{Sunday's Guest Post} Tasty Quinoa and a Beautiful Tribute

Today I actually have a tearful guest post to share with you all.

Ann, from the delicious blog Sumptuous Spoonfuls, had e-mailed me last week graciously offering to guest post for me while I was away on vacation.  I was SO excited for this offer because her recipes are incredible and her photos always make you take a second (and third) look!  Well, while she was putting something fabulous together to share on my blog, her dear Aunt Hazel had a sudden heart attack and is not expected to live.

One would think Ann would forget about this post altogether, as most would if placed in the same position, but no.  Ann, being the absolute sweetheart that she is was SO thoughtful to finish this post and decided to dedicate her recipe to her Aunt whom she loves so dearly.

So please head over to Ann's blog and send her TONS of love!  She sure needs it right now and there is no one more deserving of it than her.

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Hello everyone!  This is Ann from Sumptuous Spoonfuls.  Kelly was looking for someone to guest post on her blog, so I volunteered to help out.

This is my first guest post.  I meant this to be a pleasant, happy, healthy post.  I planned this out.  I knew what I was going to make and I thought a lot about what I was going to say.  I researched the health benefits of quinoa and I was going to tell you about that.  But life doesn't always happen the way we plan it.

The night I had planned to make this, my mom called.  My Aunt Hazel had not been doing so well...she collapsed at work a couple days ago.  I heard from my Aunt Pam that she had had a heart attack.  They were waiting for the test results to see if there was any brain damage.  Mom called last night to tell me the news wasn't good.  I heard it in the tone of her voice before she even said anything.  We cried.  Hazel was my mom's little sister, a mother who loved her family deeply.  It seemed wrong that she would be dying like this...wasn't she just joking about needing a super-mom/super-grandma cape the other day?  Truth is, she didn't need a cape.  She was a super mom and a super grandma and a super aunt.

I don't know how Hazel ate.  I don't if she exercised.  I have no idea how she treated her body.  I think she loved food and I think she loved life.  I know she loved her children and her grandchildren.  But seeing my mom's little sister die of heart disease just seems so wrong.  She is my aunt, but she is not that much older than me.  This shouldn't be happening.

I look at the food industry and the way we live and it scares me.  Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with foods high in fat and sugar, the two things that our bodies cannot tolerate too much of.  Chemicals are sprayed on our foods as they grow, chemicals that are known to cause cancer and other nasty diseases.  Artificial colors are added.  What's wrong with the natural color of food?  Real fruits and vegetables are so amazingly beautiful all on their own.  I was the recipes around the foodie universe and I see a LOT of unhealthy recipes - recipes that could so easily be tweaked to have just as much flavor, but a lot more life sustaining goodness for our bodies.  Do people not know what they are doing to their bodies?  Do they not care?  I have to conclude that they just don't know.  I think somehow we really need to turn this around.

To quote, Shauna the Gluten-Free Girl:

"In order to be well, I have to eat well.  I have to feed myself.  I have to live in food."

I think this is not just true for people with celiac disease or heart disease or heart disease or cancer.  I think this is true for all of us.  Listen to your body.  Feed it well.  Love your body, your life, and the people around you.  Feed your body good, healthy good - food that nourishes your body, but also feeds your soul.  Savor it.  Dance or run or sing or do something you enjoy that keeps you feeling active and alive.

Treasure everyone moment, every bite as if it were a gift.  Because it is.

Hazel, I have no idea whether you have ever heard of quinoa, but I made this dish for you, for our family, for everyone out there who loves to eat and loves life.

{Eat well.  Be well.  Live.}

Herbed Quinoa with Turkey, Shrimp, Chick Peas, Cucumber and Feta

Quinoa is a delicious seed that is very good for your heart.  It is full of protein, gives you long-lasting energy, cleanses and detoxes you, builds your bones, feeds your brain, and also happens to be gluten-free.  If any of the ingredients don't fit in your dietary plan, just skip the ones that don't fit.  The dish will still taste good.  And it will make you feel good.

Here are your ingredients:

Quinoa 

1 glove garlic, finely chopped

Lean smoked turkey, chopped

Cooked shrimp, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1 can chickpeas (a.k.a. garbonzo beans)

A splash of Pinto Grigio (about 2 Tbsp)

A bunch of fresh basil and parsley leaves

1 fresh tomato, chopped

About 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles (I used the tomato/basil flavored feta.  Use whatever flavor you like!)

Prepare the quinoa.  I used the Savvy Vegetarian's method.  Chop the ingredients.  Toss the hot quinoa with garlic, turkey, shrimp, cucumber, chickpeas, pinot grigio, tomato and fresh herbs (reserving a few leaves and tomato pieces for garnish).

Top with crumbled feta, the reserved leaves and tomato.  Serve immediately.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years." 
~Abraham Lincoln