“I do yoga three times a week from 5:20 to 6:30 a.m. Yoga has trimmed my body in a way that the gym never could. I used to be a gym rat, but I switched to yoga and am now almost 10 pounds lighter. One important thing I’ve gotten from yoga is breathing. When I’m cooking, the top part of my body collapses down. It cuts off my diaphragm. Doing yoga in the morning expands my breath and oxygen capacity, and I carry that throughout my day. At night, I feel less run-down. I used to be able to come home from a long day and crawl into bed. Not anymore—I have to give 100 percent to my daughter and husband.”
What do you usually eat?
“For breakfast, I’ll have brown-rice bread smeared with almond butter and topped with blueberries, and a cup of juice. Hard-boiled eggs are a fabulous high-protein snack. Lunch is usually a salad with avocado, tomato, and protein—chicken or grilled salmon or tuna.
At night, I’ll have something like turkey meatloaf with sun-dried tomatoes and feta. I’ll also create themes for dinner, like Meatless Mondays or Breakfast for Dinner. My favorite treat is toast drizzled with melted chocolate and olive oil—mmm!”
My oldest son, Alec, has been begging me to make homemade fried rice for a while. I decided to twist the basic recipe and make it with quinoa instead of rice. This Quinoa Chicken Fried Rice recipe is a hit for something new and different for your weeknight table, especially if you’re looking for something gluten-free, healthy and hearty. Feel free to substitute rice for the quinoa if you wish, but I love that quinoa is a gluten-free, nutty grain that is a complete protein which is high in fiber, low in calories and is high in iron, magnesium and calcium.
