Quinoa - Keen-Waw

Never tried it. I learned at a food storage class that quinoa is a fabulous grain to store and eat. It has lots of protein, and it lasts for years. I bought some to try. I love couscous, so I found a recipe online to prepare quinoa in a fluffy, couscous-like manner.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I boiled, then steamed, as the recipe suggested, then dumped in some parmesan cheese and sprayed on some italian dressing spritzer. it's a whole-lot like couscous! The texture is fun. The little kernels pop when I bite them, and it feels like a party in my mouth! This could be a nice favorite snack/lunch. According to what I've read, quinoa is low on the glycemic index, and has plenty of protein, and of course, fiber. That should give me some energy :)

Wheat for breakfast.

I learned at a food storage class that it is important to incorporate wheat, and other staples into daily life, so our bodies will be accustomed to them in time of emergency survival on such food. I pulled out my big bucket-o-wheat from the garage, unpackaged my handy hand-crank wheat grinder, and set to work. I found a recipe for cracked-wheat breakfast cereal. McKelle cranked and cracked the wheat for me (as all Kindergarteners love to be involved in such activities!) I set it to a coarse setting, so the kernels looked about 1/3-1/2 their original size... I boiled it it water, just like Cream-of-Wheat, and made sure to add tons of brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and butter! I don't usually add all that, but as it was a new and "weird" food, I figured I better go the extra mile to ensure the finicky eaters (Hailee) would be swayed into believing it was oh-so-yummy... She hated it. She bawled about taking one bite, then declared that it was yucky, and she would like to go to school without breakfast. I sat down and gobbled two bowls full! It was yummy! Not just I'll-gag-it-down-because-I-know-it's-good-for-me, but it was actually creamy, sweet and yummy. It had a nice smooth texture, and filled my belly with warmth. A success! Cheap, yummy, healthy breakfast!

Now, for the the digestion aspect of eating two bowls of pure, complete wheat... Actually, not so bad. I make whole wheat bread every week, and we have toast almost every day. Apparently, my body is okay with the wheat. I felt a little gassy later in the day, but not bad. To tell you the truth, it really felt a little "cleansing". I had been eating pizza and pasta a lot lately, and my guts were thankful :)

Conclusion: So as to protect the delicate intestines of our sweet little daughters, I decided we should ease into the whole bowl-o-boiled-wheat-for-breakfast thing. I'll try once or twice a week. I'll add strawberries, blueberries, cream (anything is yummy with cream on top!), chocolate chips... Eventually, it will become a nice comfort breakfast. With 2-3 meals a day coming from that bucket-o-wheat, we could definitely lower our grocery bill a bit. :)