Archive for grains

preparedness

January 9, 2012 · Filed under Brands I Love, Costco, Fast Food Assist, Fish, grains, Trader Joe's, Veggies · Tagged ,

Preparedness refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. Preparedness is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes.

This my friends is the key to it all.  If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, make healthy choices, and take control of your eating the only route there is is ”preparedness”…no way around it. 

We spent a good portion of our day today in our jammies, watching football.  So around 3 we made a run to the park.  It gets dark and cold here early and when we piled in the car to head home my Husband noted it was already 5…and suggested we eat out.  I was all for it as I had planned nothing for dinner.  As we tossed possible dining destinations back and forth it occurred to me how silly it was when I have a freezer, pantry and fridge overflowing with easy, healthy choices.

Preparedness.

Dinner was 4 things:  frozen fish, quinoa, bruschetta sauce, and edamame

1st I microwaved the edamame and in 5 minutes the kids were eating a hot veggie.  Costco sells Madame Edamame and the little bags go right into the microwave.  Fast.  Hot.  Healthy.   Sprinkled with a little garlic salt and everyone is a fan. (these are also good cold in a bag on the run)

2. Fish.  I know, not everyone likes fish.  But I would encourage you to find one you can tolerate as it is an awesome lean protein, and easy to make.  If you choose non-fishy ones they are basically plain, like chicken, and will taste like whatever you put on them.  We eat a lot of Tilapia, which Costco also sells frozen, and we also enjoy Barramundi which has no fishiness at all!  Remember to check the Monterey Aquarium Seafood Watch site for best choices!  I put frozen fish in cold water (still in the packaging) for about 5 min, then it is ready to go.  Most of these frozen white fish choices are good broiled on each side for 5 min.  I added a little pepper and some Galeos Miso for flavor.

3.  Quinoa.  6 minutes in the microwave.  The main reason I like to make quinoa is it is fast and light.  You don’t feel all weighed down like you do after eating rice.  Trader Joe’s Organic Quinoa is cheap, and can you beat a 4- 6 minute microwave option?

 

4.  Bruschetta.  I always have bruschetta sauce in the house.  It is easy to dip things into, and dump onto dishes to spice them up!  Actually right now I have the Costco option (Hannah’s) and the Trader Joe’s kind. Tonight I added it to the quinoa and it was so YUMMY!  I actually just made more to have for lunch tomorrow.  Quinoa has a lot of protein so it makes a perfect mini-meal on the run, and tastes great cold!

So 30 minutes after walking into the house we had a dinner that was pretty healthy, easy to make, and relatively cheap…all things I am sure we would not have accomplished if we had gone out. Not one thing I made took over 6 minutes…hard to argue with that!

Preparedness=Good Stuff!

Comments (1) »

Added Bonus…I get to say Rappleberry!

November 11, 2011 · Filed under Brands I Love, Eat this - Not that, grains, Kid Tip, kids, Organics, Products I can't live without, Snacks, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , ,

Not much of a bagel fan.  Never have been.  400 calories of enriched flour settling into my blood stream just makes me tired!  But my family LOVES bagels!!!  My Husband is from New York and he makes it his mission to locate the best bagel no matter where in the world we may be.  He and the kids go to bagels every Saturday morning, a tradition they all look forward to. 

About a month ago I stumbled onto a pretty reddish/pink bag in the bread aisle at the PCC that said “Rappleberry” on it!  Intrigued to see they were actually bagels I brought them home and served them (sprouted and all) to the pickiest bagel eaters I know and wouldn’t you know it…they LOVED THEM!

I love them because I can get a fabulous, fiber-filled, hi-protein breakfast into my kids in a hurry on school days and know they will make it to lunch without crashing and burning into a sleepy funk.  It is hard to believe these bagels are THIS good, given they are full of healthy stuff and really they are Sprouted Wheat, but TRUST me, they are DELISH!  I do wish they came sliced, but I just slice them when I buy them, place them back in the bag and keep them in the freezer.  They go straight into the toaster and do not get chewy or stale tasting like a regular bagel can.

I have to say all these fabulous new products sure do make clean eating a whole lot easier, and a whole lot more fun!  Who isn’t going to love saying “Rappleberry”?

Rappleberry Bagel

Noah’s Plain Bagel

260 Calories

350 Calories

Total Fat 1.5g

Total Fat 1g

Cholesterol 0mg

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 290mg

Sodium 700mg

Total Carbs 49g

Total Carbs 77g

Sugar 13g (naturally occuring from fruit)

Sugar 5g

Protein 15g

Protein 12g

Fiber 10g

Fiber 2g

Potassium 270mg

Potassium 0mg

Leave a comment »

Rice Cooker, another must have

October 6, 2011 · Filed under Crock Pot, grains, legumes · Tagged , , ,

If you make eating the right foods easy, it becomes easier to eat the right foods. 

One of my dear friends growing up was from Thailand.  Whenever we walked into her home many yummy, wonderful things were cooking.  But always, on the counter, was the rice cooker.  Somewhere in the late 1990′s I learned white rice was bad, very…very…very bad for me.  A lot of diet and health information comes and goes in phases and fads, but it would appear that a decade later we really do know that white rice (white food in general) is not good for us. 

Before I started eating clean I had not cooked a grain of rice, or really any pasta either, in probably 5 years.  Instead I ate it as my splurge when we would eat out (which was a lot, if I am honest)  Rice, pasta, bread…it was all the DEVIL!  Funny, because even though I shied away from those foods I still was fat…and unhealthy, because I made a lot of room for the other white stuff…suger! (I must say I am still a bit disappointed that a box of Snackwells is not considered a good choice-BUMMER)

So I must say it was hard for me to bring all the grains (carbs, right?) back into the fold.  It took retraining my mind and letting my body decide.  It is easy to tell because after a bowl of brown rice and veggies you don’t feel like you never want to eat again…you feel satisfied, and energetic…go figure?  Now I eat brown rice, lentils, black beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, tabouleh, barley, amaranth, quinoa, couscous and others with pretty much free abandonment.  And guess what, I still keep losing weight. 

So back to the rice cooker.  The hardest part about eating clean is preparation.  The rice cooker has proved some modern miracle for me, and I simply can not believe that it took me so long to realize what an amazing tool this little contraption is.  Brown rice, easy right.  But you can make almost any grain, and even lentils!  My most favorite concoction right now  is 2 cups long grain brown rice, to one cup lentils.  When I get home it is warm, and easy to add pasta sauce, salsa, even oil and vinegar to…maybe some chopped veggies…and in two minutes flat I have the perfect meal.  Put the rest in a ziplock and you are set for a few days.

I also like to put it to work if I have the slow cooker going.  It is great to dump a crock pot recipe over some healthy grains!

If you make eating the right foods easy, it becomes easier to eat the right foods.  How about them apples?

Comments (2) »

Taboule ROCKS!

September 12, 2009 · Filed under Brands I Love, grains, Recipes · Tagged

NearEastOk,

I have tried a lot of brands (and I have made my own)…taste bud for taste bud and dollar to dollar Near East has the market on this little gem of a dish!

I love that I can make this DELICIOUS DISH in 30 minutes and serve it with just about anything!  I usually add even more yumminess when the salad is ready (diced red onion, diced tomatoes (even canned) and cilantro) but it is just great without any additions!

What is Taboule?  Well it is basically bulgur wheat blended with herbs and some lemon juice!

Don’t be a white rice snob…as white rice has done nothing for you my friend…branch out and give this heart-healthy treat a try!  You will love it, I promise;)

Comments (1) »

Quinoa & Two Bean Salad

May 14, 2009 · Filed under grains, Recipes

Makes 6 servings (1 cup each)
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
SALAD
1 1/2 cups Green Giant frozen cut green beans
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed, well drained
1 can (15 ounces) Progresso cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup sliced green onions (4 medium)
4 leaf lettuce leaves
DIRECTIONS

DRESSING
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 to 5 drops red pepper sauce

  1. In 2-quart saucepan, stir together green beans, water and quinoa. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes.
  2. In medium bowl, mix cooked quinoa mixture, cannellini beans and onions. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled.
  3. Meanwhile, in small jar with tight-fitting lid, place dressing ingredients; shake well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve on lettuce-lined plates.

 

NOTES
Round out with 3 ounces of (cooked) fish, skinless poultry, lean meat or tofu and a piece of whole grain bread.

Success Tip: Uncooked quinoa has a bitter coating and therefore must be rinsed and drained thoroughly before cooking it.

Calories 227/Protein 9g/fiber 6g/fat 6g/carbs 33g

 From The Best Life site

Leave a comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 120 other followers