As a little girl I used to be so happy when my Mom would put chickpeas in my garden salad.  I even had a special, methodical way of eating them.  I would pop them in my mouth, peel the soft skin off, split them in half and then devour them.  I know it’s silly, but so are kids.

I’ve loved chickpeas ever since, but always wanted to find different ways of eating them than just in a garden salad.  So I was excited when I found this recipe for Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Avocado Dressing.  At first glance the ingredients seem like unlikely pairs but once it’s all together it’s really good.  So here goes!

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Avocado Dressing – 4 servings

• 1 cup quinoa (cooked as per package directions)
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1 cup chickpeas rinsed & drained
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup parsley (or cilantro)
• 1 tsp slat
• 1 tsp pepper (I found this to be too much so decreased it the second time I made it)
• 2 tblsp olive oil

Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool.  Using a mini chopper/Magic Bullet combine avocado, lemon juice & olive oil.  Blend till smooth.  Add salt & pepper; blend to mix.  Combine all ingredients remaining with avocado dressing and enjoy!

And whatever you do, don’t let this guy into the kitchen!!  He’s trouble I tell you!

Mr. Hockey gave it a go but wasn’t a fan so he opted out and had celery sticks instead.  Fine by me, considering that’s what he picked in the produce department today.  Hubby really liked it and went for seconds.  So you win some, you lose some.

We played a great game at dinner tonight where you pick a question and then everyone gets a chance to answer it.  It was a ton of fun and a great way to interact with each other but still in a structured way.  Yes, I’m all for structure, which I understand can get a little boring but tonight it was anything but.  We’re looking forward to more question/answer period tomorrow night.

As far as exercise goes, I totally bombed today.  Well, sort of.  I did walk around our downtown market area for about an hour and my foot felt great.  Absolutely no pain during the day whatsoever.  It wasn’t till tonight that it started to bug me a little but I think it was just fatigue from being on it for a longer period of time today.

I had planned on going swimming tonight but with a temp of -32 C (-25.6 F) I didn’t really feel like venturing outside.  The warm comfort of my p.j.’s and spending time with my family won out.  Especially since I will be away this weekend at a women’s retreat.  I think I’ll get a swim in tomorrow morning though, so not all is lost on my training for this week. One day at a time right!

Do you have a great recipe for quinoa or chickpeas?  I’m all ears!  

Also what is your favourite healthy snack?  I’m putting together snacks for my weekend away.