Almost eight years ago, I moved into my very first solo apartment.  It was exciting to think I’d have an entire apartment all to myself, but also a little daunting.  I was worried about money, so I set myself a budget that eliminated just about all dining out excursions, and buying a $7 salad for lunch was totally out of the question.  Suddenly, I realized I’d have to buy groceries and *gasp* feed myself!  Oh the horror!  

You see, I grew up in a house where my father and grandmother did all of the cooking.  Anything you could imagine, those two could cook and it would be the best meal you’d ever had.  Not to say my mom is or was a bad cook, she is an excellent cook!  But my grandfather was one of the founders of the American Academy of Chefs and he and my grandmother ran country clubs in New England for decades before either my mom or I entered the picture.  I never cooked for myself as a teenager beyond eggs and French toast, so the bar for even the most basic comfort food was set pretty high.  My mom was kind enough to give me the Betty Crocker Cookbook as a “happy new apartment” gift, and with that cookbook as my guide, I learned to cook for myself with a measure of confidence.

But it wasn’t until I became a part of the Oldways family that my willingness to cook became eagerness.  Believe me, there’s a difference between feeling you are capable of cooking and realizing you’re mentally combing your cabinets on the drive home for new or creative dinner options.  Oldways strongly believes that more people would benefit if they could see cooking as a pleasurable activity that brings both friends and family to the kitchen and table.  That philosophy instantly meshed with my Italian beliefs that meals should be enjoyed from creation to consumption and right up until someone (other than the cook!) has to do the dishes.  

As I said in the last blog in this series, I believe in practicing what I preach, so naturally whole grains occupy several different key shelves in my pantry.  Whole grain pastas have been featured in quick spaghetti dinners, made appearances during elaborate chicken parmesan feasts, and even shared the spotlight with regular pasta during a very memorable baked macaroni and cheese escapade one year at Thanksgiving.  Whole grains are in every cereal I eat, whether it’s breakfast for dinner or breakfast as breakfast.  Speaking of breakfast, I prefer my pancakes with buckwheat flour thank you, and my French toast always begins as some type of whole grain bread.  I also bake bread at home as often as possible, and although rye loaves emerge from my oven most often, whole wheat flour finds its way into pizza dough just as fast as whole wheat dinner rolls.  And I think I get bragging rights for having cooked, as grain side dishes, 12 out of the 19 whole grains we list on our web site.  Watch out, farro, you’re next!

The moral of the story?  Whole grains really are easy to use in just about every recipe you can think of.  Stop thinking about it and get in the kitchen!  Start cooking your way towards better health, increased joy, and added time with the people you love.  Trust me, you’ll love it!  (Kara)

Be sure to join me next month for more Me & My Whole Grains, a series of monthly blogs that share the changes I’ve seen in my life directly related to whole grains.