South West Quinoa Bowl

The last 2 years or so, I have been training more consistently than ever. I have been competing up to 3 times a month now. To compete with these lions, you have to be on point. Recently I fought and won the L.A. International tournament. I weighed in wearing my gi, with my sandals on and a bottle of water in my hand. I weight 175. I was like “ wow, im really light.” The weight limit for middle is 182. So Im fighting a lot of guys who are cutting from a heavier weight. Although Im having a lot of success in this division, a fighter should always fight at the lowest weight possible. So I decided to move down a weight class.  I figure, right now I don’t even watch what I eat and Im super light and fit. If I eat right, I could drop this weight easily.

So now I have embarked on my eating healthy journey.  Eating healthy means: preparing your own meals. So I have been compiling recipes from friends and creating some myself.  Quinoa has become a staple because it is so versatile.  We all know the quinoa is good for you so I wont babble on about why it is. But, I will share with you this recipe for Southwest Quinoa salad! Im Mexican/American, so this is right up my alley. Its like mexico in a bowl! Lol Its super simple! Here are the ingredients:

Quinoa

Chicken/vegetable broth

Onions

corn

Jalapeno

Tomatoes

Black Beans

Cilantro

Chicken

Salt, pepper, garlic, cumin

Lemon lime

avocado

Directions: Cook quinoa according to directions. It takes about 6 minutes to cook it in a microwave.  Use broth instead of water.  Quinoa is pretty bland. Using broth enhances the flavor tremendously.

You can make this a veggie bowl as well. But, I have been using chicken.  So if you add meat, cook and season it to your taste

Dice up all of the veggies. If you don’t like heat, don’t add jalapeno. But essentially you are making a “pico de gallo.” This is a a type of salsa typically used in Mexican cooking.  Add the tomato, onions, jalapenos in a bowl with the quinoa. Add the lime and seasoning to taste. Cumin is key for me. It is one of those definitive seasonings in Mexican cuisine.  Add the meat and beans to the mixture and toss lightly.  Cube the avocado and add it on top! There you have it! South West Quinoa bowl! Enjoy!