I refuse to believe that healthy meal planning for the week has to take hours to be worthwhile. One of my most favorite tips is to make a large pot of whole grains on Sunday night to keep on hand throughout the week. Whole grains are more versatile than you think. I’ll tell you why in a second.
Here’s what you do:
1. Measure 1 or 2 cups of your favorite whole grain.
A few ideas: quinoa, brown rice, millet, amaranth, or buckwheat.
Even better, go half and half with two of your favorites.
2. Rinse well.
3. Add water and a few dashes of sea salt.
I use about 1 ¼ cups water for every cup of whole grains. You may need slightly more water for some of the heartier grains but I’ve found this works for most.
4. Cover and cook. I use a rice cooker, but you can also do this on the stove top. The grains will be finished once the water is absorbed.
5. Once they’re finished cooking, fluff with a fork.
Next you have a couple of options:
If you want to be able to make sweet or savory dishes, you can leave them as they are and store them in the refrigerator. You can make breakfast porridge, desserts like rice pudding and even blend them into smoothies.
If you know you want to make savory dishes, you can still keep them as is or you can make them more exciting like this:
:: Add frozen veggies right after cooking. I added a cup of frozen peas and corn. Just throw them into the pot, mixed and covered to let the hot grains cook them.
:: Season with sea salt and pepper
:: Toss in fresh herbs like thyme, sage, rosemary or basil
:: Flavor with a clove of grated or minced garlic
I use my whole grains throughout the week to:
- Add to salads
- Stir into soups
- Make healthy fried rice
- Serve as a side dish
Next week, I’ll share my healthy meal planning secret for beets.
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Got any healthy meal planning tips you swear by? Let me know in the comments!
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