Well, it is my day to give some healthy living tips, so here goes:
QUINOA! I know some of you, at least, have heard of it. I know that Mary Annie has even used it. What a wonderful grain! I have just recently discovered it but I now use it all the time! Quinoa is a South American grain that has just recently in the last few years been "discovered" by North Americans. It is light and easily digested. It has the most complete nutrition and highest protein content of any grain and is an ideal food for vegetarians as well.
It is simple to make, cooks very much like rice, and is absolutely delicious all by itself. The beauty of it, though, is that it can be added to just about anything -- last night, for example, I added the red quinoa (it comes in red, black and white, although I have never found the black quinoa) to spaghetti. No one knew the difference, but the great thing about it was that you couldn't taste it, but it added so much nutrition. Quinoa is very filling so even Durrell didn't need much to fill him up (thus, a GREAT diet helper).
I have been told that you can substitute it for hamburger (the red quinoa) half and half, even in hamburgers! Wow -- I could even make hamburgers and not feel guilty!
Where to buy it: At least out here, the only place you can get it is a health food store (like Good Earth)
How to store: I store mine in gallon ziplock bags in the freezer to help maintain the nutritional value, but will store for one plus years in a bucket in a cool, dark place.
How to use: The first thing to remember is that it has a "covering" (you can't see it though) of what is called "saponin". It has a bitter taste if you don't rinse it. So, you should rinse the grain until the water runs clear. Then, just cook it like rice. For a nuttier taste (I have never tried this), toast the quinoa in a hot dry pan for about five minutes before cooking.
1/2 cup dry quinoa (1/2 cup makes a LOT) = 318 calories, 11 g protein, 5 grams fat, 59 grams carbs, 51 mg calcium, etc.
I eat the white quinoa for breakfast and am not hungry until 2 p.m.! Now, THAT is filling! For breakfast, I take 1 cup quinoa and two cups of water. Using a strainer with VERY SMALL holes, rinse the quinoa under cool running water. Then put it in a pot with about two cups of water. Bring the water to a boil on high heat. Stir often. After the water boils, reduce the heat and let simmer until the water is almost all gone (about10-15 minutes). Continue stirring often. Turn off heat and scoop however much you would like to eat into a bowl, stir in a little milk and add toppings (I like cinnamon and sugar, but you could also add fresh fruit, etc.). EAT AND ENJOY!
For leftover quinoa or to make quinoa ahead of time, I cook it and then let it cool. After it has cooled, I store in snack sized or quart sized ziplock bags and smooth out flat and store in freezer. The next time you want to add it to a salad, soup, spaghetti, etc., just snap off a part of the frozen quinoa and toss in. VERY easy! I try to keep enough quinoa in my freezer that whenever I see something where it would be a good addition, it is ready to go from the freezer.
One more thing - if you eat rice, substitute half and half. Make one half of the regular rice and (in the same pot) add half of quinoa -- MUCH MORE NUTRITIOUS!
One last note -- when quinoa cooks up, it has a spiral like germ that separates so be aware so you don't think you did anything wrong.
SO, my challenge to each of you is to try quinoa -- believe me, I am a VERY picky eater -- and I love it -- not really much of a taste and so it makes it great for those who are picky eaters, but the nutritional value of this "Mother Grain" of all grains from the
Incans is perfect for healthy living and especially filling for those dieting. GO FOR IT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! Have a great day everyone!
2 comments:
Thank you for the post! I have never tried quinoa because I didn't know how to use it, but I have this book called "you are what you eat" and she mentions it a lot. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting how to use it! I see it in our stores here all over and will be picking some up tonight to try this weekend!
And I thought maybe I should add (because I didn't know this) that it is pronounced 'keen-wah'...makes it look a little less daunting when you can pronounce it =)
Now for my confession:
I was really bad yesterday and I ended up paying for it all night. I have never had something validated so strongly as I did yesterday. I ate my normal egg, toast and grapefruit, but then I had a lunch date with a friend here and I skipped my morning snack (big mistake) and went to Au Bon Pain for lunch. If anyone has ever been to one of those, you know that it is very hard to eat well because there's so many different choices and you want them all! I ended up having a spicy chicken wrap, which was delicious, but huge and it had rice in it so it was more like a burrito...then I added some pita chips that had 190 calories in them. THEN, I took a cheese danish to go....I couldn't resist. I felt fine, but full and then later in the afternoon instead of having my mid-day snack, I had the danish. By 4pm, I felt like I was going to fall asleep at the computer....I couldn't wait to get home and take a nap. I NEVER take naps after work. I felt horrible. Not only did I not walk home from work, but I also laid down on the couch instead of doing the wii fit. I made dinner and went to bed....I felt horrible.
I was shown how much eating well throughout the day can energize you and eating sugar and fats do nothing but bring you down. It was an amazing test that I don't wish to repeat anytime soon! So, I'm back on today and am ready to be more energized!
Katie - try not and punish yourself too much - everyone falls off the wagon at times and, as my health studies say, if you mess up, acknowledge your mistake and start fresh the next day. Besides, every once in a while you need to eat something you are craving so that you can put it behind you and continue on your plan. Otherwise, you will always feel deprived and that is not good either. You're doing great !
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