Yeah, I'm back to cell phone pics. **cries**
I pretty much adore fall. It’s not my favorite season. That would be spring. But I do love the chilly reprieve after a sweaty, stinky summer. It’s really just that I’m a weather snob. Summer is miserable. Winter is miserable. I just don’t thrive in extremes. After marrying a guy whose family is from San Diego, I am pretty sure that I was just destined to live there someday. Now, to get past the tiny little hurdle of “cost of living”…
It’s funny how, in the summer, I don’t like my A/C running below 73 or so. Doctor’s offices, etc, that are 68ish degrees make me cold. I don’t really like being cold. But, after a long summer, I take some odd pleasure in waking up to see the house at 66, without much help from the A/C. I like grabbing a sweater or hoodie (whatever is left that covers my belly, at this point), and I love eating or sipping something warm. Especially if my toes are cold. It’s my little way of laughing maniacally in the face of summer.
This has translated into a lot of oatmeal breakfasts for my and my kiddos. Unfortunately, unless I’m feeling rather motivated, it’s just oatmeal, maybe with some honey or cinnamon. Kinda carby. I know, I know, there are ways to load it up. I’ve posted about them. But, mostly, I’m just lazy. So, “high protein porridge” caught my eye. My morning goes much smoother with a dose of protein than with a carb load up. You should have seen me the day I thought cinnamon rolls would be a good breakfast. Not pretty.
My only problem was that I never had amaranth. Now, I grew amaranth this summer. Red amaranth. It is a beautiful, beautiful plant. The problem is, it was ready for harvesting in August. 100+ degree with 100%+ (is that even possible?!) humidity August. See above for how I feel about that. This year, amaranth was ornamental, and we will probably have it all over the yard next year, since I gave up and told Hubby to just mow it all down. Could be very good or very bad, depending on how many uses for it we can find.
After I finally remembered it in the bulk section at the best health food co-op ever (little biased), onto the meal plan it went and we made our first attempt.
Love.
This is probably my most favorite hot cereal so far. The textures compliment each other (no over mush here), and I was seriously full all morning. Do you know how much of a feat that is? I don’t usually get full easily when I’m not pregnant. Throw an extra body in there with high demands of his or her own, and I’m like a bottomless pit. Just try and fill me up, I dare you.
It won. And I am glad.
Nutritional highlights: Ready? Are you?? A serving of this cereal gets you 8 g of protein. Yup. Plus the Omega-3s, the minerals, the deliciousness…I’m gonna need more amaranth.
Need the recipe? You don’t have to be a vegetarian or pregnant to enjoy whole foods. Head over to Buy.Com, with over a million books discounted everyday,to grab a copy of The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook and cook along!
