April 25, 2011 grains
When we started our new eating lifestyle, we decided to omit white flour out of our diets. Of course, we have our occasional treat here and there, but that is done OUTSIDE of our home. Sidenote: One of the big rules we strive to live by (yes, we budged a little this Easter) is to never bring anything processed, non-plant-based, un-naturally sweetened, etc. into our home. If we ever want to get a little treat, we have to go out to get it, that way we are not tempted to polish off an entire package of junk in one sitting.
Anyways, back to the direction I want this post to go… GRAINS. We eat them sparingly, and the ones we do eat have a really high nutrient content.
My boys eat a 9 grain or steel cut oats in the morning for breakfast, and then have a sandwich on sprouted bread for lunch. That’s pretty much all of the grains we consume in one day. I purchase all of my grains from our local food Co-Op. I’m able to get about 2.5 lbs of our breakfast cereal for under $3, and it will last us for 2 weeks. It’s not only good for our bellies, but easy on the wallet.
One of our favorite grains is Quinoa. The health benefits of Quinoa are astounding! I prepare at least one meal a week with Quinoa. One of our all-time favorite recipes is Pineapple Cashew Stir Fry (yet another fabulous recipe from Veganomicon!). ***Make sure you soak your quinoa or rinse it really well (until there are no more bubbles while rinsing) before cooking… otherwise you will have some bitter-tasting quinoa!***
And we love this little snack, which I try to make once a week to munch on here and there: Almond Quinoa Muffins (yep, you guessed it, from Veganomicon!)
- 3 comments
- Posted under breakfast, dinner, grains, kid friendly, quinoa, snacks, veganomicon
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GK
said
I think I ate about 5 pounds of that pineapple cashew stir-fry myself.
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Beth
said
Just a note about quinoa that I don’t think people know. It is supposed to be soaked as are most grains before consuming. I have learned a bit about this from Rorie’s Waldorf preschool (grains are big there or course).
We are far from vegan here (I can’t even get my husband to do meatless Monday) but we buy local, organic real foods. I keep the same rule as you what I bring into my houses versus what we eat at a kids birthday party (etc.) are two different things. My goal is to cook from scratch the way my Great Grandma ate (I even have a family cook book to help!).
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angellacowan
said
Yes, thank you for pointing that out. Yes, you do need to soak the quinoa (or just rinse it really well until there are no more bubbles as you are rinsing). Otherwise, you will be left with some bitter-tasting quinoa!