Geesh! Doesn’t there seem to be so many new and crazy options in the whole grain department anymore. Right?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy there is but it can be overwhelming to those of us that grew up on good old rice and pasta, not all of this Quinoa, Couscous stuff! ;~P

In all seriousness, I’ve been wanting to try it for some time so when I saw this Bulgur
in my local grocery store, I picked it up. Then, honestly, it sat in my pantry for weeks. I was just uninspired. I mean it’s a big bag of grain. Nothing to really write home about until you realize it cooks up in minutes, is an excellent source of whole grains, and a natural weight loss food. One "cup of bulgur has fewer calories, less fat, and more than twice the fiber of brown rice." That’s cool with me! You know my stance on the getting the most food for my nutrition buck! Bulgur seems like a natural bulker with 1 cup weighing in at only 150 calories, no fat and 8g of fiber. And of course it’s whole grain, don’t even get me started on all the benefits of whole grains.

So what IS it, exactly? Great question and I was quite surprised by the answer. Bulgur is simply precooked, dried, whole wheat. That’s it!

It apparently comes in grain sizes (fine, medium, coarse) but I didn’t have that many choices at my grocery store. I’m assuming the brand I bought is medium or coarse but it is also available in fine. I’ve seen many recipe using it in veggies burgers and of course, Tabouleh salad, which just seems to be everywhere anymore.

So far my only experience with it was in my latest veggie soup (which I LOVED it in) but I have plans on experimenting REAL soon. I’m even considering making a simple pilaf out of it and serving it to the husband and the toddler as a side dish. I will definitely let you know how that turns out!

In the mean time if any of you have more bulgur experience then I, please share. I love reading everyones ideas.

That’s what I said to myself when I started seeing recipes online using this unfamiliar grain. I never heard of it before this year.

Researching a bit on the internet I discovered it’s a super grain that’s apparently not a grain at all. It’s related to spinach! WHFood.com lists quinoa in their top World’s Healthiest food list because of it’s high in protein, magnesium, iron and it’s low in calories. One half cup cooked has about 110 calories, 4 g of fat and 5 g of fiber.

So when I saw it at Trader Joe’s a few months ago. I was ecstatic to try it but I wasn’t inspired until seeing Kathy’s QUINOA BLACK BEAN SALAD. Then it smacked me across the face, “Oh! yea you have this new cool stuff to try in the pantry, what are you waiting for?!?”. Yes I really do get that excited! ;~P

And I’m SO glad I did! This stuff is AWESOME! It had a mild favor absorbing anything you cook it in. I can see it has a side dish, in soups, stews, salads. Man! The possibilities are endless! Tonight I used it in my Pinto Chicken and Quinoa crock pot idea and it completed the stew nicely.

Now I know I’m a latecomer the quinoa party. Where are my veterans? What do you like about it? How do you use it? Do you have any favorite recipes you can share?

Please share, this inquiring mind wants to know! (and I’m sure others)

Oh! and in case you are wondering quinoa is pronounced keen-wah or kee-noh-uh according to dictionary.com.

What is it about a flat, paper thin “slice” of “fruit”? I loved those sweet sheets of sugary goodness, wrapping them around my index finger and making it last for hours (was I the only one that would eat them this way?) I just wanted them to last longer!

Well, I found away to re-live those childhood memories without all the added sugar and it’s name is fruit leather.

I’ve seen many brands, Trader Joe’s has there own and so does Target. I’ve also seen a few brands like Stretch Island at the supermarket. Normally the grocery store tucks them away in the diet or ethnic food sections. Why? I don’t know. I think a lot more people would chose them over traditional fruit rollups it they saw a comparison.

Hmmm… Comparison. Let’s do that…

Both have similar calories (50), fat (0) and fiber (0-1) but it’s the ingredients that matter this time.

Stretch Island Strawberry	General Mills Strawberry Fruit Roll Up
Apple Puree Concentrate Pear Puree Concentrate Strawberry Puree Organic Natural Strawberry Flavor Lemon juice concentrate	Pears from concentrate, Corn syrup Dried corn syrup Sugar Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil Citric Acid Sodium Citrate Pectin Distilled Monoglycerides (a few others things I don’t feel like misspelling)

Now which would you want to give your kids?

Speaking of kids, these make great snack for the little ones. The toddler has been enjoying fruit leather for quite awhile, especially because it fits nicely in my purse!

I put a few flavors in the GLB store – snacks, if you want to try them.

Using equal parts liquid to Couscous it literally takes 5 minutes to prepare. Bring the liquid (and I say liquid because you can use anything, water, broth, juice, stock, whatever!) to a boil, remove from heat, add the couscous and cover. That’s it! I can see it as a side dish, in soups, stews are even the main course, like my leftover turkey Couscous and Stuffed Peppers.

So I’m late to the couscous party but I know some of you have been using it for some time. What is your favorite way to prepare couscous?

First, let’s talk about sugar. Once upon a time, I was a low carb fanatic. I counted carbohydrates like a lunatic. Known as the carb guru to my friends, I lost a lot of weight and learned a lot about my body (it should be known I gained it all back). I since eased on the carb counting but going through that stage helped me learn refined white sugar is not good for me. I’ve always heard the rumors about children having a sugar rush child or even people having a sugar addition but according to Nancy Appleton, Ph.D there are 146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health.

That’s a lot of reasons!

Now I don’t want to be the crazy health food lady and declare I will NEVER eat sugar again. It’s not realistic. And I’m not a nutritionist but personally I feel better, look better and am more in control of my diet when I avoid white sugar and white flour. So if I can substitute these things in my homemade recipes why not? Plus I love being creative and finding healthy alternatives. Hence, the blog, I guess. ;~)

All right enough about sugar, I’ve convinced myself a long time ago to avoid it and I know there has to be better ways of sweetening recipes.

Right now I’ve been using honey and/or molasses in some recipes. I like that they add another dimension of flavor to things like muffins and marinades. But isn’t honey just as bad for you as sugar and molasses, it’s made from sugar, right?

Maybe

However, I did find some interesting write-ups on the web. Honey is actually listed as one of the world’s healthiest foods. Yes, it is high in calories but if I’m going to sweeten something I’d rather use the calories on something that provides some health benefits not just empty caloreies.

As for molasses, whfoods.com says, “Blackstrap molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you. Unlike refined white sugar and corn syrup, which are stripped of virtually all nutrients except simple carbohydrates, or artificial sweeteners like saccharine or aspartame, which not only provide no useful nutrients but have been shown to cause health problems in sensitive individuals, blackstrap molasses is a healthful sweetener that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your health.”

Again, I’d rather use something that provides nutrients in addition to sweetening.

As for sugar substitutes I’ve been using Splenda but since having the toddler I’m not sure I want to fill him with an artificial sweeteners. Needless to say the little pink and blue packets are out too.

Where does that leave me?

Well, A few weeks ago Joyce introduced me to Stevia. I bought packets first and couldn’t believe how sweet it was. Then I discovered you could buy it in jars. I’ve recently picked one up but haven’t tried it in baking yet. Apparently, it is not effected by heat and you need a lot less. 1 tsp sweetens like 1 cup of sugar!!! Oh and did I tell you it’s 0 calories.

Now, I’m not saying stevia in the end all be all in sweeteners but it seems to have some promise. Right now it is not approved by the FDA to be used in prepackaged foods but they may change in the future.

All that and I’m still confused. My mantra is moderation, everything in moderation.

What about you? How do you satisfy the sweet tooth?

Being in my, ummmm, 30’s (OMG I’m in my 30’S) I come to the realization that the love of pizza isn’t going away and I’m not going to live the rest of my life denying myself something I truly enjoy. So instead of scarfing down greasy, over cheesed, under nutritious slices at my local parlor (which I still do, just occasionally) I choose to make healthy pizzas at home. It’ truly is one of my favorite meals to make.

I’m still working on my own homemade whole grain dough but in the mean time I thank Trader Joe’s for their whole wheat pizza dough options.

The first one I discovered over a year ago in the refrigerator section. I was so excited when I found it I bought 5 bags and threw some in the freezer. I never saw whole-wheat dough before. It’s just dough, ready to go. You can do anything you like with it. Roll it out and make pizza, calzones, stromboli, even breadsticks. I know this only because I have made all of these things, each one just as good as the other. I love the fact that I can separate the dough and make individual pizzas. It helps me portion control and, more importantly, make different types of pizzas for me, the husband and the toddler. Everyone get’s what they want and I don’t overeat. Who could ask for more!

The second option pictured isn’t as much a dough as it is a crust. Think Boboli style. It was thick and and pre-made. It’s not my favorite style crust but this is definitely the option for speed. Tonight I came home, spread some leftover sauce, toppings, cheese and Viola! 10 minutes later dinner was served!

Both options have similar nutritional information. The dough is 120 calories, 2g of fat and 4g of fiber per serving and there are 8 servings in the package. The crust is 130 calories, 1.5g of fat and 4g of fiber for each of the 8 servings as well. However, the refrigerated dough is the only 100% whole wheat option. The crust, albeit “whole grain” isn’t 100% whole. It has lost of different grains listed like, rye, spelt, barley, oats and flaxseeds. I’m not saying this is necessarily bad but for those seeking 100% whole grain options you should be aware.

So the pizza you see pictured up there is made with the packaged crust. It really did literally take me 10 minutes to prepare. I sautéed some onion, zucchini, garlic and baby spinach leaves. I topped the crust with some leftover sauce, sprinkled with 3 oz of mozzarella cheese and added my veggies. It was DELISCIOUS (although I prefer a thinner crust)

Notice, the pizza is half veggies, half meat. Just guess whose half is whose. ;~)

Don’t have a Trader Joe’s near by? Click here to check out my homemade whole wheat pizza dough!