quinoa I’m pretty sure at some point since the inception of Perfectly Disheveled, I’ve confessed how every now and again (every time) I go to Traders Joe’s (or Costco… or Whole Foods… or any supermarket, really), I hope and pray that there is some sort of “stample,” as Jonah calls it, being given out.  Luckily, there’s a TJ’s in my hood and I can always guarantee that no matter what time I’m there, there will be a jolly guy with a beard serving up some sort of brilliant, but totally funky concoction. Fried rice with honey and spinach feta balls?  Who knew?!

A few weeks ago, they were giving out samples of quinoa, with a dash of their delicious Goddess Dressing and chopped up sun-dried tomatoes. Done and done and DONE, thank you very much.

Well, as I say goodbye to the days of all things wedding planning and get back into reality, I’m finding it’s hard to stay on track food wise. It’s especially hard to stay on track when you work from home and you have access to snacks, snacks, and mores snacks. Since I eat lunch at home most days, it’s important that I have food prepared or that I can easily whip up a quick meal without having to then completely clean the kitchen (taking me away from real work). So in an effort to stay  to continue to eat clean, stick to a plan, and not get completely bored by the same foods daily, I’ve come up with a few different go-to lunch ideas and salads that I’m going to start sharing here. I’m calling these Perfectly Tossed… because they have a little bit of everything are all gluten free, packed with protein, and easy to throw together!

salad 1

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup – Quinoa (I like the frozen or instant kind)
  • 1/4 cup – chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes
  • 1 whole Persian Cucumber (peeled and chopped)
  • 1/2 cup of chopped veggie mix from Trader Joe’s (it’s a mixture of Carrots, Celery, Radish, Cabbage, Broccoli, Bell Pepper and more, I think!)
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 tbs of crumbled Feta Cheese
  • 1 tsp of Goddess dressing **optional (You can also opt for lemon juice and a tsp of olive oil and dash of sea salt. May favorite dressing go-to!)

Toss in a bowl, and voila! I love the crunchiness of this salad. The next day, I had the same salad but added leftover roasted cauliflower and butternut squash to the mix. Anything goes! Enjoy!

salad 2
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  1. Susanna
    Friday, April 18th, 2014
    Frozen quinoa for a salad. Thank you! I'm always freaked by all the prep that has to be done to good grains. This looks like a fab base for any and all leftovers. Thanks!
    • Friday, April 18th, 2014
      Yes! This is a great base. I should have mentioned-- there's a cup of quinoa in each packet I believe. So for the next day, you can use the other half cup and like I said, throw in veggies from the night before or even whatever protein you've prepared. It was delicious with the roasted cauliflower and butternut squash. Didn't need any dressing or lemon at all.
  2. Friday, April 18th, 2014
    Sounds delicious and I love your suggestion about adding to it. I made my first batch of Quinoa as a hot dish with mushrooms, peppers, green onions and zucchini. I was happy to discover it was delicious as a cold salad the next day. Thanks for the recipe.