Cranberry Mango Millet Salad

August 18, 2011 By Leanne Vogel March 30, 2017

Have you ever fallen victim to a week that just wouldn’t end? Generally I’m against wishing the week away, but this week is an exception. In 3 days I’ll be lining up with thousands of other runners to participate in my very first half marathon. I just want the week to fly by so that I can get this show on the road!

There’s a part of me that knows I can rock my goal time and cry with joy at the finish line. But there’s also another part of me that’s scared that something bad will happen and I won’t be able to complete it.

Shaking off the shakes

My solution to the nervousness has been to remind myself that there is no use in sweating over things that haven’t happened yet, or worrying about things that are completely out of my control. If my knee hurts, I’ll walk. If I get sick, I’ll register for another race later. If I know the anxiety is creeping up on me, I’ll sit quietly and visualize myself physically running the race. Two minutes later I’m back to normal and confident that I have this one in the bag, no matter what.

Remembering why I do it

I had originally started running because it made me feel free and happy. Instead of approaching this as a do or die event, I’ve been trying to remind myself that it’s just like any other running session at home, only I’ll be running with a bunch of people. Really, as long as I love running and enjoy myself, what more do I need?

Be proud no matter what

I’ve overcome so many obstacles during my training. I’ve recovered from a patella injury, dealt with countless issues with my hips, doubting myself, and having to take months off at a time to recover. All in all this process has taken me 1 year, but I’ve stuck to it. One of the things that’s kept me going is the blog and all of you guys. You’ve been so supportive and encouraged me every step of the way. It’s amazing. So in the end, no matter what happens I’ll be proud of myself.

Race preparation

I tried to run 5km last night as my last big hurrah before the event, but my right knee was bothering me so I walked the last 4km. It is what it is! I’m planning to do a bit of arm strengthening and hill walking this morning at the gym. Then the plan on Friday and Saturday is to do a couple of laps in the pool and rest up. Since we’ll be staying in a hotel the night before the event, I’ve started preparing a couple of meals/snacks that we’ll be taking with us.

First on the list of travel goodies is this delicious, summer-filled salad that we’ll enjoy during our 4 hour drive to Edmonton on Saturday. And for snack we’ll have some of these…

But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the [simple] recipe! I promise this one’s just as good :)

Cranberry Mango Millet Salad

Author: Leanne Vogel

Recipe type: Gluten free, Dairy free, Sugar free, Yeast free, Corn free

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 6 entree sized servings

This salad combines millet and quinoa for slightly higher protein content. Lighten up your lunch with this mango, dried cranberries, and spinach salad topped with a sweet lemon poppy seed dressing. So delicious!

Ingredients

Salad

1 cup raw millet
½ cup raw quinoa
3 cup water
1 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 mango, cubed
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
¼ cup yellow onions, diced

Lemon poppy seed dressing

¼ cup lemon juice
1.5 tablespoon raw unpasteurized honey
2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
¼ teaspoon herbamare

Instructions

Place millet and quinoa in a strainer and rinse in cold water for a couple of seconds. Place rinsed grains in a medium sized saucepan and combine with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, or until water has absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit with the lid on for 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool.
Meanwhile, combine remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add lukewarm or chilled grains. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl, mix together lemon poppy seed dressing ingredients before pouring over the salad. Serve at room temperature or cold.

View Nutritional Information (once on page scroll down)

We had this salad with fresh turkey sausage last night and it was delicious! I split the leftovers into a bunch of small containers and threw them in the freezer for the weekend. We’ll defrost the night before we go and we’ll be set! Do you have a race or special event coming up? How are you preparing? What helps you stay positive? PS: [I almost forgot!] The lucky winner of 2 bags of bean pasta is Suzanne! I’ll be sending you an email in a short while. Thanks for participating everyone :)

This entry was tagged: cranberry, freezable, mango, millet, positive affirmations, Quinoa, salad