Quinoa-Gluten Free and Very Nutritious!

Have you ever heard of it?  Well, it is our family's new favorite side dish and is a great alternative to rice, pasta, and couscous.  My husband has had to make some significant dietary changes lately due to some health issues and we were very excited to find Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) at our local Costco.  We were hesitant to buy this highly nutritious, gluten free seed because of the price, about $9.50 for a 4 pound bag.  (The are 42 1/4 cup dry servings per bag making it about $0.22/serving).  But after trying it for the first time back in January, we are hooked.  We are big fans of this yummy stuff.  Yes, you can probably get a 1 pound bag of non-instant brown rice (instant stuff is quite a bit more) at Walmart for about $1.50 (about 7 cents a serving), but it probably doesn't expand as much as this Quinoa does nor can you say that it is a great source of protein (5.5 grams per 1/4 dry serving), contains all 8 amino acids which is very good for you vegetarians out there, fiber, B vitamins, and iron (18%).  I couldn't believe how much the one cup expanded the first time I made it.  I made it into a pilaf with some veggies and walnuts and there was probably enough to serve 6 adults a nice size serving.  You get a lot of bang for your buck!  It is well worth the investment for a healthier alternative to rice and such.  And the taste....so good!  It is very filling and has a "nutty" kind of flavor.  My husband actually frowns now when I make rice instead of Quinoa.  You can serve it as a side dish with veggies, with soup, add it to chili, and mix up for a filling for your burritos and tacos.  I am so excited to say that I actually have made up my own recipe for Black Bean and Quinoa Burritos that I will be sharing soon.  Have you ever heard of Quinoa?  Do you like it?

Health Alert: Pesticides linked to ADHD

So, did you hear about this is the news last week? A study just came out saying that pesticides are being linked to ADHD in children. If you didn't see the news or read about it online, you can check out an article here on MSNBC. My husband and I were very concerned after listening to the report, especially because detectable concentrations were found in 28% of the frozen blueberries tested. We love frozen blueberries, especially the ones we get at Costco (Wyman's Wild Blueberries--from Maine). We, and our children, eat them a lot (in smoothies, pancakes, desserts, on cottage cheese). Wild blueberries from Maine are the best in the world--at least I think so...I have even picked and eaten them from the sides of the mountains there!

I was wondering, are my kids going to have ADHA (probably like many parents who heard this last week)? I know my kids are ultimately in God's hands, but there are things we can do to protect them from harm. I decided to contact Wyman's and ask them some questions. It looks like we are ok to continue to eat frozen WILD blueberries and give them to our children without concern. I was pleased to have heard from them right away.

Well, I tried to copy and past their response, but its not working. If you want to read it, let me know and I can send it to you. Apparently, the blueberries that were tested were "cultivated, high bush" ones, and these are different from "low-bush wild ones." They are grown and harvested differently. The Wyman company claims to use very safe practices when using pesticides and they only use them selectively and only when completely necessary.

If you are concerned about pesticides, I recommend you buy some organic and/or from your local farms. And be sure to thoroughly wash all your fruits and veggies (even the ones that say pre-washed and the frozen ones). Here's a list of fruits and veggies and whether you should get organic or not.