Dr. Tracy's Blog

Black Bean and Quinoa Southwest Salad  2 cups cooked quinoa 1 can (15oz) or 1 ¼ cup cooked black beans ½ cup organic corn kernels ½ cup diced green or red onion 1 bell pepper, diced ¼ cup chopped cilantro Juice of 1-2 limes 1 tsp cumin ½ tsp paprika ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp sea salt ¼ tsp black pepper Mix quinoa with spices in a large bowl and then add other ingredients.   Serve at room temperature as a main dish or on top of lettuce as a salad.   Optional: top with diced tomatoes and avocado.

While in the midst of a heat wave hydration is on everyone's minds but I know that despite how appealing I find a tall glass of crisp clear water, others may need a little pizzazz to meet their body's daily water requirements.So I offer 3 ways to make your water more appealing: #1  CUCUMBER MELON WATER Add 6-8 cantaloupe cubes and 4-6 cucumber slices to 2 cups of filtered water. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight. Strain and enjoy. I use a wide mouth canning jar for this so I am able to get the fruit and vegetables in and out easily. #2  WATERMELON MINT WATER Add 4-6 cubes of watermelon and 4 mint leaves to 2 cups water. Refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight. Strain and enjoy, it is surprisingly sweet! #3  SPARKLING WATER AND SELTZER COUNT TOO! In practice I get this question a lot when discussing how much water a person needs to be healthy. Yes, you can count the sparkling water, naturally flavored seltzer water and ...