Quinoa cold salad

Like I said before, I love quinoa.  It is full of protein, it cooks like rice and it just tastes good.  Quinoa is fat-free and cholesterol-free.  Its great for vegans because it is high in protein.  I am no vegan, but I still love it.  Lets get started.

2/3 cup of quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/2 green pepper (or any color that is your favorite)
1/2 cucumber
1/4 to 1/2 onion (you can pick red, yellow or white)
chives
1 cup grape tomatoes
lemon juice
lime juice

Cut up your vegetable like the picture above. I like the grape tomatoes because you just cut them in half and they are perfect.  You could use any tomato you want but the grape tomato just looks good.  Dice up the other vegetables.

Boil the quinoa and the bouillon cube in the water for 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed (like you would cook rice).  Set aside to cool.  

Quinoa will look like picture above.

After the delicious quinoa is cooled put it the container you will refrigerate it in.  Now add the vegetables that you chopped earlier.  I use the little squeeze lemon and lime containers, but of course your can use fresh. I put a couple squeezes of each, and stir it up.  I would say it would equal two tablespoons each.  Stir it up.  It should not be runny, just move around easily with a spoon.  You can add a little more of either according to your taste. 

Refrigerate.  You can eat it right away but it tastes better if you wait at least an hour.  Saves well for the next day.  It works well at barbeques or just as a side dish.  A little secret, I sometime just eat it for lunch.

I hope you enjoy.  I love this salad.  Please leave any message telling me how you liked it!!!

Hello again!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. A lot has gone on in my life. I have lots of new things to share. Recently I have been into making dinner or snacks from scratch. I plan to share lots of recipes with you along with pictures. I will be making a few changes to my blog so just bare with me.But first i want to share a quick story with you.

 My son is now 19 and I am a proud Army Mom. He went through boot camp, AIT and now he is stationed at his new post. I miss him very much. My whole life pretty much had been about him so now I am finding ways to fill the gaps. Hints the starting to blog again! I met a lot of really great people through the process of it all. I want to share a book that helped me while he was in Basic Training. Basic Combat Training, Army Mom, Army Strong.

While in basic there is pretty much no contact with your child so it was a very difficult transformation for me. This book was so very helpful I just wanted to give it a mention.  It walks you through, step by step, everything that is going on with them.  It gives you all kinds of tips! GREAT BIG HELP!!!

So that is my quick post to get back into things.  I hope you guys will enjoy all the healthy and sometimes not so healthy recipes I post.  Right now my favorite food is Quinoa.  Love the stuff so expect a few recipes on that.   I also work at a movie rental store, so from time to time I will post some movie reviews. 

Mojosavings

When I first decided to learn how to use coupons I searched the web and found http://www.mojosavings.com/ . I love this site. It is full of tips on how to use coupons to get the best deals. Also on the site is a list of coupon blogs. These people really know what they are talking about. They break down how to get the best deals at places like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Target. Also most of them are from all over the country so stores like Public are also on there.

In the middle of the page are the more popular deals. Like free samples and how to get stuff free from different stores using coupons. If you friend Mojosavings on facebook it will list the best deals right on your page. I use my Iphone to facebook so all I have to do is scroll down the deals. I have learned what great deals you can get at CVS buying the things I have always bought. I just never bought them at CVS.

Mojosavings led me to other ways to make money, like Swagbucks and MyPoints. Both great ways to make money doing nothing but what you do anyway, like surf the web and buy things online.

Now I just go to the blogs written by the people who know how to save money and read them so I know what I need to be doing. The other thing I learned is that not all stores will take computer generated coupons so check with them before trying. You might need to just go ahead and buy the Sunday paper so you have the real ones. CVS does take computer coupons but a store here in Oklahoma that does not is Crest. But then again Crest has great deals without coupons too.

~ Dorsa

Kara? Really?

I just want to say I am so excited about Ellen joining the show. I can't wait to see her when she finally joins the show. I really think Ellen is a good choice. She is to funny. She knows how to tell it how it is but in a nice way.

Until then I just want to say Kara works my nerves. Always with the same response "Honey, I just don't think this is for you" "Honey, you look nice but I don't think". Kara you don't think, you look around for one of the other judges to have an opinion and jump on that, even if they ask you first you go with what you think they will say then once someone else makes a comment you jump on that band wagon.

Anyway, I just had to get that off my chest. I am going to miss Simon so much. He is funny. Sometimes he is a bit much, but he is honest. I think he is gonna miss Paula, which I know I will. I loved Paula. I hope she does join his new show!!!

Here is to the new season, and possibly the last good season. Without Simon and with Kara, I don't know how far Idol can make it!!!

Bobby's on YouTube

So I said I wouldn't blog about this stupid cult. So I am not going to even mention their name. But Bobby is on this video at about 4 mins. So I would suggest you skip the first 3 mins or so and watch Bobby. I told him not to go to the protest but of course what kid would not go. He did not get in trouble so I guess I am not so mad.

They let the school out early so all the kids could go home. The cult had it planned to show up right at 2:45pm when school usually gets out so they could cause more problems. So the school was let out at 2:25pm and that is why he is talking about getting out early.

Anyway, so check him out.

New Hair, This time it looks good.

I know lately I have not been very good at blogging so hopefully I will get better. Not that I am to busy, I just have a very boring life that I know you would not really like to hear about, LOL.

Ok so you may not have "really" seen my hair when it was orange. But it was bad. So finally I went and got it fixed. My sister goes to this girl, Chevas, so I made an appointment with her. I have been to her before so I was not worried. She is very nice and did not seem to be to put out that I had ruined my hair.

She did a great job. I really do like it. I like my hair kinda 1/2 and 1/2. So it is dark on the bottom and a different color on the top. My boss thought it was funny to say, "Nice, maybe next month you can afford to go back and get the rest finished." It really is cute. I know I look a little funny in the bottom picture but I was trying to show you the top of my hair.

I will try to be better about posting. I can tell you that we got American Idol for the Wii. I personally love it. It has a few of my favorite songs on there. I will have to blog about that next.

Rock on!!!

Someone told me tonight that I should write the story of my life. While it might be interesting I can only hope it will end like all the fairy tales I read in books. Problem is I don't remember much of it. I have a bad memory. The really interesting things I remember other people don't remember. I know they are true because I asked my Grandma before she died and she asked me not to ask her about them.

I would not know where to start with my life, but I do have some funny things in it. Like my bus trip to L.A., my time there, going to college in East L.A., riding the bus there, coming back to Kansas. All the things that happened after that. Who knows where to start and what I remember or what I made up as memories of my life.

I can start by telling you that being a single parent of a teenage son is very rewarding. Maybe I got lucky because I don't have to listen to any ones opinion when it comes to him and maybe he is not so lucky because I hold my own counsel on what is right and wrong where things concern him. Either way I am all he has so I guess he will have to deal with it.

So someday I will figure things out and write it all down for you, but until then I will just continue with the way life is and make it. Mostly because that is what single mothers are called to do. We have to do whatever we can to just make it and make it the best we can. I can only be glad I can only fail or pass once since I only have one child. Hope I get at least a C+ or a B!!LOL.

Blah, Blah

I know I have not posted in a while. I have not been busy. I have just been in a blah state of mind. My computer at work does not work, so therefore neither do I. I am getting behind which is never good. They are suppose to come replace my computer but who knows how long that will take. I hate not being able to do anything.
The only eventful thing this week that happened to me was this really nice lady I work with gave me a new shirt. She was wearing this really cute shirt at work and I told her how much I like it and today she came and gave me one. Really nice shirt I may add. She even got my size right and I love it.
There is going to be crazy things going on next week at work because the powers that be decided to change around the judges and one on our floor (which inadvertently effects us) is getting changed. That is going to be interesting. My son who is 15 wants to go to a party, Just a birthday party, for his friend he says, we shall see about that one. And still I have nothing to post about.
I don't feel like reading, which is REALLY crazy for me. Guess I am just burned out. I need something new in my life. I will let you know if I find out what that is.
All in all next week should be interesting with me finally getting my taxes, changes at work, and figuring out what Bobby is up to. You know, having a teenager could turn out to be fun!

New water heater?

OK, so I defiantly need a new water heater. I have put it off as long as I can, but with getting my taxes now is the time. It will not wait another year. It leaks and my water bill has gone up about $10 a month, which is a lot. Anyway, so searching the web I have found a few options. I think I am going to have to go with Lowe's and let them install it.

Well I have a 40 gal. water heater now so I assume that will be fine. The are about $400, don't know how much they are to install.

So here is the question. I know that they will charge me for "removal" of my old one. So I know they will take it and just recycle it. It has lots of aluminum and some copper pipes I am sure. Why should I pay for them to remove it and then they get money for recycling it too? Does not make much since. But how hard is it to pull the thing apart and do the recycling for myself? That is what I would like to know.

I know the thing looks bad, but don't hold it against me. I still have hot water every morning and it is just old.

I can do this! Taxes.

So I did my taxes tonight. I am one of "those" people who love doing my taxes. Must be because I am poor. Anyway - I think this is my best year ever. Really, more back than I expected. But that does not really matter.
Here is what I am thinking. Why is it that every February I have Christmas when I should have had it in December? Well the good part of that is all the WII's are back in stock and I can afford it. Not to mention this year I think I may get a little chunk of child support to boost my taxes. Don't I always say I love America?
Here is the thing. Most people run out to tax preparers. They charge you at least $100 and who could not use an extra $100 in this economy? And you get it back just as fast if you do it yourself or have someone else do it for you!! Which if everything is all complicated I think is a good idea to have a professional do it, but if you are just an average person like me trying to make it in the world, then why pay someone to do what you can do for yourself?
I like to go to www.irs.gov on the left side is a link to free file. If you are new to this, click 'help me find a company' ~ I like TaxAct but I think they are all good. Anyway, it will find you a link to file for free if you are within the guidelines. Just remember in some states you have to e-file your state taxes at the same time you file your federal taxes. If you do not you will have to mail your state taxes. No big deal if you make the mistake just a week or two to get your return.
So good luck. Make sure to print out your returns and if it all confuses you, go ahead and have them done, better safe than sorry.