Well today I'm running out to the store to buy some whole grains. I made a big pot of chicken stew w/oodles of veggies in it and I'd like to cook some Grains like LindaT suggested and pour a scoop of stew over them.
I'm going to make my list and menu today, and shop in the morning If I don't plan ahead, I'll come home with all kinds of things I don't need!
Do you like couscous? I buy Near East brand. I like the parmesan variety, and I add a little bit of chopped asparagus and tomatoes, and it's good. Their website has a lot of great recipes that might work for us. I'll add it to our reference section. Oh, we need a recipe forum instead of a sticky. I thought I made one, but I guess not, lol.
Leenie, think bulgur wheat, barley, quinoa and whole wheat couscous. Suzanne, I am pretty sure that couscous in those mixes is not whole wheat, just an FYI. It is just small white pasta, I think. I may be wrong, but unless the first ingred is whole wheat, its not. I checked an old box of Marakesh flavored couscous that I have here and it isn't whole-wheat ..just reg old pasta stuff. The only place I've been able to find whole wheat couscous is at Whole Foods. Since this diet's emphasis is whole grains, I would personally stay away from regular couscous. IMHo of course,.. YMMV.
Suzanne, a list is the best way to go, it keeps you from buying chocolate covered whole grains
Liz don't watch me to carefully b/c I DON'T know what I'm doing (pssst... but don't tell anyone )
Linda, I went shopping and got pearl barley since its the only kind I could find, I went to trader joe's which had none and then to the regular grocery store for it. At TJ's I got quinoa and some veggie stir fry (frozen) bags. I did see whole wheat couscous at the regular store but figured I'd start off with the barley and the quinoa. I also picked up a huge bottle/jug of extra virgin olive oil (which I was told by my italian friend it was the best to buy??).
I made some chicken stew w/oodles of veggies and I'm going to add some barley to it for dinners for the week.
I bought a dry mix of black bean oriental noodle mix, it looked good and easy so I will dock that up with alot of stirfry veggies as well.
Eww, whole wheat couscous I like whole wheat bread on a sandwich, but that's my personal limit
The Med diet does place an emphasis on including whole grains, which includes bulgar, barley, and other good grains, but it doesn't prohibit white flour, white rice, potatoes, etc. All of my med diet cookbooks include recipes that contain just white flour for breads, regular couscous, etc. Whole wheat contains more nutrients, and since every calorie counts, then it's important to get all the bang you can for each calorie. But on the same note, white isn't a bad thing. Portion control with all food types is what counts in weight reduction.
Now this is my personal opinion, but I think the choice to go strictly whole wheat is a personal choice, and not necessary for most people, unless they have a health condition that dictates their diets. The Med diet is so healthy overall because it eliminates most saturated fats and processed foods, includes healthy vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. In The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins there is barely a reference to whole wheat anything. Pasta is white, couscous (similar to pasta) is white, and rice is white. At the same time, our choices are varied, so we aren't going to eat white wheat at every meal, we may have barley, polenta, or legumes such as lentils or chickpeas.
The most important thing about making any diet plan successful is tailoring it to your personal needs, tastes, and lifestyle, because that's what enables us to stick with it. A lot of people may prefer whole wheat, but others may find that this is what makes a diet difficult to follow.
In all of our diet surveys so far, we've found that the diets that have the highest drop-out rates are the ones that restrict carbs in one way or another, via type or amount of carbs. FYI the one with the most satisfied followers is WW The Med diet doesn't restrict our choices this way, and I'm hoping that will help draw more people in. The good thing about the Med diet is that it can be tailored if you need to go low gi, or have other preferences. It's flexible enough in both ways, so the rest of us don't have to limit ourselves.
Linda, I'm glad you've joined us in this thread, and I'm looking forward to your tips and recipes and input
Now Now Ms Suzanne. Have you ever tried whole-wheat couscous or are you being difficult? I personally started out incorporating all of the grains, white and whole but have found as I go further into this that the wholer (not a real word but what the heck) the grain the more it sorta sticks to my ribs. About now I have pretty much cut out white pasta and potatoes and white flour, but I agree that starting out that way may not be the best choice.
Of course there was an article in the Library a while ago that I think Meg posted that said something to the effect that whole wheat pasta isn't really all that much different than white... so now I am cutting back on that as well. Pretty soon everything will be bad for us. Did any of you ever see the Woody Allen movie "Sleeper" ? Woody is cryonically frozen in the 1970s and wakes up hundreds of years in the future. When he is awakened, he asks for sprouts and tofu. The doctor who woke him said something to the effect that those things have been found to be "bad" for you and would he like a hot fudge sundae and steak and some cigarettes, which are some of the healthiest things.
Another good grain is something called Amaranth. I haven't had good luck cooking this so far. I've managed to make glue.
I've never tried Amaranth, but I think it was a garden weed I'm willing to give it a try, maybe we can find some good recipes I like to try just about anything. I may not eat it again, lol, but I'll try it once!
The very idea of whole wheat pasta seems blasphemic And I HAVE tried it It's not going to be on my plate anytime soon. I don't think white pasta is bad, but the problem is that most Americans don't know what a serving of pasta is. Restaurants serve it by the platter because it's a cheap filler that makes you think you are getting a lot for your buck. So we go home and duplicate it, feed our families till they are stuffed, then are pleased because we stuck to our budgets. We just eat too darned much of the stuff. Then some diet book guru comes along and says "white pasta made you fat". (and the term "platters full" is never mentioned) Where does self control and common sense come into it? Italians eat pasta every day, and their obesity rate is much much lower than ours. Pasta should accompany the veggies and lean meats, and not be the focal point of the meal. This is one of my favorite rants, lol. Maybe I can get a job with the Pasta Association
I am very excited about this forum! I love food and cooking and trying new recipes. Whole, fresh foods, cooked with olive oil and herbs, polenta! Yum....how can that be wrong? I agree that portion control is key...the nice thing about this movement is the focus on quality ingredients. Good stuff. I look forward to learning more.
WW products just take time getting used to. I prefer regular white pastas because of the texture but thats about it.
I cooked some of that pearl barley yesterday and boy, you surely don't need alot b/c it fluffs up big (ooops ) I think I made enuf for a year lolol, live and learn huh. So I gave a whole mother load to my mom this morning lol.
I personally prefer whole wheat pasta to regular pasta, I find it tastes less starchy
I have to admit that I haven't been able to get used to the taste and texture of brown rice and my DH abolutely refuses to eat it - he is a minute rice kind of guy
I find the trick for controlling pasta portions is to use pasta as a side dish to grilled chicken or beef. That way you can eat a cup and get the taste but not a huge plateful. I usually have a cup of pasta on my plate then fill out the rest of the plate with salad of romaine lettuce, sliced tomato and cucumber and oil and vinegar dressing - yum!
I much prefer whole wheat pastas now on the very rare occasion that I eat any. Even my family asks for ww instead of white.
Have you tried taboule? It's cracked bulghar with diced tomatoes, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, and water. Yummmmy.
Last night's dinner would fit in quite well, also. I made a pot of chili using ground chicken breast browned in olive oil, chick peas, black beans, pinto beans and 2 cans crushed tomatoes. Serve over broccoli. A glass of red wine would have been nice....
I've never had tabouleh, will look forward to trying it
The chili sounds inspiring! It may be easy to adapt a lot of recipes to this way of eating, even if the seasonings are not the same. My favorite recipe that I make often is a veggie chili that is just beans, crushed tomatoes, garlic, roasted red peppers, onions, and seasonings. It may not taste Mediterranean, lol, but it fits the profile.
Weekly Chat - November 14th - 20th
Eliz
Lotsa good stuff
I like whole wheat bread on a sandwich, but that's my personal limit 
) I think I made enuf for a year lolol, live and learn huh. So I gave a whole mother load to my mom this morning lol.
