Since late 2009, I’ve had a pretty crippling fear of weather.

Specifically, any weather events that didn’t involve a cloud-less sky & a bright sun with a happy face in the middle.

Overcast day? No need to speak to me.Thunderstorms? Don’t expect me to leave the house. High winds? Buckling myself to a sturdy object. Natural disasters? I carry a helmet and a bottle of water wherever I go.

As usual, I continue to evolve. I woke up yesterday to a thunderstorm and instead of burying my face in my pillow and asking God to blow up my car so I couldn’t go anywhere, I was comforted by the melodic sounds. It was like waking up to a big ole bear hug from Mother Nature. Rain is pretty! Rain is fun! Rain is an excuse to not do my hair!

However, I think the sun is starting to turn on me & I’m not happy about it.

Time: 30 minutes (prep + cooking) | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of red quinoa
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, rinsed + halved
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 cup of snap peas, cooked
• 1 avocado, sliced
• S+P, to taste
• Sriracha, for serving

How to:

• Cook quinoa according to package directions, drain
• In a bowl, combine quinoa + cherry tomatoes + red pepper + snap peas + avocado
• Sprinkle with S+P + drizzle with sriracha
• Serve room temperature or cold
• Hide utensils from self + smash face into bowl beware of sriracha in the eye