Something I’ve been thinking about recently is self respect and how much pressure people put on themselves to act, look or be perceived a certain way. Last year, I deleted my personal facebook account because I honestly really did not like logging in and looking at everything; I had no desire and when I hadn’t logged in for 6 months, I thought to myself…I don’t need this. Now, I have my business account and page and that’s all I need. Why? Well, I felt like every time I did log onto facebook everything I saw was fake…people waiting until they were looking good enough to post pictures or waiting until they were doing something insanely amazing to prove to others what they were doing. I’m not judging anyone but I really had to take a step back and think about the facades that so many people put on of who they want to be instead of who they genuinely are. What happened to being vulnerable and sharing our weaknesses? What happened to helping each other? What happened to being real? I’ve always put my true self forward in my blog posts and all my social media channels including facebook, pinterest, instagram, twitter and google plus. I’m not here to sugar coat anything or share something that’s not real. I’m here to help you because you’ve come to me for a reason and I want to inspire you to live your own true, life without the mask. The only thing that those fake masks do is hold us back from connecting with each other.

None of us are perfect and I want you to realize that it’s better to be real than to pretend you’re being something that you’re not. When you dive in and get to know people and dig deep with them; you’ll discover many people are incredible and filled with lots of love and insecurities and things that aren’t so perfect. And that’s what makes us human and beautiful people.

I’m not perfect; not even close and I haven’t met anyone perfect yet. Have you? I didn’t think so.

We may perceive many people as being ‘perfect’ or looking ‘perfect’ or having the perfect home, husband, wife, children, job, clothes, car, etc. but are they showing their true self? Maybe they are and that’s amazing. But I just don’t want you to get down on yourself for not thinking you are good enough because you are. All of you is good enough and you always will be. We’re humans; we’re messy, we’ve got a million things going on, we’re on crazy schedules, we’re trying to do a million things at once but at the end of the day, it’s okay to be messy and not perfect. You’ll soon realize that when you take off that facade and unveil your true beauty, you’re beautiful both inside and out.

Now, get yourself ready for a fabuuuuuuuulous purple potato salad that’s gunna rock your world.

Dig in, have fun, smile and enjoy!

xo

For more of my favorites, follow along on facebook, pinterest, instagram, twitter and google plus.

Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why: The Benefits of Eating Organic.

Warm Superfood Quinoa Salad with Maple Orange Dressing

Serves: 4

 

Print

Prep

5 minutes

Cook

20 minutes

Total

25 minutes

 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan

Author: Amie Valpone

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6-8 small purple potatoes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1 large beet peeled and julienne or thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

Dressing

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. pure maple syrup plus more to taste
• pinch orange zest
• drizzle freshly squeezed orange juice
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cook quinoa according to package.
3. Toss potatoes with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven; set aside for 5 minutes then slice each potato in half.
4. In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together.
5. In a large bowl, toss quinoa with spinach, carrot, corn, beets, bell peppers and walnuts; add potato halves. Drizzle with dressing and gently toss to coat. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Warm Superfood Quinoa Salad with Maple Orange Dressing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 286 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 96mg4%

Potassium 562mg16%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 4886IU98%

Vitamin C 50mg61%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.