to describe it is that we eat clean, natural, whole foods that have not been modified or altered once they have been harvested or slaughtered. No fried foods, no GMO foods, no chemical preservatives, no refined or added sugars, and no highly processed foods (limited processing is sometimes necessary – e.g. Greek yogurt). Or, for those familiar with the concept,

We eat clean.

Both of us eat every 2-3 hours (6-8 meals a day). Our meals consist of protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and vegetables. You can view a sample of our meals here.

The second most common question we are asked is...

What workouts do you do?

We do weight training with a mix of cardio & HIIT. Excessive cardio is not the answer if you want a lean body...you MUST lift weights!  

UPDATE: We now have our very own 12-week transformation plan available!

Eating clean is definitely a team effort for us and the mission is to help other couples (and individuals) with tips and tricks to achieve this lifestyle. 

Both of us work full time and spend about an hour in the gym five days a week and several hours in the kitchen each week. We don’t watch much television but to us, it’s worth it! Whitney does most of the cooking and Scott does most of the cleaning. ;-)

Sundays are the days that we normally prepare all of our food for the week. Remember, this is a lifestyle and not a diet! Good luck with your journey!

- Scott & Whitney

Crock Pot Black Bean and Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

Our lives are busy. We barely have time for each other and all of the tasks that annoyingly cloud our to-do lists. Some of us even make a list to make lists! Why not take a little bit of time to slow cook a pot of crock pot black bean and sweet potato chili. Chances are, it will be ready when you are!

Clean Eat Recipe: Crock Pot Black Bean and Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes with juice
• 1 15 oz can black beans
• 2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 lb turkey breast, ground
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp coarse grind pepper
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1.5 cup water

Directions:

1. Put vegetables and beans in the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Layer ground turkey breast, spices, seasoning and water.
3. Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for eight hours. (He & She Tip: If you are pressed for time, 1 hr on high equals 2 hours on low.)
4. Carefully remove lid and stir chili. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Replace lid, cook for an additional 20-30 minutes on low. Serve.