Amaranth vs quinoa is a good comparison for grains. They’re both actually pseudo cereal grains (seeds), and not from rice, corn, or wheat.
They’re both complete proteins, meaning they have all essential amino acids.
So they’re perfect breakfast starters to get you going on a fuller meal.
…Oh, and gluten-free.
…Someone’s ears just perked up.
Because if you’re trying to eat less gluten (or are allergic), amaranth and quinoa are more on filling you with protein. And filled with vitamin and mineral nutrients.
Quinoa for starters, is a popular whole grain.
I remember the 90s Friends episode where the trend took off. Move over rice and couscous in the pantry, quinoa became the household food newcomer.
As the world sped up from old fashioned times, people wanted quicker meals.
And quinoa fit the quick and easy to cook up profile, vs. other grains like some raw rices take much longer to cook and soften.
Today, decades later, you can add amaranth to the list as easier to source and quicker cook-soften.
It’s an ancient grain and known as a longevity booster to help your longer ancient-ability.
Farro, einkorn, and spelt are also ancient, but they’re wheats, so they have gluten.
Then there’s barley as its own grass category, like wheat.
But if you’re looking for gluten-free, try the pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranths and buckwheat.
Buckwheat is usually ground into a flour. You can bake into desserts and sweets like a buckwheat ginger cookie. You may have heard of them in soba noodles.
So now that we’ve cleared that up, we know different grains for a savory bowl cook differently.
And smaller pseudocereals cook quicker in 20 minute or less meals, with amaranth vs quinoa being the more practical choices.
So which is better?
Of course, that depends on you!
…I really like amaranth because it won’t burn-stick to your pan like quinoa if you’re deciding on amaranth vs. quinoa.
Amaranth is mushy with water and quinoa is more dry, so it can burn more easily if there’s not enough water in your pan at any heating moment.
With amaranth in water, you won’t lose a single grain as it can become a mushy ball and soft like creamed wheat, or a porridge you can spread out in your bowl.
Quinoa is usually more dry like fluffy wild rice that I like to compare it to as each piece stands on its own. Each piece looks like a small piece of thread hanging on each quinoa seed.
And because of these texture differences of amaranth vs. quinoa, cooked in liquid amaranth doesn’t linger in your mouth and end up on your teeth after you’ve finished your meal.
But don’t let that stop you from you quinoa.
Because as for healthy notes, both are still great protein options.
If you’re needing fiber and lower glycemic index options, quinoa is a better choice.
Amaranth is higher in calcium and minerals. Also, if you are looking for easy to digest foods like a temporary BRAT diet, amaranth is a great variety option to keep in your pantry.
You can also add a little amaranth to bread dough (like you would sourdough starter) in a healthy whole grain roll.
And the best part is the versatility of amaranth vs quinoa that you can mix up in your meals.
Amaranth can also be made more dry (instead of the mushy texture already mentioned), as you can make “popping” amaranth like stove popcorn.
Or you make quinoa more wet in a bowl, like in a quinoa cereal with your milk of choice. This is good for Vata balancing as your body is feeling dry and looking for more moisture that you can get through a healthy bowl.
Add in your nuts and seeds. Oh, and how about a heart healthy quinoa bowl to start your day?
Stress and burnout go hand in hand. It’s like a boiling tea kettle that’s sitting on high heat (stress) on the stove, and running low on water that’s quickly evaporating as the seconds hand moves forward.
It’s only a matter of short time before the pot burns, and the kettle’s whistle dies.
We put ourselves in those type of pressure kettle situations in life by saying yes and taking action to give us results. But we can overwhelm ourselves when we say yes to too much, too often.
Your yes starts out as a healthy exercise, but over time you’ll run dry if you run out of steam.
…You add stress when you don’t add more water or life to your situations that you learn from. Like most, you’ve been learning since you were a child.
That’s when stress likely first showed up and started accumulating in the body keeping score.
Healing from those past memories is a healthy way toward your future.
And like most balanced areas of life, a little stress is healthy and human, like pursuing a one-and-done challenge for experience and growth, but when you tip the scales to a no-happy-situation-end in sight, that’s when it’s adding stress to the body in some way.
…And then there are situations happening around us that are out of control. Like daily world news or situations where we know they’re out there looming and impacting our lives… but we put the worry thoughts aside and we go about our daily life.
Those situations take a small daily toll on the mind-body even if we get out of that headspace for some time.
It’s like steam happening in the background that we know about, but don’t feel.
These type of daily stressors are part of life’s undercurrents and happenings.
But burnout is not. It’s applied to a specific area of life, that’s usually work… where overwhelm,or additional burdens worsen your situation.
Apple tart can be a breakfast idea or dessert made from healthy baked wheat, oats, and honey. Oh, and wholesome apples are whole snacks for some… maybe you? Fuji apples here, but there are so many apple to choose from for your enjoyable tarts. 🍎
Below is an easy breakfast ingredient recipe for apple tart that’s low sugar and needs no proofing. And the proof is when you make them (…and in photos below 😊).
And if you decide to bake your apples at all…
Because a whole apple snack from an apple tree needs no improvement or addition… and if all you do is add peanut butter on them and eat them raw, they’re delish-elevated!
I esp. like the crunch and taste pairing of Granny Smith green apples with a natural peanut butter (like the kind you stir up with peanuts). 🥜
With a baked apple tart recipe, the sweeter crisp red apples are better for dessert snacking. As they soften in the oven, you can taste more of the sweet and tart.
…And for a pop of bright red on a plate.
Well… sometimes.
They do come out with baked fall colors. You’ll see below what I’m talking about. 🍁
Because red apples vary in color as you’ll see shades of red, yellow, white, and green if you pay closely attention. It’s like nature did a Bob Ross painting on each apple (and apple orchard if you like landscapes).
Like us peeps in nature, no two apples are exactly alike.
They say there are over 7,000 apple varieties and you know the ones that are abundant and growing in your surroundings. 🌳
Red apples dominate the fruit market scenes in the autumn. They match the fire engine red leaves on the U.S. east coast and make great healthy candy apples (instead of sugary caramel).
Healthy apples can be stuffed with healthy ingredients… like the sweet messy kind you can’t stuff in a bag 🎃, but you can stuff yourself with and enjoy the swirling mess in your mouth.
That’s one idea for today.
And with apple season upon us, you need no other reason to come up with new apple snack ideas, like an easy baked apple tart.
The steps are simple and easy…
Cut your whole apples in half and de-core them.
An easy way to do this is to take a paring knife and cut around the core, and as you get around to the other side of the track, you can almost pop the center out.
Save your apple seeds and plant them.
Then seedless, you can eat all the apple flesh parts without waste. Organic (pesticide-spraying free) apples are suggested if you eat the skin (that have a lot of healthy fiber).
Add peanut butter (that will ah! and ooh!-zeout when warmed and baked).
Then put your apple halves aside.
Make your pastry dough:
It’s an easy mix of ground oats and whole wheat. You can even add wheat bran and/or buckwheat for some more variety and healthy goodness, like I did. Mix in water.
Then add the honey and butter that’s a food pairing harmony, working so well together for taste and texture.
But if you want to use a healthy oil (instead of butter) you could do that.
And also your choice is to add cinnamon (and/or cardamom) spices with your apples.
Cinnamon adds that warm fall-ish cozy fireplace or fall hiking outdoor tasting vibe. Sweater weather is coming, but apple cinnamon baking is the active season beforehand.
For Vata (fall season) and us balancing moods, that’s comforting and clearing. It’s a great season to breathe intently and catch new breaths.
And getting back to the bake (and not to get too much in the weeds), cinnamon will help anxious energies. Cassia or traditional cinnamon spice you find easily in grocery stores is going to be sweet for adding to bakes before going in the oven. The other Ceylon cinnamon kind is more healthy and good to add to coffee and zhughing. But mix-and-match spices and kinds before, after, and during as you please.
You do you… and dousing some cinnamon spice of any kind is healthy. The plants even love some on their soil to prevent unintended growth. 😊
Cinnamon is one of those natural foods that have no pitfalls. and goes great in the fall.
And now you’re ready.
For this easy apple tart good for fall bake, you can put this short pastry crust together in a few short minutes.
The dough will have crumbly bits falling off (appropriate for the season), but will mostly stick together as a ball.
Divide the dough into three equal parts.
Flatten/roll out the dough with the palm of one hand is easier. See as easy promised, you don’t even need a rolling pin.
Shape the dough into an apple shape around each apple half if you like. Of make into a circle with your circle cutters.
Use some honey to glue your apple bottoms (halves) to your flattened pastry bases. Then when you’re happy with your apples…
Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes. If you want to give your apples a drying baked apple look (see 🍎 baked photo above), you can leave them in the still-warm oven after you turn the oven off. That will soften the apples even more for that you can even add to an apple pie. 🥧 💭
Before the apples are fully softened, the pastry base will be golden brown. You can pull them out of the oven at that point or bake a ‘lil longer. The apples start out shiny smooth like this duo below.
Which btw, these apple tarts in-the-making look like they are in jail but believe me, they’re enjoying their warm cell and cozy base as they bake. 😁
Oh, and if you like this recipe, you’ll love these low-sugar dessert recipes… some even have apple ingredients.
Baked Apple Tart Breakfast with Oatmeal and Peanut Butter
This is a great dessert snack idea with healthy oatmeal breakfast-inspired ingredients. Makes 3 apple tarts.
Course Breakfast
Servings 3apple tarts
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
3/4cupwhole wheat flour (can combine with wheat bran or buckwheat)
2Tbspsoftened or melted butter
1/2cupold fashioned oats
3tsppeanut butter
1Tbspraw honey, plus more
4Tbspheated warm water (plus a little more as needed)
1-1/2tspcinnamon spice
1/2tspcardamom spice (optional)
Instructions
Grind your oats into fine pieces.
Cut your apples in half and hollow out center with seeds. Leave skin on (if using non-organic apples, you can de-skin apples also if you choose).
Add peanut butter to apple hollowed center. Set apples aside.
Make the pastry dough apple bases. In a bowl, add the flour and oats, butter, cinnamon, and then add water and honey, and cinnamon (if using). Fully combine with a spoon. You can use a little more water as needed to help the dough crumbly pieces stick together. The dough should stick together and have some crumbly bits.
Divide pastry dough into 3 equal balls. Flatten each with palm of hand and shape into circle or apple disc-base shapes that your apple halves will fit onto of.
When you're happy with your pastry discs, add a honey circle ring drizzle around to "glue" your apples to the pastry. The peanut butter will ooze out of the apples.
Bake at 325°F/165°C for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned on the sides and bottom. You can leave in the oven after the temp is turned off for a softer baked apple tart.
Work-Life Balance is the way for daily joy and a recipe for a more happy and healthy life.
…These days on those missions, workers are choosing work-life balance, joy, self-care, wellness, and delaying gratification of traditional retirement. Because our world has changed, and you can work anywhere these days.
And you can create your own job in the growing Creator Economy.
That’s one hopeful and healthy reminder that you can do anything in this Life. And a small way to plant your intention is by growing an avocado plant. 🥑
The easy steps are below to grow a healthy plant from an avocado seed. 🌱
Small ideas like this encourage our daily joy that help move you to take action (that moves the needle).
And if you’re at a job that started great and then took a downward spiral or is stagnant, you are not alone!
So many are waiting on their DREAM JOB to show up and out.
From my lens of holding dozens of corporate management positions, it doesn’t exist. I hoped and hoped… and still hope, but evolved into writing my own job description that has given me more joy.
And you can do that today wherever you are to gain your happiness without delay in your dream work-life balance life… and doing what you’re meant to do… creating, helping others, and solving world problems.
Without delay.
You can hit publish, empower yourself to step in, or pick up the phone and connect. The world is big and wide and you don’t have to look far.
Working for an employer is jut one way that helps you get experiences and learn skills while contributing your time, effort, labor, and mind. And you get paid in exchange.
But empowering yourself as your own boss in your domains is the cherry-on-top… where you get the best of all worlds and feel unhindered.
And when you think of it like that, you can create so much good exchange in this world.
And also always be useful doing meaningful work. That helps your growth.
And when work doesn’t grow or we’re no longer contributing, then we know it’s time to move on… and that’s healthy good for everyone involved.
…And if you’re like me, ormaybe I’m odd (or old-er 😉)… I never want to retire. I think work is part of purpose and the right kind helps us stay young.
Redefining work is where it’s at!
I believe you should love working your passions, interests, and gifts you’re good at that you enjoy.
Maybe because I’ve had so many experiences, both good and bad.
Early on, I loved my teen job where I had very little responsibilities.
That was good for that youthful time. I had fun. And the reward was development and growth and taking on new, impactful challenges while saving money to buy a car.
But I wouldn’t go back to that as I’ve outgrown those fun, no-real responsibility jobs. It doesn’t suit or align with my identity. It’s a mis-match like wearing Love’s Baby Soft fragrance would be.
And finding where you fit now is where you get the most out of this world.
At some point, you fully realize that you only have this one life you get and you won’t get this time back.
And that you have so much more to give than a lowly position that’s replaceable by another body or teen.
You’ve gathered experiences, and grown into a wiser brain that can be put to good use for the world you and I share.
In my walk, that’s the realization I had disappointment after disappointment collected, one job role after another for a couple decades.
I didn’t feel like my contributions and impact was commensurate to my knowledge and what I had to offer the world.
The corporate jobs at-hand sucked all my energy and most my hours for the week.
So I kept going and growing, even though the jobs looked respectable and good on paper.
And I eventually landed myself into freelance writing work the year of the pandemic when many of us career pivoted.
I also started this healthy and happy blog that year.
As a writer, I found work-life balance that didn’t just mean working from home. That’s one aspect or benefit.
It also meant choosing to prioritize health, and a healthy lifestyle over stress (high Pitta).
I could write all morning and then be ready for something else in the afternoon. I wasn’t chained to a desk or forced to attend office meetings that wouldn’t matter in a year (or sometimes even the next day).
There was work-life balance in every way.
I could find emotional freedom feeling calm during unplanned yoga time and not have to wait until later.
And I could run errands when others were at work.
I could also avoid public mobs and heavy traffic patterns that I grew up with in the DC metro area, that’s now the worst traffic.
And staying aligned, I vowed never to work jobs without some (healthy and happy) passion EVER again… and/or loving or believing in the people and mission I work directly for.
I realized work-life balance with PASSION WORK EXISTS where you get paid for your efforts. It’s not a pipe dream.
That was my new HIGH bar to keep reaching for.
…And I haven’t been disappointed putting in the risk and effort tradeoff.
And if you were to reach for your abundance and believe your dreams to come true, balance and passion work EXISTS for you!
You can leapfrog to work-life balance sooner rather than later in your choice.
…From those who did, I’ve only heard that the only regret they had was that they didn’t do it sooner!
Maybe that’s the motivation you need.
And helpfully could be for you… am I wrong?
Some are consciously walking off the job for their personal lives, health, and safety… choosing work-life balance and creating the life they want in work, life, and balance.
People on the job these days have to wear so many different work hats while multi-tasking life.
It’s no wonder so many people have ADHD signs, brain fog, and burn out symptoms that they need to medicate.
Today post-2020, it’s much more acceptable for us to slow down, take self-care sabbatical time, and pivot work and careers more often without harsh judgment.
And in my work-life balance pivot to a healthy lifestyle, I started this hobby of growing healthy avocado plants as a metaphor…
How to Grow an Avocado Plant from a Seed (a healthy reminder for work-life balance)
…One day I took a baby avocado seed and grew it to an avocado plant after my breakfast with a plant-based avocado smoothie.
It’s such an easy thing to do.
You don’t need a green thumb.
And the plant doesn’t need much window space or light in case you’re in an apartment with limitations like I was.
An avocado plant is like a Peace Lily plant you sometimes see in offices. They do not need a lot of natural or artificial light, so you can enjoy them indoor in a shaded spot. 🌱
These are the steps to how you get your plant going and growing:
Rinse off your avocado seed. Peel off the brown paper-ish skin shell. I think this step gets often missed from others I’ve talked to. This helps to let the root grow.
Your nails are the better way to get the shell off without scratching the seed.
So you’ll want to do this when you haven’t just gotten your nails done. 💅
Then when you have a bald seed, you’ll see it bare looking like a peanut (light beige) color in a walnut shape.
You’ll want to fully moisten some paper towel and wrap over the seed, and then place the wet seed in a plastic bag and leave alone in a cool/shaded spot in your kitchen where you visit often.
Leave for a week or two, and then check in on it. By week two, add more water if needed. Keep it soaked.
After some more time, you’ll start to see a crack in the avocado seed and a budding root.
The fault line means birth is happening (a happy baby seed 🌱).
When the root grows to about a thumbnail’s length, place 3 toothpicks in the seed and prop it over water in a glass or cup with fresh room temperature filtered water reaching the root.
Keep it in a shaded spot.
Keep checking and filling up the water to about the same level, and changing out if it looks cloudy and has too much debris.
If you notice any root rot or slime, gently clean it off and you can rinse your seed off if the water gets dirty.
Gradually over the weeks and months, move your new baby avocado to a sunnier spot indoors. And when your glass is full and you have substantial roots growing, plant into a larger glass so the roots aren’t crowded.
The avocado plant is an amphibian plant (living in water and then soil).
Eventually, after months or years will go into potting soil. I waited 2 years before planting mine in soil.
Waiting until there are leaves is a good idea.
Keep this article as reference, so you can review the steps (and not get too antsy to plant in a soiled pot). 🪴
And the longer you keep your growing avocado plant living in water instead of dirt, the stronger the roots get before you give it life on earth soil. This ensures stability for growth.
After a few months or so, you’ll see some good progress with green leaves and a stem that goes up and root that goes down like described in the cute All I Really Need to KnowI Learned in Kindergarten book 😉
A few leaves are the sign to add a pot with soil.
You can water every few weeks or less. Do it when you remember (ssshhh, talk about low maintenance! This plant is great for brown thumbs (🙋🏻♀️), lazy gardeners, or frequent travelers… and no worries, as you don’t need a plant sitter!).
Daily or weekly, check in with your plants when you can pause and work-life balance. 🪴 The leaves will tell you if it needs water.
After you enjoyed your avocado on toast or with a meal, you can plant your seed for an avocado plant for daily enjoyment. It's perfect greenery for an apartment or bookshelf where you can grow your own plant when you have a brown thumb or want to appreciate avocado abundance. This a great project for adults and kids! 🌱
Author: Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Materials
drinking container or glass
toothpicks
paper towel
Instructions
Clean off your seed. Larger round to medium seeds work better.
Peel off the brown outer layer so you see the bare seed flesh that has a peachy flesh color. Tip: Do this when before you go to the nail salon as you will need to use your finger nails. Knives and sharp objects won't do the job without damaging the seed. It may be easier to wet soak the outer layer first to make it easier to peel off.
Take partial paper towel and full soak seed with water. Wrap around the entire seed, but don't leave too much excess paper.
Place the seed in a sealed plastic bag (works best) and set in a darker, cool room temperature place in a place you don't forget about.
When the paper towel starts to dry out over the days, moisten with fresh filtered water. Keep repeating this step. One day you will see a middle crack in the seed. This is to allow the root to sprout and grow that can take a few weeks. Be patient! And if your seed crack breaks the seed (no worries and don't give up), keep the seed half that has the root.
When you see an obvious root bud growing, you can place 3 toothpicks evenly around the seed and set in a drinking glass or container with a rim. Glass works nicely so you can see the roots from the outside. Then add water so the bottom and middle of the seed is "bathing" in the water, but the top of the seed does not need to be submerged in water.
Over more weeks, you will see a green stem grow upward and eventually leaves will sprout (months later). Enjoy and keep adding water to your glass as your seed roots are thirsty. The roots will eventually outgrow the glass where you may then choose to transplant to a larger vessel. This is a great easy project for the Kindergardener in each of us where the roots go down and the plant goes up!
Summer cool tips are needed during the scorcher months. Our bodies are screaming for cool and hydration. And our minds are looking for adventure and outdoor exploration where excessive heat and humidity causes havoc on our bodies.
I think and feel for the Tour de France cyclists 🚴 who rode in all weather conditions over mountains ⛰️ and uphill Montmartre Paris narrow neighborhood cobblestones that look like these whole wheat peach cobbler cobblestones.
Can you imagine what that would be like? I can’t …and to feel the impact less, below are 12 cooling tips to help soothe the mind and body… plus highlights of past blog post articles with good healthy summer reminders.
For starters, you can enjoy your summer by leaning into Ayurvedic ways like a cool and refreshing bowl that can help drive away heated Pitta season moods. You can easily save money and make your own chocolate ice cream …and not be disappointed that the soft serve machine is broken at the drive thru. 😊
And when you’re packing and getting ready for your hot day, these are 12 good summer cool reminder tips:
1. Keep aloe vera near you. Aloe helps with burns, heat rashes, and to instantly cool your skin. That’s like giving a spa water bath to your body when it’s thirsty for cool relief. Many moisturizers have aloe barbadensis leaf juice ingredients, but I like to go straight to the 100% ingredient source.
2. Bring a water spray bottle that comes in handy. You can hang it to a beach bag or something in case you run out of car cupholders, and so you don’t have to go rummaging for it like a regular water bottle.
3. Start your day with a smoothie, that has chilled ingredients like nut-based milk, bananas, coconut, and berries. Try frozen smoothies. Let them cool you down as they defrost. 🧊
The point is to lower sugar intake and increase fiber and nutrients. For sweetener, try adding maple syrup, honey, or fruits instead of white table sugar. Did you happen to see my blueberry cobbler recipe that has no added sugar?
4. Take cool showers or end on a cool setting for 10-30 seconds. This is can keep you chillin’ down to the bone. 🚿 You can feel cool inside and warm to the touch on the skin. To lock in skin moisture and help stay hydrated cool, moisturize right after showering when the skin is still moist.
Movin’ on, now we can talk about the fun stuff… food! (I think fun, anyway!).
5. Use cooling spices like cumin. Adding a Pitta spice like cumin is going to help your body stay cool. You can add to a hummus dip or a beet cauliflower soup that can be served cold (or served warm if you’re feeling fall Vata cold in the summer… that can happen). Mint herb is another great cooling add… that goes well in a pea bowl.
6. Eat foods that hang between a fruit and a veggie like beets, avocados, and medley color tomatoes. Many are vibrant in summer colors as well as nutrients! And you can always freeze produce and add them to smoothies.
7. Cut up summer tropical fruits like a mango, guava, dragon fruit, passion fruit, coconut, and pineapples that are eat-from-the-rainbow 🌈healthy. For more happy vibes, you can make a tropical fruit salad or tropical fruits pie.
8. Add refreshing whole fruits to your list like peaches and plums that are usually summer abundant. Handing them out to others in the car is always fun and well received. And you can make and take healthy peach juice and drink ideas 🍑
9. Add and eat hydrating juicy fruits like watermelon, kiwi, pears, grapes, and oranges that can go in a salad and make great food garnishes too.
10. Bring out cool veggies that win you plant-based points. Like raw carrots, lettuce, and celery that are easy to transport. You can make a memorable Italian bean salad or no-bitter radish salad.
11. Bring along a cooling towel or T-shirt. A day or two before, roll up a towel and leave in the freezer or fridge, and then bring along with you so you can wrap around your neck or put on and quickly cool you down.
12. Use an aluminum water bottle that keeps water and beverages cold longer. Sometimes all day.
Another cool item from the fridge I like to bring out, are high antioxidant-rich fruits like sweet-scented pineapple chunks or tart lemons. Not for eating, but I can run one down my face for a hydrate cooling moment and get a Vitamin C fruit facial.
It’s a topical tropical 🍍😎🍍
And when you’re out and about, think of healthy drinks such as coconut water. Some have electrolytes. Check the label also for low sugar content.
A smoothie is a way to squeeze in more antioxidant foods that help the skin and protect the body from chronic damage that shows up as aging. Unlike juicing, you keep the food fiber that’s also good for weight loss.
Have an excessively cool week! 🍉 …and if you’re driving or sitting down a lot, reminder to do a ‘lilseated yoga to help unwind and build up flexibility!
