This one pot Parmesan & Veggie Quinoa Skillet<\/b> combines fresh veggies with Parmesan cheese & hearty quinoa. This vegetarian-friendly recipe is the perfect dish to whip up when you are craving a little healthy comfort food…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n As many of you know, I donated a kidney to my fiance<\/a> in October of 2021. If you follow me on Instagram<\/a>, then you may also know that we have had our struggles and setbacks since our surgeries a little over 1 year and 3 months ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While his kidney function and numbers are better than they have been in over 15 years, the reality of life post-transplant was not exactly something that we felt we had really been made aware of or had been sufficiently prepared for. Over the course of the past 15 months, Colin has experienced emergency surgery, hospitalizations,\u00a0<\/span>2 mild rejection episodes,\u00a0<\/span>more ER visits than I can remember, and numerous medication changes to try to find the right combination for him.<\/span><\/p>\n And while we are thankful that the surgeries, hospitalizations, and rejection episodes seem to now be a part of our past (knock on wood), we are still struggling with the latter two- particularly the medications. Colin takes quite a few medications to help prevent rejection and keep his blood pressure in check. They all can have significant side effects, and some of the meds and dosages are worse than others.<\/span><\/p>\n While we are leaving it to his team of docs to try to find the right combo and dosages of his much needed medications, we are doing what we can as a couple to lead healthier lives together. That includes eating healthier, going to the gym more each week, and cooking at home more often.<\/span><\/p>\n We have been trying to incorporate more fresh veggies and whole grains into our daily diet, while also trying to greatly reduce how much sodium we consume since it is such a huge contributor to high blood pressure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the main functions of our kidneys is to regulate our blood pressure. And since both Colin and I are now functioning on just one healthy kidney, we want to make sure that they both stay that way- healthy and functioning normally.<\/span><\/p>\n This Parmesan & Veggie Quinoa Skillet is one of my favorite healthy comfort food dishes to whip up. It\u00a0<\/span>combines fresh veggies with Parmesan cheese & hearty quinoa. And it also happens to be vegetarian-friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n What goes into this dish:<\/span><\/p>\n A few tips & tricks for making this recipe:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are continually grateful for this new lease on life for Colin and what that can mean for our future together. I would never take it back or do it differently. Ever. Any struggles that he has, that we have faced together since then is nothing compared to the uncertainty we experienced before the transplant or the tether of dialysis that literally seemed to drain the life from him on a daily basis.<\/span><\/p>\n But I think the one takeaway from our experience would be this- that for someone with kidney disease, a kidney transplant is a treatment<\/i>. Not a cure. I hope my kidney lasts at least 20-30 years for him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgef0n_jsfUzcAoUz-CRNHHUFf02XHl38W59pO8tL1Mmzf87tHRvE9vuvN3tReW25GHxFhShnnaUmbd-CBHd2G_4DDQ-om9OGw5ODQJdgxErg6vXu9uSyCS938rwmCcQiszKBVipgGszhaDfmf2RGTCXU-a2UVYwzKgdN10Dv4rwHf7q7eVconWzbTbgg\/s1350\/Parmesan-Veggie-Quinoa-Skillet-Titled.jpg\" "\\"This")
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\npasta. Not only is this super grain packed with nutrients, but it also happens to be gluten
\nfree. I always rinse my quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh strainer
\nbefore cooking to remove any of the extra starch.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\n
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