First Things First

First dough boy smoothie first thing in the morning.  Great way to start a day.  Thank you Kath for introducing me to this idea.

Since this guy I’ve had dough boys three days in a row.  Can I say I’m officially addicted?

For one…

Evening:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• grind of salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• splash of vanilla
• 3 large local strawberries

Morning:

• 1/4 cup more milk
• 1 heaping tablespoon cottage cheese

Toppings:

• sunflower butter
• blob more cottage cheese
• cereal and nuts for crunch

Served in my new crock from Arts Fest!  Can’t go wrong with hand made pottery!

A little mug love.

Have you tried a dough boy yet?

Endless Possibilities

The month of May is coming to an end and it is time to wrap up wheat berries time in the spot light!  Enjoy my last few tidbits about this tasty and healthy grain.

What are the benefits of wheat berries?

Wheat berries are a whole grain so they are loaded with fiber!  They contain 6 grams of fiber in a forth a cup.  Let’s review the lovely benefits of fiber because I just can’t get enough of the wonderful things it does for you!  Fiber helps to lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.  The fiber in whole grains can also help with weight control.  And as some like to say, “It keeps you regular.”

Wheat berries have a long list of other beneficial vitamins and minerals.  In many wheat products these nutrients are added back to the product because they are lost in processing.  Not in wheat berries!  These nutrients are untouched because the wheat has not been processed by grinding.   This long list includes iron, calcium, B vitamins, folate, vitamin E, potassium, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

How do I use wheat berries?

You can find two ways I use them in this and this post, but here are some additional ideas.

Wheat Berry Porridge:  Cook wheat berries in milk instead of water.  Add chopped apples and cinnamon to the pot toward the end of the cooking.  Top with brown sugar and nuts.

Top your salad with wheat berries to create a great textured, well-balanced meal.

Make a whole meal using wheat berries as the base.  Add chunks of grilled chicken and vegetables or wilted greens.  Season with balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook wheat berries in broth to bring more flavor to them.  Serve as a simple side dish.

Add uncooked wheat berries to soup!  They will cook up while the soup is simmering and take on all the delicious flavors of the broth.  Keep in mind you may need to add extra liquid to replace what the wheat berries will soak up.  However, if you like thick stews they may work perfectly as a thickener.

Toss wheat berries with fruit or honey for a healthy snack.  I made this sunshine snack today and it was great.  I mixed cooked wheat berries with pineapple chunks.  I gave it a drizzle of honey and a tiny pinch of salt.  I loooooove salty sweet.

The possibilities are endless!

Do you have any good wheat berry recipes?