Family Meal: Quinoa Breakfast Bake

A few months ago, I made this simple breakfast casserole for the first time, and I can’t tell you how easy and yummy it was! Loaded with nutrition (one batch serves 5 and comes out to 272 calories, 12F, 24C, and 18P if you're one of those crazy people that counts calories!), or if you follow the simple nutrition plan that I used to lose all my weight (and still follow today!), it counts as 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 green. Simple. :)

Today I made a spin-off, but today instead of utilizing the 4 cups of spinach the recipe called for, I substituted 4 cups of shredded zucchini since I have an abundance from our garden! I also chose cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and the taste was just as yummy. What a cheap, easy, and equally nutritious substitute! Play around with this recipe or try your own substitutes, and let me know what you think!

Here's what you need:

• 2½ cups cooked quinoa 
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• ¾ cup part-skim ricotta 
• 4 cups raw spinach 
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• ½ cup finely chopped basil 
• 1 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 

Here's what you do:
Preheat your oven to 375° and lightly coat a 9x12-inch baking dish with spray and set it aside. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and basil in a large bowl; mix well. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. It will be a thick mixture, but that’s how it’s supposed to be! The eggs will cook up. :)

 Pour your quinoa mixture into baking dish (I evenly spread mine with a rubber spatula). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut your casserole into 5 equal sized pieces and BAM! You have a family breakfast that’s easy, healthy, AND tastes good! If you try this recipe, I hope you’ll reach out and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!

As always, live healthy, live happy. Love, Amanda

Intro to LIIFT4

Hey guys! If we haven't met yet, my name is Amanda Noddings, and I am a busy mother of two who works full time in Nursing. I am also an online health and fitness coach and at-home business mentor! Through my own journey to lose over 100 pounds and fight depression after the loss of my baby, I have revived my life with a new purpose for helping others and a passion for health and fitness!

We are about to launch the newest fitness program of 2018 called LIIFT4, and it’s an efficient, no-nonsense workout that combines weightlifting with calorie-burning high-intensity interval training (HIIT). I did a youtube video about this program as soon as I learned about it because I was SO excited for it! You can scope it out here!

I love seeing REAL RESULTS that come from people following the nutrition and exercise portions of our challenges, because we attack our fitness goals from all angles. Check these awesome LIIFT4 graduates out!

Want to check out the official trailer for this new program? Here you go!




Lets address some of your questions about this program (and don't forget you can get into my Facebook info group just by clicking here, where you can interact with me and my team and ask any questions you may have)!

So, who's it for?

Women looking to tone and sculpt, Men looking to build and shred, and anyone with a baseline of fitness. Anyone looking to pack in what would normally take you an hour and a half in the gym in just about 30 minutes.

How long are the workouts?

Each workout varies from week to week. The first 6 weeks is the BUILD phase with lifting and HIIT cardio combined workouts that are about 30 minutes long on average. The last 2 weeks is the SHRED phase where you still have the lifting component but you increase the HIIT component of the workouts, increasing the range of time to about 30-40 minutes.

What equipment do I need?

All you need are a set of light, medium, and heavy weights (depending on your fitness level), or you can substitute by modifying with resistance bands (included in our offers).

Is there a modifier?

There is an equipment modifier where resistance bands are used in place of dumbbells, and there are lower intensity modified movements for most of the HIIT (high intensity interval training) exercises.

Don't miss the launch on June 11th! Be the first to be notified and also RSVP your spot in our exclusive online test group with Joel Freeman by joining the VIP LIIFT4 mailing list!

To contact me about joining Team Driven, having Free coaching and support, or getting started with a program and achieving your health and fitness goals, fill out this quick contact form and I'll get back to you ASAP!

OR just email me any time!

I can't wait to hear from you or see you in our group! Live healthy, Live happy! Love, Amanda

Summer Family Favorite! Clean Pasta Salad

Tonight we did one of my favorite things of spring: our first family barbecue of the season! As an outdoor lover, there’s nothing better than combing my love of nature with two of my other passions: family and FOOD.

We all know that barbecue isn’t something that is traditionally associated with healthy eating. As a woman who has also struggled with her weight, I am very conscientious of what I put on my family table when it comes to dinner time. However, as a stubborn and determined woman who fought her way out of morbid obesity through clean eating and proper portions, I refuse to sacrifice enjoying flavorful meals.

Enter this easy, healthy pasta salad. Did you say PASTA!? Yes, pasta! My life is about balance, not restriction; living more, not less. That means making healthy choices when it comes to what type of pasta you choose, as well as having a reasonable portion size when you serve it up.

For this recipe, I used a whole grain rotini pasta easily found in your local grocery store. I’m also a big fan of brown rice noodles and quinoa pasta as well. Here’s what you’ll need to make the base of this pasta side dish, perfect alongside a lean protein for that summer barbecue dinner.

4 cups of cooked whole grain pasta
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 cups chopped cherry/heirloom tomatoes
1/2 can chopped black olives
1/4 cups chopped fresh parsley

After you mix those together in a bowl, you can toss in 1/4 cup of a light Italian dressing. Here’s one of my favorites if you want to make a batch from scratch. I love to make up a few different flavors and store it in a mason jar in the fridge to use on salads and wraps. Just because it’s clean doesn’t mean it has to be bland!

Here’s how to make a batch of this amazing Greek vinaigrette dressing:
8 T extra virgin olive oil
4 T red wine vinegar
4 T Dijon mustard
1/8 c. chopped oregano
1 T minced garlic
2 Pinches of pink Himalayan sea salt
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

I’d love to hear what you think of these recipes and tips if you try them out. As always, if you need help on your fitness journey, I always have online support and challenge groups running! Just reach out! Live healthy, live happy, Amanda