Friday thoughts….sometimes I feel like just giving up. Giving up the blog, giving up trying to work from home, giving up being a stay-at-home mom. Ooooh, I just read that back and realize it sounds serious and depressing, but don’t call for help because I don’t mean it like that.
I just go through that “what should I really be doing with my life?” from time to time. I think it’s pretty common for stay-at-home moms to feel like that job isn’t “enough”…when I know deep down it is. It’s just after 5 years (which is how long it’s been since I’ve been in the workplace) those feelings are bound to arise.
I do consider the freelance Dietitian projects I do and blogging my part-time blog, but it’s not easy balancing it all.
Putting yourself in the workplace, away from your kids definitely gives your mind time to focus on work. I’ve been there and done that. Dropped my kids at daycare and actually worked! Now being at home, I get so distracted by the house mess, the never-ending piles of laundry, the kids pulling me in different directions. Plus I am the queen of multi-tasking, so as a result feel like I am not doing anything well! Ha, funny how that works.
I do realize that before I know it all my kids will be in school full time and I will be sad so I need to enjoy the chaos that is life and just keep moving forward!
None of that has anything to do with buffalo chicken quinoa but that’s okay! This is an easy throw-together dish to make on a weeknight when you don’t have much time (given that you already have chicken cooked). Unfortunately it’s not something my kids love, but I can usually figure out leftovers for them if needed.
How do you feel about quinoa? It’s growing on me. It’s a great source of protein and carbs (I love my carbs)! And it’s a nice break from rice and pasta.
I’ve made this several times before finding it suitable for sharing. I tried it in the crockpot first and it just got too dry, then I put too much buffalo sauce and it was too salty…but I think I finally got it right and what I like is that it’s a super simple stir in one bowl and dump into a baking dish. I like to cook a batch of quinoa for meal prep and either add it to my salads or find a recipe to incorporate it into. If you already have it ready, it will make this even simpler.
The green onions and blue cheese are great garnishes, but heres the funny thing, I don’t even like blue cheese. It’s like the one type of cheese I don’t care for, but I am trying to like it…and I like it in this dish. When the blue cheese melts a bit in the oven, the flavor mellows out a bit. However, you could also try feta or extra cheddar.
So yeah, I am not gonna lie and say this is going to taste like a buffalo chicken wing, BUT it’s quick and easy and any excuse to use Frank’s Hot Sauce is a good one for me! Have a great weekend! (How is it the weekend already??)
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed (unless it's pre rinsed), cooked
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup veg broth
- 2 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup, plus 1 Tablespoon divided, buffalo sauce
- 1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (can sub feta or more cheddar cheese)
- Green Onions, sliced
- Cook 1 cup uncooked quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix cooked quinoa, greek yogurt, water, vegetable broth, chicken, garlic powder, onion powder, ¼ cup buffalo sauce, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Stir well to combine. Transfer mixture to a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining ~1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for ~20 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with 1 Tablespoon buffalo sauce, top with blue cheese crumbles (or feta) and return to oven for 2 to 3 more minutes. Top with green onions and extra buffalo sauce if desired.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Easy Vegetable Soup
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Skillet
Baked Chicken Tacos
This sounds so good!!! Sadly, I’m the only one in my family who likes buffalo chicken (crazy, I know!) But I bet I could eat this all myself. 🙂
Laura @FitMamaLove recently posted..Feeling Stylish in New Glasses From Firmoo
haha, that IS crazy. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
I can relate to the giving up part! Most days I feel like I’m being pulled in so many different directions that I don’t know which thing to focus on at the time. I feel like something needs to give, but what? Until then, I’ll continue to multitask and try to schedule myself more efficiently as I can. And then I’ll make Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Casserole because that looks insanely easy and delicious!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..High Five Friday
Thanks Angela. I am glad I am not the only one. xo
I know I feel like you do from time to time… In fact, yesterday I told my husband I feel like 90% of what I hear in a day are things I have to do, things people need me to do, or stuff I have to do for them. Between 3 kids, work (even though I work from home too), and other commitments, it gets really stressful. So smile, you’re not alone!
And thanks for the recipe… I’m going through a quinoa phase and need some new dishes to serve up!
Jerusha @CitrusSwirl.com recently posted..Four Sneaky Ways To Make The Most Of Your Fitbit
Thanks for your comment. I know it’s a phase and will pass. 😉
pinned for later!! this looks awesome!!
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted..12 month old baby William
Thanks mama!
pinnnnnnned! oh my, i love this. You need to move back to tx and feed us. please?
Oh man, we’d have fun! 😉
My husband loves anything buffalo chicken so this might be the perfect way to sneak some quinoa into his life…I always tell him that one day he WILL like it! 😉
Kelly @ Laughter, Strength, and Food recently posted..Fun Friday: The 20 Question “Get To Know Me” Survey
Haha, I can relate. I didn’t like it at first 😉
I love this post. 🙂 I have felt the same way so many times! I took a full time contract for 5 months when my daughter was 2 and really regretted it. Now I get about 24 hrs of childcare time when I can work and I’m constantly waffling between wanting to work more and wishing I didn’t have to. You do a truly amazing job with one hand on the laptop and the other on a bike/stuffed animal/broom/spatula. You’re so blessed with four. Wish we could have had a second! I’ve decided to home school and pretty much never go back to full time work. I’m focusing on family from here on out.
This recipe looks great, although that is stating the obvious because I’ve never had a bad dish from this site!!
Chin up
Thanks girl. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? 😉 I know I will never regret being home with my kids, but it’s not always easy!
You are a superhero! You forgot to add the moves, the deployments, the single parenthood during TDYs….I know exactly how you feel. I gave myself permission to walk away from blogging for a bit. It did me a world of good. Now, I am refocused and ready. Life is constantly in flux esp for people like us which makes focusing even harder. I have felt just like this and I totally get it! Hang in there! Prayers for you…This looks so delish! I will have to make this when J is TDY so I can hog it:)
thanks girlfriend. You’re right, it is hard to ever feel ahead of the game. 🙂
I love me some buffalo! Maybe this will be what turns me on to quinoa finally!
Emily @SinfulNutrition recently posted..Five Things Friday: The Gratitude Edition
Haha, it took me a while to like it.
I love quinoa and I love all of these ingredients. I cannot remember the last time I did have bleu cheese, but I do like it is just not a regular in my eats. Hot sauce though and bleu cheese go to together so well…Nom Nom!
She Rocks Fitness recently posted..Choosing And Training For Your First Race…
Blue cheese is definitely not a staple in our kitchen either, but I can’t help but think of it with buffalo sauce. Now I just need to keep working on liking the stuff. 😉
I’ve never made anything remotely close to buffalo-chicken because I dislike blue cheese and for the longest time, thought I disliked cheddar. The former is definitely still true, but I’m glad I gave cheddar cheese a chance again! I’ll have to try this without the blue cheese! <3
Farrah recently posted..Foodie Friday: Coconut Curry Rice with Grilled Asparagus
I totally get it, because honestly I am still on the fence with it. But I have a feeling someday I will really like it. 😉
“Plus I am the queen of multi-tasking, so as a result feel like I am not doing anything well!” #Truth I Can really relate and as you can see from many of the comments you’ve already received here, you are not alone. It’s a constant struggle to find the balance. Some days I wish I didn’t work so I could be with my kids the whole time, but other – most – days, I am happy I have my work to escape to! Someone told me when I first had my twins to just “muddle through” and I have kept that with me since. So keep on muddling through. You’re doing a great job!
Thanks Jessica! It is nice that so many of us are in the same boat.
i totally get what you are saying. I’ve been feeling it big time, actually last summer I took a break from blogging and it did me a world of good. It’s really tough to work from home, the boundaries are not clear and it gets lonely (for me), plus the multi tasking thing. I have been working at setting myself up a schedule so that I am not always trying to blog with my youngest around during the day. So it’s early mornings and nap times right now and I have to be ok with it. 🙂
This looks great!!! My husband and I love buffalo so these flavors are right up our alley!
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Thanks Aggie! Well you have been blogging for even longer so I am sure you needed the break. It does get lonely! Thankfully we have social media, haha. I miss you girl! I need to visit your blog, it’s been too long.
Do you need to cook the quinoa before you throw it in the baking dish with the other ingredients or does it cook in the oven? Thanks!
Bri, so sorry I missed your comment. And I realized my instructions were not clear so I have updated them, thank you for that. The 1 cup of quinoa is raw so once it’s cooked it will yield about ~3 1/2 cups cooked, then add all of the cooked quinoa to the bowl of other ingredients 🙂 thanks!