To begin, I must confess, my goal is really not coming along like I would like it to. I am just extremely lazy some days and just don't want to do anything.
We decided to take a trip to Idaho this weekend to visit my parents and my sister. It was a much needed break away from everything where we could just visit and veg and just relax! It was so wonderful! We went up on Saturday afternoon and Mike and I were able to go to a stake dance with my parents and then out for some frozen yogurt. It was a fun double date. For all those teens out there that just cringe at the thought of having a double date with your parents, things change after you move out and get married, we had lots of fun with my parents.
My mom taught me some things about whole grains. This is my new focus for my goal right now: to learn all I can about whole grains and how to incorporate them into my everyday living. My mom had a very old copy of a booklet called "Cookies for Dinner" by Faye Reeves and Anne Cerny. They have updated over the years and my sister in law found that they were selling an updated copy, so she got one for my mom. It is a really neat little booklet. To get a copy you can email Faye at FayeReeves@juno.com or you can call them: Faye Reeves 801-576-9788, Anne Cerny 801-318-1145. Anne also runs an oline store where you can buy organic whole grains, agave, molasses, honey and legumes and beans. The website for that is grainmix.com.
So starting with this new focus, I want to learn about all the different kinds of whole grains and how to use them. I was a t Sam's club with my parents yesterday and came across quinoa. This is a very good whole grain that is just booming right now. At Sam's, its was just over $4 for 2 lbs, which I think is pretty good, since it was organic too. I need to go price match at Winco. I know most smaller grains, like quinoa and cous cous, can be used in place of rice. My kids love cous cous and ask for it often. It is very easy to cook! It is very plain tasting, so I usually add some olive oil and sauteed mushrooms and green onions to it so it has some flavor. Or cooking it with some chicken stock or chicken bouillion will help that to. We eat this on the side with fish.
My family is used to eating whole grains. We eat very little white rice, but lots of brown rice, whole wheat bread and sometimes tortillas. I just want to learn more about how to use all the different grains together to the maximum benefits. I can't wait to get my booklet of "Cookie for Dinner" so I have some recipes and things to help me with that too. They also tell you how to make baby cereal out of fresh whole grains, so you save money and can feed them better than the store bought stuff.
I personally want to start making my own...everything! Noodles, bread, tortillas, you name it, I want to try to make it! I still have SOOO much to learn, I am not even making a dent in what I need to learn, but I am on a mission. I also so much to buy, which is extremely overwhelming, since I don't have a huge budget and most things that I need cost a good chunk of money, so I will try to start small and get some here and there and see if I can keep going. If anyone has any suggestions of what to do to help me, I am open to any suggestions. I want the best for my family, within my budget. I can't switch to organic produce, that is just not in my budget, plus I have heard from many different sources, that it isn't proven that organic is soo much better. But I just make sure and wash it all really good. I have also had some organic produce before and it really wasn't that great, it actually tasted like dirt, and even washed it really good, so I stick with what I can afford.
Tomorrow I will share with you some of the things I plan to study today about whole grains. I can't wait to get started!
"Things come to you as you need them, in YOUR time, not in anyone else's. All things come from God who is the creator of all and knows us all so much more than we even know ourselves. He knows what we need and when we need it. Put your faith and trust in Him and all things will be for your good!"
Thanks Amanda! Shannon and I have been doing the grain mix for some time and it makes such a huge difference in your flour. There is a different synergy level when you mix the grains together.
ReplyDeleteOrganic food really is controversial. I think the main reason that it is though, is because they are comparing the food before it is consumed, and really, if you grow a food organically verse conventionally, there may not be much difference in the actual result, but the difference is in what is on the food and how the food was built. To have something certified organic, it can only have certain pesticides and fertilizer that were used on it. So, organic foods are going to have less "crap" on them and in them then conventional foods. There are some foods that we won't compromise on and will only buy organic, like apples. There are others that we don't care about being organic. For us, it all goes back to the Dirty Dozen. Shannon discusses a little bit about it and the Dirty Dozen in her post here: http://www.plainandsimplefoods.com/2013/01/grocery-shopping.html