grains
Jennifer Iserloh, the Skinny Chef
Switching to whole grains can be easy and here are three of the top health benefits for making the switch now:
  1. Feel fuller longer, have less cravings for sweets by keeping blood sugar even
  2. Maintain healthier blood pressure levels
  3. Enjoy better weight maintenance
Crunchy, nutty, toasty, whole grains should and can be part of your daily cooking and eating practices. A lot of people think of whole grains as something exotic when in fact whole grains and some whole grain products simply use the entire seed kernel of a plant that is not stripped of the "bran" or brown part of the seed.

Now that the weather is warmer, we all want cooking shortcuts to making delicious, healthy summer time meals without turning on the oven or leaving something simmering on the stovetop. So here are three smart, fast ways to use 100% whole grains in 10 minutes or less.

Instant Brown Rice
I was skeptical when I first saw this on grocery shelves since I'm not a fan of any boxed instant product, but I have to say that I really enjoyed the texture and was surprised how fast this rice cooks up. Serve it tossed with chopped garlic, cilantro and lime as the perfect side dish to chicken or salmon skewers. The rice is simply par boiled, then dried to make it fast cooking

Quick Cooking Oats
Not the flavored variety that is high in sugar, but just the quick cooking oats. They make a fiber-rich add-in to your turkey or beef burgers this summer - start with 1/4 cup per pound of meat. Rolled, thinly flaked oats will cook inside your favorite dishes, no pre-cooking required. Just add a tablespoon of extra water to your meat mixture to help hydrate them.

Whole Wheat Couscous
Couscous is a tiny pasta that "cooks" just by adding boiling hot water. The whole wheat version only requires an extra minute of resting before you can spice it up with chopped fresh herbs, like basil and mint, feta, and a squeeze of lemon. Most people who love couscous won't even notice a difference when you use the whole wheat version because they look and taste so similar. To make your couscous a wholesome filling summer meal, toss in sliced, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp or roasted fresh vegetables.

Also See:
Multi-Grain Waffles
Long-Grain Brown Rice with Almonds
Fruit & Grain Bagel Breakfast Sandwich