I am cutting it really close, but I'm pretty confident I can get to 52 new dishes by year's end! I was hoping to make some festive treats before Christmas, but something traumatic happened at Levi's over the weekend. I used to always buy the same size jeans, but after getting hooked on the comfort of jcrew's pixie pants, I haven't worn jeans as often as I used to. Come to think of it, I think I've spent 330 of the last 357 days this year in the jcrew pants. I don't know why I was shocked when the zipper on said pants stopped holding up.

I am cutting it really close, but I'm pretty confident I can get to 52 new dishes by year's end! I was hoping to make some festive treats before Christmas, but something eye-opening happened at Levi's over the weekend. I haven’t worn jeans in a while after falling for the comfort of Jcrew’s pixie pants - which as you may know, have stretchy waistbands and legs. Anyway, the zipper on the pants stopped holding up and would spontaneously bust open at the most ridiculous moments and I’d have to pray my top was long enough to hide the mess I was in. I initially dismissed it as a sign of wear, as I have worn those pants more than 80% of the past 18 months. So you can imagine my horror when I tried on my usual jean size at Levi’s with ‘Frosty the Snowman’ blaring in the background only to find the jeans couldn’t even get past my thighs. Now I’m all for indulgence during the holiday season, but I think the experience was a sign I should cut back a bit.

I am cutting it really close, but I'm pretty confident I can get to 52 new dishes by year's end! I was hoping to make some festive treats before Christmas, but something eye-opening happened at Levi's over the weekend. I haven’t worn jeans in a while after falling for the comfort of Jcrew’s pixie pants - which as you may know, have stretchy waistbands and legs. Anyway, the zipper on the pants stopped holding up and would spontaneously bust open at the most ridiculous moments and I’d have to pray my top was long enough to hide the mess I was in. I initially dismissed it as a sign of wear, as I have worn those pants more than 80% of the past 18 months. So you can imagine my horror when I tried on my usual jean size at Levi’s with ‘Frosty the Snowman’ blaring in the background only to find the jeans couldn’t even get past my thighs. Now I’m all for indulgence during the holiday season, but I think the experience was a sign I should cut back a wee bit.

This quinoa risotto was a nice healthy change from the treats I’ve binged on over the past two months. It was pretty simple to make and was so delightfully flavourful and filling without being heavy. It’s just hard not to love quinoa! I also have no idea what pinot grigio/wine does to a dish, but cooking with wine made me feel faaaan-seee!

Anyway, I will see you all in a very short bit — until then, have a very merry Christmas with your families! :)

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Deglaze the pan with the pinot grigio and stir. Cook until all of the wine has evaporated.

Add the vegetable stock 1 cup at a time and stir often. Wait until all of the liquid from the broth has been absorbed by the quinoa before adding more stock. Cook until the quinoa is cooked but still firm, about 12-15 minutes.

Stir in spinach and petit peas as well as a splash of broth. Stir until the spinach is cooked (wilted). Remove from heat and stir in the mint, parmesan and cream. Mix well and serve warm.

Enjoy!

I am cutting it really close, but I'm pretty confident I can get to 52 new dishes by year's end! I was hoping to make some festive treats before Christmas, but something eye-opening happened at Levi's over the weekend. I haven’t worn jeans in a while after falling for the comfort of Jcrew’s pixie pants - which as you may know, have stretchy waistbands and legs. Anyway, the zipper on the pants stopped holding up and would spontaneously bust open at the most ridiculous moments and I’d have to pray my top was long enough to hide the mess I was in. I initially dismissed it as a sign of wear, as I have worn those pants more than 80% of the past 18 months. So you can imagine my horror when I tried on my usual jean size at Levi’s with ‘Frosty the Snowman’ blaring in the background only to find the jeans couldn’t even get past my thighs. Now I’m all for indulgence during the holiday season, but I think the experience was a sign I should cut back a wee bit.

This quinoa risotto was a nice healthy change from the treats I’ve binged on over the past two months. It was pretty simple to make and was so delightfully flavourful and filling without being heavy. It’s just hard not to love quinoa! I also have no idea what pinot grigio/wine does to a dish, but cooking with wine made me feel faaaan-seee!

Anyway, I will see you all in a very short bit — until then, have a very merry Christmas with your families! :)

---

Deglaze the pan with the pinot grigio and stir. Cook until all of the wine has evaporated.

Add the vegetable stock 1 cup at a time and stir often. Wait until all of the liquid from the broth has been absorbed by the quinoa before adding more stock. Cook until the quinoa is cooked but still firm, about 12-15 minutes.

Stir in spinach and petit peas as well as a splash of broth. Stir until the spinach is cooked (wilted). Remove from heat and stir in the mint, parmesan and cream. Mix well and serve warm.

Enjoy!