Eat chi-chi-chia…turning oatmeal into a super meal! February 3, 2011

So cute...so tasty???

Yes, that chia…the wonder-pet-turned-1980s-phenomenon….Remember the commercial that we saw over and over and over and over…..for those of you too young to remember…here you go!

This is the new look for Chia....

But what you may not know about chia, which was once a staple for Native Americans in the southwest and the Aztecs long ago,  is that it’s the latest superfood-read more here…chock full of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. If you were to put a spoonful of chia seeds in a glass of water, and left it for 15 minutes…you’d find the seeds had become almost a gelatin substance…the reaction is the result of the soluble fiber in chia. Supposedly, that gel creates a barrier in the tummy between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, so it slows the converting of carbs into sugar…all good! How do I use chia? 

I love these oats, and there's a quick cook method...

 On Sunday night I make a big pot of “steel cut” oatmeal( the quick way is throw a cup of oats in 4 cups of boiling water and just let it sit overnight)…put in a good helping of chia seeds, and the next morning…you have a wonderful breakfast that could last all week…depending on how many people are eating it.

Blueberries..always....

You could even put the chia-oatmeal in a loaf pan and then cut slices in the mornings, and heat it in the microwave, add some honey or artificial sweetener, some blueberries and some walnuts(also good for omega 3s)….

Love love love the walnuts...

and you have a super-quick, fiber-filled, antioxidant and omega-3 rich delicious breakfast. Don’t even tell me you don’t have time for that. Oh, and you can add chia seeds to almost anything… a salad, soup, a stew, baked goods, smoothies or soaked in fruit juice(chia fresca in Mexico)..you name it. And as for where to get them, I get mine at Whole Foods, but they’re also available online, usually around $6.99 a pound.

Two New Things…Both Sweet! August 7, 2008

Splenda with fiber? How great is that?

OK, the first sweet thing I saw just yesterday at the grocery store and bought it immediately. Splenda with fiber!! How crazy is that? I love Splenda anyway…it’s my fav artificial sweetener, and now every packet I use, I also get one gram of fiber. I don’t know how they do it but I suspect it involves using something similar to a product someone sent me called Fiber Xpress. It is little packets of a powder that you dissolve in a drink…no taste at all, seriously, and gives you two grams of fiber, using something called Inulin, a natural fiber from chicory root. (They also make a product that has calcium that dissolves, but let me tell you, that is one way to ruin a good cup of tea.) Maybe Splenda uses something like that in their sweetener…but whatever, I like the idea of getting a little fiber every time I sweeten my tea or cereal. And it simply tastes sweet. You know.

The Netflix Player

And here’s something I haven’t tried and wonder if any of you have….but it is sweet too. A way to play Netflix movies immediately on your television. The little Netflix Player is made by Roku. It’s 99 bucks, but the nice thing is it doesn’t change your Netflix subscription cost…if you have Netflix, you already know you can  watch certain movies instantly on your computer for free (not all titles are available for this). But you had to watch them on your computer. Now they can stream right onto your tv. And they say, the player is compatible with any televison, guaranteed. I may try it….and hopefully more titles will become available  on demand. Right now Netflix says there are 12,000 available, but they are not the big new movies….surprise, surprise. Let me know if you have a player!