Bored with food? Go exploring!

Does your grocery list look the same every time you go to the store? It's time to shake things up!

 

Here are two things to try:

1. Try one new veggie and/or fruit each week. Peruse the produce section of your supermarket to find something that you haven't had before (or haven't had in awhile). Pomegranates are beginning to appear in stores- how long has it been since you had one? (Tip for opening a pomegranate.) 
2. Visit the bulk foods section and choose a new-to-you whole grain. Use in place of rice in a dish, top with roasted veggies, or serve warm for breakfast with fruits and nuts. One excellent grain to try is farro.  

Need some help with cooking new grains? Check out this website.

Feel free to share you discoveries and recipes in the comments!

Motivational Monday

"Its never to late to be who you might have been."

~George Elliot

Quinoa and apple salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup raw whole almonds
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 1 small McIntosh apple, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop nuts.
2. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork; let cool.
3. Whisk together honey, shallot, curry powder, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until dressing is emulsified. Add quinoa, currants, apple, mint, and nuts; toss well. Garnish with mint.

Per serving: 304 calories, 14 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 38 g carbs, 154 mg sodium, 8 g protein, 5 g fiber

Source: Marthastewart.com: Quinoa-and-Apple Salad with Curry Dressing - Martha Stewart Recipes 

The Skinny on Obesity in America

This infographic really puts into perspective how big (literally) the obesity epidemic is in the US.

(Please click graphic to enlarge, if necessary.)

Source: EllipticalTrainers.org

Motivational Monday

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. " ~Henry Ford

Motivational Monday

"As we begin to take action toward the fulfillment of our GOALS and DREAMS, we must realize that not every action will be perfect. Not every action will produce the desired result. Not every action will work. Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right..." ~Jack Canfield

Crockpot lentil soup

You have better things to do that spend hours cooking dinner, right? Here's a quick and easy soup that you can put in the crockpot in the morning and have dinner waiting for you when you get home in the evening.

Crockpot Lentil Soup
Serves about 4
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
2 medium carrots, finely diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely diced
3 tablespoons uncooked brown rice (or other grain)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Stir together all ingredients except parsley in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Tip: Use a food processor to chop the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic together to make the prep super fast.
2. Optional: Remove some of the soup and puree in a blender then return it to the pot or use a stick blender to partially puree the soup. 
3. Serve topped with fresh parsley. Goes well with a hearty whole grain bread.

Recipe adapted from "French Lentil Rice Soup" in The Costco Connection, October 2010