Greek Quinoa Salad and the Secret to Morning Workouts

Well hello again! I took yesterday off from blogging because we had a meeting at UCLA, but hopefully today's recipe will make up for my absence. It's quite scrumptious, if I do say so myself.

But first, I have found The Secret. You've been waiting, and here it is. Since January, Terry and I have tried our best to reform our schedule so that morning workouts are the norm. Some weeks, I'm super motivated and wake up four or five days in a row, no problem. Other weeks, I'm lucky to squeeze in one workout before school. This week, it was the latter. I just couldn't find the motivation to actually listen to that 4:40 alarm. Until today. 

So what's the big secret? How did I do it? Step right up, folks, and I'll tell you all about it. The secret to waking up in the morning...

Happy hour.

I told Terry that if we woke up this morning to work out, we should go to happy hour together after work. And guess what? I most certainly pulled myself out of bed at 4:50 this morning!

The workout was a 40-minute Best Body Boot Camp cardio session, and it felt great to run the whole time.

Okay, let's get to that recipe, shall we?

Greek Quinoa Salad
Serves 2

• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
• 1 medium cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 ounces feta cheese
• 1/4 red onion
• 1 lemon
• approx. 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the directions on the package. (Then again, if you forget about the quinoa and leave it boiling on high for ten minutes, your meal won't be totally ruined. I'm only guessing, of course. I would never have a kitchen blunder like that.) You'll want to cool the quinoa completely--and, ideally, chill it awhile--before serving, so it's best if you plan ahead. 

Once the quinoa is cooled, chop all your veggies and crumble the feta. Then zest the lemon and toss the quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, onion, and zest together. Finally, squeeze half the lemon over the salad along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, toss one more time, and serve chilled.

Enjoy!