I love it when a new recipe comes together, as well as being healthy, and these Mexican Quinoa Bowls did just that!
My Eating Habits
My eating habits have been dreadful at best! Life is busy (weekend trips, construction jobs, home repair, and work commitments) and through all this, my eating and health has taken a backseat! I’ve been eating whatever is in the house and whatever is quick and easy! We went a week extra without getting groceries, which also meant that a whole week went by without fresh veggies and fruit in the house! This has all taken a toll on my body. I’m moodier, am incredibly bloated, my pants don’t fit right, and overall feel yucky! My workouts have been harder to complete and I sweat something crazy! It’s amazing how our bodies adapt to the way we eat! Put good things in and we get good things out!
Mexican Quinoa Bowls
Giving up carbs (or limiting them) has always been tough for me! If I had my choice, I’d eat carbs all day, every day! Because of this, I’ve had to get creative with my recipes to get carbs in, but doing it in a healthy manner! I’ve also found Mexican food to be one the one thing that I can eat at almost anytime of day and any week! So, one day this recipe just hit me and I’m pleased to say that it worked out!
- 1/4 onion chopped
- 1lb lean ground beef
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
- one small can chilies
- 1 T taco seasoning
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- shredded cheddar cheese
- Begin by combining the quinoa, cumin, and garlic powder and cooking however you choose.
- Brown the ground beef with chopped onion and drain any grease off.
- Preheat oven to 350
- Combine the tomatoes, ground beef, chilies, taco seasoning, and cooked quinoa.
- Divide evenly into oven safe bowls and sprinkle with shredded cheese and place in oven until warmed through and cheese is melted.
Cooks Notes
- I cooked my quinoa in my Instant Pot and it was so easy! Place the raw quinoa and seasonings in the instant pot with 1 1/4 cup water and cook on manual for 5 minutes with a natural release and it’s perfectly fluffy! Plus while it’s cooking, I can be working on my ground beef!
- You could definitely add as many fresh vegetables to this recipe as you choose (green peppers, etc) or even use fresh diced tomatoes! I use canned for the ease and extra juices!
- Don’t drain the tomatoes and chilies because the juice is what keeps this recipe from drying out!
- Taco Seasoning can be filled with lots of sodium! So, I use Tupperware’s recipe for Southwest Chipotle Seasoning instead! It’s the one that we, as a family, have found that we like the most!
- This recipe (like most of what you find here) reheats and freezes well!
- If serving
Your healthy version of Mexican will make me and my family happy! Regarding health and hectic schedules, isn’t it amazing that our bodies can still keep going ?! One good thing with skipping a week of shoppping-I bet you cleaned out your pantry! I always like to stare at mine and concurs up something!
Yay for healthy and Mexican! And yes, I agree for trying to empty the pantry and be creative with what you have!!
This looks amazing. I love using quinoa and just need to make it a priority to eat a bit better. I make stuffed peppers using it instead of rice and it works great. But I have to make them when Chris is gone because he is no fan of peppers. 🙂
Hah! I’m trying to get more creative with my health foods too! T loves stuffed peppers so my moms makes them for him because I don’t !
Hi Katy thanks for sharing this I made last night and they’re delicious. I agree with you – if you eat badly you definitely feel the effects. I buy my Mexican chillies online, seem to be the cheapest I’ve found
I’m glad you liked them.