Food & Agriculture

Quinoa on Jam Toasts, Anyone?

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When I was first introduced to quinoa (KIN-wa), I thought of it as a staple like pasta, rice and bread, which I would have to eat less of the others to integrate the quinoa. That was OK, except I’d be limited on quinoa recipes and would often have to eat something else because quinoa is not that filling to me. I’d also be losing out on my carbs I need a lot of for my marathon training. Finally, because I wouldn’t eat quinoa every day, with it as my main source of complete protein and significant source of iron, it’d be a bit like getting protein spikes in my diet every couple of days.

Just a month later, I am finding quinoa to be among the most versatile food I eat so I can get a more constant supply of it and the very complete protein profile it carries. I do use the quinoa as a staple for dishes like quinoa salads, but I am more frequently using it with the staples to leave me fuller, get my protein most days and have my carbs for marathon training. I shared my pasta with quinoa instead of ground meat recipe the other day. Today comes quinoa with jam toasts.

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The Tipping Point Numbers for Social Change

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These are targets every person or group trying to instill social change needs to know to gauge the likelihood or their success.

Recent research has shown that for true social change to occur, you’d need 7-10% of a population to hold an unshakable belief to be able to change the belief of that population within a reasonable amount of time. This is as long as there isn’t another group with another unshakable belief opposing it, like a different religion (Discovery News, August 6 2011). Combine that with the 1% you need to start a movement (Microtrends, by Mark Penn) and you’ve got two real targets for any organization seeking to create lasting social change. There’s none of those around these days, are there? 🙂

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Recipe for Pasta with Quinoa Instead of Ground Beef or Pork

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I am in the middle of revolutionizing by adding quinoa (KIN-wa) as a major staple or base, in addition to rice, pasta and some bread. Knowing this, my friend Rami Bardeesy recently suggested a meal to me that exemplifies my life philosophy #3 – AND not or – to combine the best of both words, while being very healthy. It was pasta with tomato sauce, veggies and quinoa. That was the quick and easy to make meal, but I didn’t call it that in the post title because it’s the substitution of the meat I normally would have with this dish that is key.

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A Few Simple and Potent Quinoa Salad Recipes

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About a month ago, I was introduced to quinoa (KIN-wa) by some organic farming friends at Whippletree farm. Since then, I have integrated quinoa into my diet and thought I’d share a few recipes here, with more to come.

Quinoa is a South American grain of which you primarily eat the seeds. If you’ve never heard of it, or not sure what to make of it, NASA has declared it virtually unrivaled in the plant or animal kingdom for its life-sustaining nutrients and with an exceptional balance of amino acids (NY Times, Mar 19 2011). That is by far the best endorsement I have ever heard about any food, and it also tastes far better than my other staples of pasta and rice! No hype here, folks! This is the real deal!

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A Few Groceries Savings Tips

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There are lots of ways to save at the groceries stores. However, I have two ways that I stick by quite well which seems to surprise a lot of people for whatever reasons when I tell them. I don’t think they’re anything revolutionary, but maybe people just don’t think the way I do on the matter. It may not work well for some people for various reasons, like cash flow or demanding eaters, impromptu parties, or whatever. However, you don’t have to swear by it. Just apply it regularly, to save money. The more you do it, the more you save.

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