Don’t worry, I finally got our Christmas tree up yesterday! It is decorated and everything. Not only that, we also got our outdoor lights up! I had to work Snowzilla (more on that later) until 2pm and then the Broncos game started at 2:05pm.
The weather was perfect to put them up, but I wasn’t sure we’d get them done. Donny ended up getting all the lights out while I was gone and started putting some of them up on the front of our house (the hardest part). He had just made it around the first corner when I showed up.
I decided to take over for him because I honestly don’t trust him on a ladder. First of all, he has a bum knee. Second of all, he fell off a ladder once and got really messed up. No bueno. We ended up recording the Broncos game and then watching it about an hour after it started. Donny doesn’t mind that because he can fast forward through the commercials and the dead time.
So I’m not sure what has been going on the last couple weeks but I’ve fallen asleep both games! Last week, I slept through the 2nd & 3rd quarters of the Patriots game and woke up for all the excitement in the 4th. This week, I fell asleep towards the end of the 2nd quarter and woke up with about three minutes left in the game (just in time to see Philip Rivers try to take on Von Miller…that’s cute).
I fell asleep and the score was 17-0 Broncos. When I woke up, it was 17-3 Broncos. I don’t think I missed much….
So have you been down Snowzilla yet? If you haven’t seen it yet, it is a 35-foot inflatable slide that comes with tubes for you to ride down in. It is seriously awesome. It is open every day through our Christmas Capital of the Plains events, which go through December 19th. Watch this YouTube video of Snowzilla and then start making your plans to go down it!
My sister worked really hard to get it here and to get sponsors for it so that kiddos could ride it for free! It is not just for kids. Adults can ride it too and let me tell you, you need to ride Snowzilla. It is so fun! I’ve gone down it quite a few times now and it is a blast. I can see why kids want to ride it time after time after time after time!
Enough of Snowzilla, let’s talk quinoa. Do you cook with quinoa much? It is one of my favorite grains these days. I like to make a large batch of it while meal prepping. I put some in my lunches/snacks and then save some to keep in the fridge for a quick meal.
I actually had some in the fridge that needed to be used up so I decided to spice it up and make a casserole! When all else fails, combine a bunch of random ingredients and bake it with cheese on top. Sounds pretty accurate in our house.
My favorite part about this Mexican-Style Quinoa Bake is that is it loaded with vegetables! I added tomatoes, bell peppers, and spinach! You could add or substitute with other veggies such as zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet corn.
One quick note, I didn’t add any protein to the recipe. I dished mine up alongside a serving of grilled chicken or pork tenderloin. I saw this as more of a side dish or vegetarian main dish, but you could definitely add diced chicken to the mixture to up the protein.
If you aren’t a big cilantro fan then you can substitute it for chopped green onions or omit it all together. I don’t love cilantro, but I do enjoy it on a dish every now and then. It can definitely add some good flavor to certain dishes.
Give quinoa a try if you haven’t yet. Check out my other quinoa recipes including Citrusy Quinoa Salad, Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Edamame, & Radish, Caprese Quinoa Bake, and Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites.
- 3 cups quinoa, cooked
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 15oz can black beans
- 4 oz fire-roasted green chiles, drained
- 1 15oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded and divided
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour olive oil in a large saute pan and heat to medium. Add white onion and bell peppers and saute for about 2 minutes. Add black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, and tomato paste cook 2 minutes, evenly distributing the tomato paste. Add spinach and saute until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup mozzarella, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
- Spray the sides of a 2.5-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add quinoa mixture to the dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with chopped cilantro sprinkled on top.
- Quinoa can be replaced with another whole grain if needed. Brown rice or farro would both be good options.
