Its not only the clothes that start getting a tad bit happier and brighter during this time of the year, its also the food.

The breads , soups and pastas are replaced with salads, smoothies and sushi.

To cheer up our after workout Saturday afternoon I came up with an easy and quick quinoa and chicken recipe. I had some mini chicken fillets in the fridge and this preferred protein goes well with quinoa.

Now for the ingredients, just in case you are in the mood for some quinoa goodness

1 packet quinoa

8 mini chicken fillets

1 red pepper

1 red or white onion

1 tbsp. cajun spice

1 tbsp oil

1/2 lemon

Handful coriander

Handful flaked almonds

1tsp salt

1tsp pepper

I started off by chopping the onion and red pepper

Its up to you whether you want chunky chicken pieces or thin slices. I like them thinner so I further sliced the mini fillets into two

After all the chopping and slicing I added the chicken pieces to the pan along with the oil and the Cajun spices. Make sure the oil is hot before you add the chicken to the pan. Mix well to ensure even coating and cook the chicken for 5 minutes.

Slide the onions and peppers into the pan

Mix them with the spices and cook until the veggies soften and start to caramelise. Don’t let the chicken burn, keep swirling your wooden spoon for some sparkling compliments later

I used the quinoa and puy lentils mix for my salad and followed the cooking instructions on the bag

Once cooked I emptied out the quinoa into a bowl

By now my chicken and veg mix was also cooked to perfection so I transferred that to the bowl as well

Gave it a good mix and squeezed half a lemon over it along with some salt and pepper

Once I was happy with the flavours I sprinkled a handful of flaked almonds over it. You will be surprised how they add another layer of texture & taste to the recipe

Finally sprinkled some sparkle with fresh coriander. I absolutely love the smell and the colours of this herb.

I was starving by the time I finished cooking, just look at those colours aren’t they calling out to you.

I grabbed my bowl full and sat in front of the telly to finish off my guilty pleasure – an episode of Marvel Agents of Shield.