Friday, September 21, 2012

Black Rice


     Black rice is my current favorite rice.  It is a little sweet a little nutty tasting and overall great for you.  The package I got at Costco says that it is "loaded with antioxidants, vitamins E and fiber. . .one serving has as many antioxidants as a single serving of cultivated blueberries."
     The first three times I served it to my kids, they were very unsure, skeptical, and verbally complained that I would serve such a strange thing.  They have accepted now that I'm going to keep cooking it, and now all eat it just fine.
     I cooked the rice with two cloves of garlic, minced.  When it cooled I added,
1 jalapeno
1 red pepper
1/2 c. corn
1/2 pound  ground sausage
Then I served the mixture in green peppers. 

    With the left overs, a few days later, I sauted garlic, onion and baby kale in the skillet then combined it with the rice mixture.  The flavors were yummy and the rice very filling. 
     I have had several people ask me where I get my kale.  I usually get it where other greens are sold, like spinach and collards.   Most recently, I noticed at Safeway, they have a baby kale in a plastic container.  It worked great for the above recipe. 
     Trying new things is intimidating for some.  I know for me I have learned to like kale because of the health benefits.
  Friends, live well, eat well.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

End of Summer

Summer has faded and I am in full swing of planning meals, sports schedules and racing from event to event.  Motherhood is my marathon not a sprint.  I have found that the more I keep to a meal schedule the smoother our days go.  I must admit that I took a big break this summer from my  normal meal planning.  My husband noticed the hap hazard meals.  He said, " I think you took a vacation, when are you coming back?"  When I don't plan, I seem to have missing ingredient in the kitchen, get irritated and overall don't seem to get enough veggies into our meals.
     I really like to play  at the beach during the summer, which is a huge distraction from a routine.  I'm motivated, and  ready to go now.



    My three goals for this school year is to:
1.     Pack a variety of veggies and fruits into sack lunches
2.     Use less plastic bags
3.     Stick to the menu plan

     Celebrating my dads birthday with fresh produce from my brothers garden, sitting around a table with a bowl full of sweet cherry tomatoes is an ideal way to end the summer.

One of my personal goals for this blog is to include what I'm eating.  My hope is to encourage myself to be accountable and second to give you the reader ideas.
Today's menu:
Breakfast:  steel cut oats, raisins, coconut milk,
Snack:  half apple
Lunch:  black rice, stir fried kale, corn, zucchini with salsa
Snack:  carrots, almonds
Dinner:  whole wheat pasta, kale, green beans, sausage
Dessert: peach smoothie
Friends, eat well, live well.