I am mentally and physically exhausted right now. My husband is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and has been trying for years to get me to try it out. I had my first session this morning and I have already found ab muscles I didn’t even know existed. It’s such a complex sport and requires a lot of thought and strategy. I’m not sure if it’s for me but I’m willing to give it a try and see where it takes me. I have no doubt that it will get me in great shape but getting down and rolling around with a lot of different people puts you out there emotionally and physically and I’m not sure if I have that aggressive edge and competitiveness that you need to succeed. I think that women are encouraged to exercise like a girl. I hear it all the time, don’t lift weights it will make you bulky. Wrestling is for boys. I love to see women come into our gym and do realize how strong they can be. It’s so exciting to see a woman get their first pull-up. It’s totally achievable, you just have to work at it. So I’m going to see where this new journey will take me and hopefully I’ll learn a lot about myself in the process.
I also spent the afternoon with a dog trainer and she was much harder on me than she was on the dog. I love my dog but we haven’t spent a lot of time training her and her behaviors are really starting to grate on my nerves. I don’t like feeling frustrated with her and I know it’s not her fault, it’s mine. I need to put in the work and help her understand what I’m asking of her and I’ll be honest in the past I just haven’t made it a big priority.
They say you can’t treat an old dog new tricks but think that we get set in our routines and it takes a lot to put ourselves out there and try new things. At my age I’m learning that it isn’t too late as long as I keep an open mind and am willing to be okay with feeling a little foolish. I was always so concerned with what others thought of me that I wouldn’t even contemplate trying something that I didn’t think I would be great at right off the bat. I guess that now that I am older I just don’t give a shit what people think of me. Pardon the language but there isn’t a better way to put it.
One thing I was always positive about was that I hated beets. I never wanted to try them because I hated them as a child. I finally gave them a try and now they are one of my very favorite vegetables. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them, shredded raw beets combined with chickpeas and quinoa in a garlicky tahini dressing. If you aren’t a fan of beets you can easily swap out the vegetables in this bowl to suit your taste. Swap out the beets for avocados and some shredded carrots or cabbage and if you don’t have a problem with dairy some feta would add a nice dimension as well. If you don’t have miso paste you can omit it from the dressing but it does add a nice saltiness and depth of flavor.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 pound raw beets (around 2 medium), peeled and coarsely grated
- 2 cups parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- kosher salt and black pepper
- To make the quinoa, first rinse the quinoa in a mesh colander under running water to remove any bitter coating that might remain.
- Place the quinoa in a medium bowl with 4 cups of water and cook for 12-14 minutes, the grain should uncurl and there will be what looks like a little tail at the end. Drain the quinoa into a colander. Place the colander over the pan you cooked the quinoa in, cover it with a clean dishtowel and let steam for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- To make the dressing combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, miso paste, vinegar, and water in a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, you may also want to add additional water if necessary if it’s too thick.
- Toss the quinoa with the beets, chickpeas, parsley and dressing until well combined and serve.
Great post, Tina!
Thanks Melissa,
Especially for inspiring me to try it in the first place! See you for ladies training in the morning!
What a great quinoa bowl. Tahini miso dressings are my favorite, especially pared with the sweet beets. The perfect contrast. And good luck with this new exercise journey. 😉 I like what you say about women having a can-do attitude with exercise.
I love it T.
Wow, it looks so delicious!