Village Harvest Rice

Rethinking Staples

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:04:05 +0000

When someone says they need to “swing by the grocery store to pick up a few staples,” it’s pretty easy to imagine what they might walk out with: eggs, milk, bread, sugar, salt. They might also have cheese, orange juice, a box of cereal, and whatever passes for a snack-food favorite in their house.

In this context of the word, reference.com defines staple as “a basic or necessary item of food.” But when you compare the list above with what we’re supposed to eat every day, there’s no denying that what the average person thinks of as staples comes up short. Maybe that means it’s time to rethink what qualifies as a staple food in our homes; maybe the most important step on the road to eating right is adopting a new idea about what qualifies as a ‘basic or necessary food item.’

Shopping for planned meals might seem easier at first glance. You know what you’ll need, and it doesn’t have to keep for than a day or three. Keeping the kitchen stocked with items that will last for a month a more and can meet our daily dietary needs isn’t difficult, however. It just requires giving the food pyramid a little thought when jotting down the list of things to grab from the local megamart or corner grocery store.

Grains
Bread was on the list before, and possibly a whole grain cereal. Add whole grain pastas, brown rice, and other storable grains to your list to round it out. Our authentic imported brown basmati rice, sprouted brown GABA rice, brown jasmine rice, and golden quinoa can last a long time in the pantry. For quick meals, any of our frozen, pourable whole grains will keep in the freezer until you need them.
Vegetables
While fresh vegetables are best, the frozen and canned varieties can still deliver your daily recommended servings. Frozen broccoli can provide for your needs in the dark-green department, while canned sweet potatoes can meet your orange requirements. Frozen vegetables for stir-fry can quickly become a side of steamed veggies for any meal. Beans and lentils can stay in the pantry for months.
Fruits
Just like veggies, fruit is always best fresh – but that doesn’t mean it’s the only option. Canned fruits can still meet your daily needs, and will keep on the shelf for months – just be careful to grab fruits packed in water or light, natural syrups instead of heavily sugared or high fructose corn syrup. Dried fruits will keep longer than fresh fruits, and can easily be added to salads or cereals – or eaten right out of the box for a snack (like raisins).
Milk
Milk and yogurt may not last more than a week or so, but plenty of other foods that can contribute to your daily calcium needs will. The frozen broccoli that made the list for veggie needs is calcium rich, as are white beans and sesame seeds. Almonds are also calcium-rich, and mixed with dried cherries can make a delicious snack.
Meats & Beans
Most meats can keep for weeks in the freezer, but many other storable foods can meet your protein needs too. Beans of all types will last in the pantry, as will nuts and seeds. Our frozen, pourable quinoa will keep beautifully in the freezer – and in addition to being a whole grain, it’s also a complete protein (as well as a great source of complex carbohydrates).

With just a few adjustments to your own list of food staples, you can always be ready for a full day of eating right. Everything your body needs can be stored in the kitchen, waiting for the day when that trip to the grocery store can’t happen as planned, or even when you just plain don’t feel like going.

When you’re ready to take it to the next level, a little extra nutrition know-how can turn your basic food stores into delicious, healthy meals. Here’s a few examples:

Eaten with beans or lentils, brown rice becomes a “complete protein.” No time for a trip out for meat? Red beans and rice can satisfy a portion of your daily needs for three different food groups.
Quinoa makes a terrific breakfast when topped with dried fruits and a little honey, and it goes a long way towards meeting your needs for three different food groups. Or, mix it with your frozen stir-fry vegetables for a delicious vegetarian dinner that knocks out many of your daily nutritional needs. Recipes like Black-Bean and Tomato Quinoa can deliver on as many as four food groups.
Peanut butter and apple butter on whole grain bread can serve as some of your daily intake for three different food groups. (Just make sure to read the labels on your peanut butter and apple butter, to make sure they’re not overpacked with processed sugar.)

We Rock Weight Watchers’ Taste Buds

Vittles — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:41:30 +0000

And you thought watching your weight was snoozy. Amp up the flavor with the help of Weight Watcher’s suggestions (including Village Harvest whole grains) in 10 Foods That Rock Our Taste Buds.

Super Diet, Not Just Superfoods.

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:37:08 +0000

Quinoa has made more than one list of superfoods – among them, WebMD;s list of 10 Everyday Super Foods. But as Superfood columnist Darya Pino points out in her recent article, The Myth Of Superfoods, a super diet is far more important.

We’re sure you’d be rich if you had a nickel for every time you heard that eating right is important – but despite hearing this from the time we’re old enough to sit at the dinner table, WebMD reported in 2007 that only one in seven American adults eat right and exercise. Super foods may seem like a sexier alternative to a balanced, complete diet, but therein lies the myth: there is no real alternative to a healthy diet.

While it may not be as exciting as the latest berry to come out of Peru, or as exotic as a new edible seagrass from Japan, a good old-fashioned diet built around the food pyramid is the healthiest way you can eat. This isn’t the food pyramid you learned about in grade school, however. As our understanding of health, nutrition, food interactions, and our bodies’ needs evolve, so does the food pyramid. The current version of the food pyramid was developed in 2005, but as Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), the 2010 update is due out very soon.

None of this means that superfoods are a bunk idea. A kiwi can still supply your daily requirement for Vitamin C; salmon is still dense with omega-3 fatty acids. Quinoa is still packed with proteins, fiber, iron, zinc, Vitamin E, and selenium. The “myth” of superfoods is that they are a substitute for healthy eating habits, rather than a part of them.

Perhaps the diet industry is to blame on some level. Just using the word diet can summon thoughts of bland meals, dull flavors, and going hungry. But you’re on a diet already – since your ‘diet’ is just what you eat, for better or worse. The good news is that healthy eating doesn’t have to be bland or dull, and it doesn’t mean having to go hungry.

Don’t worry that you don’t have time to drop everything and become a nutrition expert. A little food know-how goes a long away, and small, gradual changes to your diet are likely to last longer than a sudden and radical shift in your eating habits. Here’s a few baby steps to get you started on the path to making great food choices without a degree in nutrition:

Print out MyPyramid.gov’s Mini Poster (PDF) and stick it on the fridge. It’s a simple guide to getting your daily recommended allowance of foods from the five major food groups, and using this as a guideline to plan meals will put you way ahead of the game. If it seems daunting, just approach one food group a week – or even two weeks. In just five or ten short weeks, you’ll be a nutritional ninja, making sure your body gets everything it needs while still eating the foods you love.
Each trip to the grocery store, single out a few items you purchase regularly and read the labels. No one has time to stand around all day studying nutrition labels, but don’t bank on the giant red letters on the front that read ‘low fat’ being synonymous with ‘healthy’. Compare your favorite brands with other choices, and don’t assume that ‘expensive’ means ‘good’. In just six months, your supermarket skills will be finely honed, and you’ll know which are the best choices to bring home and put on the table.
Start a recipe file that supports your healthy eating habits. Pop culture is on your side; celebrity chefs everywhere are producing recipes for delicious, healthy foods. Websites such as the Mayo Clinic make it a point to offer a bevy of free, printable, healthy recipes for everyone – from seasoned chef to kitchen beginner. You’re bound to find dishes you love to both cook and eat, with ingredients to suit your budget. Add a recipe or two each week, and soon you’ll have an arsenal of meal options that are good and good for you.
Keep an eye on superfoods lists, and put them in their proper place. While superfoods are not a replacement for eating right, they are like an added boost to a healthy diet. Getting your daily 3oz of whole grains is good – but quinoa twice a week packs an extra punch with its zinc and Vitamin E content. Eating lean proteins is great – but brown rice and beans will form a complete protein, while providing additional nutrients like magnesium, potassium, B-vitamins, and niacin. Think of superfoods as the ace-high in your nutritional hand; the best of the good.
Get the whole family in on it. Anyone who cooks for a family knows that getting everyone to sit down at the table and eat a meal together can be like herding cats, and trying to feed your family better can be a thankless job. But a few slick tactics can get the whole family interested. Your image-conscious teenaged daughter can stay just as slender as her friends, without giving up the healthy glow her skin gets from eating right. Sports-obsessed sons can leave the big cans of horrible-tasting powder drinks behind, and still pack on all the lean muscle mass they need. Younger children can have great fun with the ‘5 a Day – The Color Way‘ system; there’s even a 5 a Day coloring book (PDF) to help them learn about making smart fruit and veggie choices. Let them get in on the cooking fun with recipes like Eloise’s favorite healthy snack – easy enough for a kid to make, but healthy and delicious. With a little applied effort, pretty soon the whole family will be looking forward to meal time.
Work at your own pace. Unlike diets focused on deprivation, when you’re moving towards healthier eating habits, any improvement is a good one. If you’re pressed for time this week, skip the label reading. If you don’t have time to learn a new recipe, use one you’ve already learned. Developing healthy eating habits isn’t about flipping a switch, and doesn’t need to be yet another source of stress. Do what you can, when you can. Preparing healthy, delicious foods should be a joy, not a burden.
Put it in perspective. Eating right isn’t just a good idea, it’s vital to the quality of your life. If you get home from work too tired to cook, there’s a very good possibility that’s because the foods you’re eating aren’t giving you the energy you need to handle your day. If you have trouble getting up in time to have breakfast, consider that the quality of your diet absolutely affects the quality of your sleep. Over time, poor eating habits can play a major role in leading to things like heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, just to name a few. There’s nothing wrong with throwing down the gauntlet and declaring good eating habits important, or with declaring learning how to prepare healthy meals a valuable use of your time. Eating right starts with you knowing that you need to, and making no apologies for doing it.
Make it social. We’re willing to bet you’re not the only person on your street struggling with how to eat better, or the only cook in your neighborhood who doesn’t have all the time in the world to become an expert on preparing healthy meals. Get a few friends in on the game and mix priorities with pleasure. Have a healthy recipe Saturday swap meet, share what you find out reading nutrition labels with your group. Many hands make for light work – and in this case, a little knowledge can go a long way. Starting your own healthy cooking club can turn the quest for good eating habits into outright fun.

Might we offer the first set of recipes in your new recipe file focused on you and your family eating healthier? Here’s how you can get your daily recommended whole grains at any and every meal, without sacrificing an ounce of flavor.

Going With the Grain

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:44:19 +0000

Many recent studies, articles, and press releases have warned that people aren’t getting their recommended daily servings of whole grains. Whole grains are an essential part of a daily diet, for preventing type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and excess weight gain – as well as being a natural source of fiber and several vitamins. In case you’re among the many who aren’t getting your daily whole grains, we have some ideas to help you get them at every meal.

Quinoa Makes Breakfast Healthy and Delicious
The television sings the praises sugary cereals – and for those pressed for time, breakfast bars. A sugar rush won’t keep you going strong until lunch time, however. For real staying power, put some quinoa in your morning meal. Quinoa Breakfast Parfaits are still sweet on the tongue, but healthy ingredients make for real energy instead of a sugar high. Prefer baked goods? Quinoa Blueberry Power Muffins deliver whole grain goodness with an excellent fruit treat. Need to eat on the run? No problem. Keep a small supply of homemade Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars or Pumpkin-Quinoa Bars, and even breakfast on the way to work can give you hours of real energy.

Frozen Pourable Grains Make for a Quick, Healthy Lunch
Lunch may always be rushed, but you don’t have to sacrifice a healthy meal because of it. Our frozen pourable grains mean you can prepare a healthy dish at work in 5 or 10 minutes, using only a microwave, and have plenty of time to eat your deliciously healthy meal. Some easy ideas are Easy Apricot Rice Medley, Snappy Santa Fe Brown Rice, and Smoked Turkey Rice Medley. The whole grains mean you’ll feel fuller longer, and they’ll keep you going until dinner time without reaching for sugary snacks.

Whole Grain Sides Make the Evening Meal
Slip a serving of whole grains in with the evening meal to get the third daily recommended serving, while complimenting your main dish! Green Herb Risotto with Lemon goes great with chicken, while Coconut Lime Basmati Rice compliments shrimp well. Lemon Asparagus Rice Medley makes a terrific side for heavier meats such as beef or lamb. Looking for something a little less restrictive? Quinoa with Steamed Vegetables goes brilliantly on the side of just about anything.

Supermarket Guru Seal of Approval

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:59:31 +0000

Every week, Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert reviews five new things you might find in the grocery store — grading them on taste, value, health, ingredients, preparation, appearance, and packaging and delivering the results to shoppers who don’t have the time or cash to guess at what’s good and what isn’t.

This week, the Supermarket Guru reviewed our frozen pourable quinoa – and we’re a hit!
See the entire video here.

Thanks Phil!

Homegrown, Whole Grain Wisdom

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:10:11 +0000

On May 31, 2010, Jeannine Stein had an article published in the Los Angeles Times. It certainly didn’t make the front page, even though it’s pretty important. It’s a hard look at ‘whole grains’ – the most recent battle cry of sugary cereals, deep-fried snack chips, and other favorite junk foods.

So is it true? Absolutely! But getting your recommended daily whole grains alongside 14 grams of sugar isn’t any better for you now than it was before. It’s very important to eat whole grains – but that doesn’t make the rest of what’s in the food go away!

Check out Jeannine’s article for the whole story. It’s some serious homegrown, whole grain wisdom.

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Our Daily Grains

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:29:39 +0000

Did you know you’re supposed to eat at least 3 ounces of whole grains a day? According to the food pyramid, half your daily grains should be whole grains.

When we’re out and about, many people say they know they should eat whole grains but they don’t know why. If you’d like to brush up on why whole grains are the way to go, Healthcastle Nutrition offers a great, no-nonsense Whole Grains Guide.

Being a health food nut doesn’t have to put you in a flavor rut, though! Quite the opposite – we suggest slipping some frozen pourable whole grains into your daily lunch. Between rice and quinoa, you can make hundreds of easy, quick, and delicious dishes, and the complex (good) carbs will give you an energy boost between lunch and dinner!

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We’ve Been Nibbled!

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:47:26 +0000

If you don’t know about The Nibble, you’re missing out. They sift through thousands of products a year, tasting and testing, to bring you 52 picks of the week – the best of the best, they say. We’re honored to occupy one of those 52 coveted spots! Check out some of what they had to say:

WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: In just 45 seconds, the cryogenic freezing process yields whole grains that taste like they’ve been cooking for an hour.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Now we can have whole grains every day, for meals and snacks. It’s a great way to get our 48g of whole grains daily.

Check out the whole review on The Nibble Gourmet Food Magazine.
Thanks, Nibble!

Introducing Frozen Whole Grains

Vittles — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:44:43 +0000

Frozen Prepared Whole Grains from Village Harvest Now Available in Grocer’s Freezer

San Francisco, CA–Responding to consumers who know whole grains are good for them, but can’t seem to figure out how to get more into their daily diets, Village Harvest says, “Pour Baby!” In a good way.

Village Harvest has launched a 5-SKU line of frozen whole grains including Brown Rice, Rice Medley, Quinoa, “Un” Fried Brown Rice and Spicy Thai Brown Rice that are not only pre-cooked, but pourable, just like your morning cereal (minus the sugar).

After cooking these grains to perfection, Village Harvest uses cryogenic technology to freeze them at -300˚F in order to keep the integrity of every single piece flawless and whole. Compared to other frozen food products which typically never reach temperatures below -40˚F, Village Harvest frozen grains are in a class of their own.

Simply pour, then heat or thaw, to experience the flavor and texture of freshly simmered grains. Heating personalized portions is a snap and salvaging leftover cooked rice and quinoa is a problem of the past.

“Cooking whole grains from scratch takes too long. On the flip side, many convenience products are mislabeled or full of additives that our customers don’t want,” explained John Koppel, Vice President. “Village Harvest is committed to making it easy to eat true whole grains without a catch.”

All of the Village Harvest frozen grain products are excellent side dishes for individuals and families, but Brown Rice, Rice Medley and Quinoa are easy ingredients for cooking and baking as well. They require no extra pots, pans and measuring cups, just portion what you need and freeze the remainder for up to 18 months (if you can resist that long).

Then again, getting carried away is hardly a problem. All of these frozen whole grains are packed with vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates, which are reported to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids, as well, making it a complete protein perfect for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Village Harvest also offers a variety of authentic regional dry rice products sourced from around the world. They have organic, all natural, brown and white rice selections and purchase directly from their high quality sources. Their parent company, Otis McAllister has been in the business for 117 years.

Village Harvest Frozen Whole Grains come in 20 ounce packages at a suggested retail price of $4.99-7.99. The Brown Rice and Brown, Red and Wild Rice Medley are also offered in club size packages, available at some Costco’s. For recipes and more information check out our website at www.villageharvestrice.com.

Christine Avanti & Village Harvest

Vittles — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:31:05 +0000

Ya-Hoooooo! We were excited to find out that Christine Avanti–LA’s Nutritionist to the Stars–recommends cooking with Village Harvest Brown Rice. She found our brown rice at Costco and promptly pulled together a recipe for a quick healthy taco that even a novice cook can produce in less than 10 minutes. Check out her recipe and learn why eating whole grains is the hottest thing in Hollywood.