What’s the first thing you think of when you see this picture?
Besides, Incoming!!! I thought…
WOAH!
How??
I’ll have what she’s having!
And so on and so forth.
Today I stumbled onto BodyRock.tv, an at-home video workout paradise, where I learned about a 30 Day Fitness Challenge the seriously ripped woman above, Lisa Marie, is running.
Inspired by this picture, and always looking to spice things up in the exercise department, I decided to join in on the fun and kicked off Day 1 with a test to measure my current fitness level.
All I had to do was see how many of the following exercises I could do in 50 seconds, take a 10 second break, then see how many of the next exercise I could do in 50 seconds, etc, etc, – for a 7 minute total workout.
- Squat Jump
- Push Ups
- Burpees
- High Knees
- Switch Lunges
- Tuck Jumps
- Straight Abs
7 minutes? Totally doable. Right?!
Ummm, my lungs have not burned this bad since racing up an ancient stone staircase in Praiano in .5, to get to the local pizza joint before they closed. #FatKidConfessions
I literally thought I was going to keel over and DIE. And this was just the fitness test day. AHHH! 
Have you ever tried any of BodyRock.tv’s workouts? What did you think?
Prior to torching my lungs, I went to the gym to knock out this 42 minute, 4.75 mile treadmill routine.
| Time | Speed |
| 0-1 | 4.0 |
| 1-4 | 6.5 |
| 4-6 | 7.5 |
| 6-7 | 8.5 |
| 7-31 | Repeat minutes 1-7, four more times |
| 31-36 | 6.5 |
| 36-41 | 6.0 |
| 41-42 | 4.0 |
| Total: | 4.75 Miles |
I think the two combined definitely earned me seconds of the incredibly – insanely – mouthwatering Quinoa Macaroni & Cheese I made for dinner!
This macaroni and cheese recipe is off the chain. It’s made with quinoa instead of pasta, and includes a modest amount of sharp cheddar cheese.
It smells like cheese popcorn as it’s baking, and tastes even better!
Plus it takes very little time and effort to make. Start by sauteing shallots and tomatoes in a little olive oil.
Add garlic and rinsed quinoa, then toast the quinoa until it’s golden brown.
Add water, drop the lid on top, and let the quinoa cook until all the water has been absorbed – about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix up the mac & cheese binder – eggs + milk.
Stir the cooked quinoa, eggs and milk together, melt in a little cheddar cheese, and bake in a casserole dish for 30 minutes.
Ohhhmylanta – this is SO delish!
The recipe made a 9×13 pan, which I cut into 8 servings. Each serving came out to be around 285 calories – way healthier than your traditional mac and cheese!
Plus, since quinoa is a complete protein, it’s sure to keep me full all night.
Which hopefully means I won’t feel the need to devour the entire batch of sugar-free peanut butter cookie dough dip I’m about to go make….muwahahaha! I’ll keep you posted!
Click here for the Quinoa Mac & Cheese recipe!
Visit my Recipes section, Travel section, Workout section, Daily Workout Log and Top Posts!
Your email post lured me in with that pic of the quinoa mac & cheese. I can’t wait to make this! I’ve pinned it to add to our menu coming up.
Holy crap, can’t wait to make this!
HA! I can’t believe you used the phrase ‘off the chain’! I love it
And I love the sound of the Quinoa Mac and Cheese. Can’t wait to try it! PS. I found BodyRock.tv the other day too, but instead of being awesome like you and trying one of her workouts, I decided that she was too intense for me. Way to challenge yourself!
[...] a intense one, what with giving up cookies, candy, and the like during the week, and starting a 30 Day Fitness Challenge. It may seem like I’m taking on too much at once, but I welcome the chance to challenge [...]
I’m about to start the BodyRock challenge. I’ve done some of their workouts before and I loveloveLOVE them. I’m sure this challenge will kick my ass, but I’m excited about it.
Phew! Just did the fitness test via the body rock challenge since you showed it! HOLY TOLITO…talk about lungs burning!!! OUCH!
Totally making this today, thanks for sharing recipe! Love new quinoa recipes. I definitley want to check out these work outs, always looking for new fitness challenges.
I LOVE doing my BodyRock workouts. They’re so intense but so short and efficient. I’ve been doing them since last summer, but have been incorporating them 3-4x a week for a couple months now. There are so many to choose from that you won’t have to do the same workout for a VERY long time! Mac and Cheese looks AMAZING and I love that it’s made with quinoa!
[...] i can’t wait to make this quinoa mac & cheese! [...]
I can’t wait to try this recipe – my mom doesn’t eat gluten, but loves mac and cheese! So awesome!
Also, I’ve totally done bodyrock, it kicks your butt. I did the 550 (which is totally awesome and I squeeze it in whenever I can) the first time while watching TV. I’d do a exercise, sit and watch tv, do an exercise, sit and watch tv, etc. By the end, I felt half lazy… the next day – I was so sore I couldn’t move!
I’ll have to log on to check out the 30 day challenge!!
Xo,
D
I was you today (in a very non-threatening, non-stalker kind of way). I made this for dinner and did the bodyrock.tv fitness test. It took me a few days to get the motivation and ingredients but amoungst other things, I actually got to both tasks today. I didn’t even realize that you had posted them on here in the same post. So a big thank you for introducing me to both quinoa and brt
[...] (Source) [...]
will you repost the full recipe? the link isn’t working
I had that trouble too! I was so sad — got already to cook yesterday then I couldn’t access the recipe!
Oh well, a good reminder that the internet isn’t infallible 
It looks like the blog exceeded it’s bandwidth. Hopefully it will be up at the start of the new month!
But my leeks will be all wilty by then
Does anyone else have access to hte recipe and could email/post it somewhere? That was supposed to be my dinner tonight 
Ooo, it’s back up! http://monicanelsonfitness.com/blog/meals/quinoa-mac-n-cheese/
[...] commented on my Quinoa Mac & Cheese post that I ought to try quinoa pasta, and I responded that if I found it I would most definitely swoop [...]
HI There! I have been meaning to THANK YOu for show-casing and sharing my “Moni Quinoa Mac N’ Cheese” and I am so glad you love it and that your readers will too. I can’t wait to try some of yours!!
Your site is amazing and I hope to keep in great touch. Have a great day!
I also have a favor to ask, only if it is not a hassle for you…Can you tell you readers the recipe is back up?…I had way too much traffic in a short amount of time…Oppps!
I am trying out this 30 Day Challenge right now. It’s killing! Even though I am not working out every day because my muscles ache … According to this home workout I started running… But hey, even if it takes more than 30 days to get fit, I’ll try it out.
And after working out I definitely earned a second of your yummy recipe – as you said!
Keep rocking and cooking!
Daniela
I had to take a little break too, as I got a tetnus shot and it felt like I got whomped in the arm by a body builder. It’s back to the grind today though!
Made the dish tonight, thanks for a great recipe. Might tweek it a bit to make it spicier, but a great foundation. Thank you.
This looks great – Love finding new quinoa recipes. Also, I have been Body Rocking since November, and it’s the best thing I’ve found in a long time. Keep it up!
Found your recipe on Pinterest-made it tonight & it was great! Thanks for sharing
I made this for dinner last night! Delicious! (And it’s 9am right now, and I can’t even wait until lunch to sneak a few bites of the leftovers)…
What is the nutritional content of this recipe? It is fantastic BTW!
[...] lately I’ve been having fun putting it in everything from salads, to mini breakfast bites, to mac & cheese – and now soup. Er, rather – [...]
[...] Yesterday I decided to make Quinoa Mac n’ Cheese (recipe courtesy of the blog Iowa Girl Eats, link here ) [...]
[...] things first, I’ve been posting a few more quinoa recipes than normal, so I thought I’d take a second to give you a refresher course on this [...]
[...] Kristin’s IGE Mac and Cheese Makeover [...]
[...] Quinoa Mac and Cheese I shared a couple weeks ago was such a hit with Ben, myself AND you guys, that I decided to spruce [...]
Oh I LOVE the Bodyrock workouts! You will be amazed with how fit you are after a 30 day challenge.
Might have to try this, I love Franks in anything!!
Why does your mac and cheese look more moist and tasty and cheesy than Moni’s???
[...] Yummmmmm, quinoa mac and cheese. [...]
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Initially, I was worried that perhaps I was blogging in my sleep because 1) I am obsessed with bodyrock.tv and 2) I have sworn by that exact same recipe for quinoa mac n cheese. Then I realized, I’m definitely not from Iowa and that must mean that I was not, in fact, sleep-blogging.
I hope you enjoy body rocking as much as I have. Their 12-minutes workouts are great for a full-time graduate student who doubles as a full-time dietetic intern in a busy city where it was take way too long and cost way too much to get in to the closest gym. I highly recommend it – to everyone =)
[...] of my favorite foods (Mac and cheese!) and something healthy (quinoa)?I combined a recipe found on Iowa Girl Eats with her source of Monica Nelson [...]
[...] asked me to go back to the box. Who am I to argue. However, if I try it again, I might go for this quinoa alternative. Posted in [...]
[...] and use quinoa to make these delicious stuffed bell peppers, or something more indulgent, like this healthy spin on mac & cheese from Iowa Girl [...]