8/3/09: Whole Grain Adventure Continued

I have really enjoyed my whole grain adventure. I haven't bought meat in weeks. The hardest part has been using up what I have, I don't really want to eat the meat in the freezer or the pasta on the shelf. Every few days I make a new batch of whole grain and just throw it together with whatever is in the fridge/freezer. Most of the time it's been variations on a theme - most good, only one that I really didn't like (It was a mix with a sauce and chinese vegetables - the sauce just overpowered it.) It's great because I can just use what I need and the rest will be there later.

Normal day: - Grain, Vegetable (usually spinach or broccoli from the freezer/fridge), Cheese (usually Feta or Parmesan), and sauteed onions. For a variation, do the above but mix in a couple of eggs and milk and bake it into a casserole.

Sometimes I am just too tired so I will just throw some in the microwave with butter and parm and call it a night.

Tonight's recipe I just had to share . I made Quinoa, mixed it with Mandarin Oranges, Cucumbers, Green Onion, Roasted Almonds and topped it with some Toasted Sesame Ginger Vinagrette dressing. It was great! I took the first bite and thought, I am going to have to make more of this! But I was so full by the time I finished the bowl I made that it just wasn't happening.

I haven't become a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination. I could never give up dairy - after all cheese and ice cream are pretty much the best foods ever! I ventured up the road to the Earth Fare store to try to find the whole grains at a reasonable price. At the grocery store, Quinoa is $6 for a 12 oz box - which is 2 batchs (2 c water, 1 cup grain). I was able to get it at the health food store for $3.49/lb. I also picked up some pearled barley, millet, flax, and amaranth. I also found Agave nectar (yes, the cactus!) - it is used like honey, but has a very low glycemic index (does not cause the ups and downs of sugar). The bakery had this really amazing Almond Cream Cake that had a layer of almond wheat shortbread topped with a cream that was about half way between a chocolate mousse and chocolate cheese cake in consistency. One of the cooking shows had recommended using maple sugar instead of regular sugar, but it was $18 for a container that was about half the size of a pamesan cheese container - so I passed. The Agave nectar was the same price as honey.

I am going to start simple on the sweets - I found several pudding recipes that sounded really good. I will go forward from there.

It's been fun and simple putting whole grains into my diet.