okay, i kind of feel like i talk a good game about cooking. do i like it? most days. do i like trying new things? sure. am i always on the lookout for an easy-to-make, school night meal that is healthy + quick to make? emphatically, yes!

monday night’s dinner kind of qualified for the last requirement. but not really. (mind you, the way i gauge whether a dinner was easy is based on two things: 1. does it take me less than thirty minutes to prep and make, and 2. how many pots and pans and cooking gadgets must i use and get dirty to make the dinner. last night’s dinner barely qualified for number one, and definitely didn’t hit #2. but, it was so dang good and hit so many of my healthy must-haves, that i had to share!

(quick sidebar: i’ve re-committed to my journey of health and wellness and have re-started the 21 day fix. and, if you read this post a while back, you’ll understand how much i believe that food and nutrients can help our health.)

last night, i had some salmon that needed to be cooked, and i had decided to pair it with a dried cherry and pistachio quinoa. (disclaimer: i love quinoa. like, love it. my family? not so much.) i checked out my trusty favorite clean eating recipe source, skinnytaste, for an idea for seasoning the salmon….and i quickly found this great idea which i also happened to have the ingredients for in my pantry! the salmon was on the grill and getting ready in no time!

the quinoa was a little more labor intensive. and, let’s face it, messy. but after rinsing the quinoa, the cooking process was actually pretty fast and easy! this was a recipe i’ve done before, which mr. re-nest will eat, and also i think is pretty yummy!

and, here’s the finale! i added a little bed of spinach in and had a pretty awesome little power protein dinner! and, the best part: there were leftovers that i got to enjoy at lunch today!