Quinoa and Black Bean Power Wraps
Sweet Summer Quinoa and Black Bean Power Wraps are packed with nutrition and fiber to fill your tank and help you reach your fitness goals.
This week is prep time for another triathlon! Sunday is the Pineappleman sprint distance tri here in Melbourne Beach, Florida. This tri is a 1/3 mi swim, 15 mi bike, and 3.4 mi run. So since this isn’t a really long race, I have not done the end-all-be-all, multi-week clean-eating prep I do for longer races, but I still want to show up Sunday with my glycogen tank full. The principle I follow is that you can’t “carb load” last minute or the night before – carb loading is a process that takes some time. I always give it at least a week of eating meals focused on carbohydrates and protein in small, proper portions.
So here is the salad that I am piling into a wrap each day for lunch this week. It is LOADED with nutrition. This lunch in particular is heavy on the healthy carbs and precisely perfect for an athlete or anyone prepping for a race/event. Quinoa, black beans, and Greek yogurt also provide protein, and there’s plenty of alkalizing spinach and pineapple. Alkalizing foods help with endurance and recovery, so I also include some fruit on the side and drink lemon water with my lunch.
And for those of you that don’t go for super duper stupendously nutritious dishes like this, rest assured I have something amazing and splurgy for you on the way next post (hint: there’s bacon). After all, I am all about balancing splurging AND being healthy!
Be sure to check out my other Healthy Week Lunches!
Ingredients
- 1/2 c brown rice
- 1 c quinoa
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 c corn kernels
- 3 T chopped green chilies drained
- 1-1/2 c fresh spinach leaves chopped
- 1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
- ½ c plain Greek yogurt
- 1 t kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 t chipotle chili powder
- 1 t cumin
- large wraps I used spinach wraps
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice and cook 15 minutes. Add the quinoa and cook an additional 15 minutes. Drain off all the water from the rice and quinoa, replace the lid, and let sit 10 minutes.
- To the cooked brown rice and quinoa, add the remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt if necessary (I'm a heavy salter). Serve about a cupful in a large wrap. This also makes a delicious side dish for dinner. Yield: 8 servings.
