Mornings with Amaranth and the Word

This morning we woke to a pleasant cool breeze blowing through our house, after sleeping with the windows open a crack all night. It made me hungry for a hot cereal breakfast, but not oatmeal.

So, I put my little red rice cooker to work, making some amaranth to enjoy!

 

Amaranth is a grain (seed) that is:

• high in protein
• contains vitamins A, K, B6, C, riboflavin, folate and minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese
• great for reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol with regular consumption
• also high in antioxidants, which help the immune system

My rice cooker is a gem and does a great job cooking so many grains/rice without much interaction from me!
I poured one cup of dried amaranth grains into the cooker with 2-1/2 cups of water, pushed the START button, and just walked away. Twenty minutes later there was a small pot of cooked amaranth just waiting to be consumed. This portion ratio, as noted above, actually makes 3-4 servings.

Cooked amaranth has a consistency similar to cream of wheat. It is darker in color and has a slight sweetness, which surprised me.

Naturally, I had to add some other fun, healthy ingredients to it - organic coconut butter (a healthy fat that is good for healing dry/damaged skin and has other amazing benefits - one of which is stimulating the thyroid, which is one that I truly need!), dried cranberries, and sliced almonds.  
I also added a splash of almond milk to cool it down some so I could eat it. This is so good! You must try it!
 

When I put some thought into the meals that I eat, mentally assessing the nutritional value of what I am putting into my body, healthy foods taste so much better to me than grabbing a quick, non-healthy option.

 

 Leftovers, about 2 servings worth, go into the fridge for a couple more meals this week.

This morning I'm reading/studying out out 1 Peter, the last chapter. Our pastor finished up a sermon series last week on the book of 1 Peter and we missed this last sermon because we were out of town.
The great thing is that the sermons are video-taped and posted on line, so I can catch up on what I missed (and not only hear the expressions, but see them as well!).

That's my morning.

Then on to enjoy this long weekend, doing some housework, laundry, grocery shopping, reading, and a possible road trip on Monday with my husband in the Triumph. Driving on the backroads of central/southern Indiana, looking for adventure! Sounds fun to me!

Have a great weekend!  

Comments

[Cindy in Iowa]

Looks good! I'm going to be in Indiana next week and should go to Whole Foods while there. Have a fun weekend!

[Jan Thomas]

Sounds good, Denise! Guess I need to find the amaranth. Have fun roaming the back roads!

[Adrianne@ Flex-appeal]

Yum, I NEED to try that! Hey where did you find the Artisna Coconut Butter. I haven't been able to find it.

[sentimentsbydenise]

Adrianne - I found the coconut butter at Whole Foods Market in Nora Plaza. They also have the Cacao butter, too!