Hello,
We have bought a few different items, although I have noticed that some whole grain is dearer than other items. Thanks for the gift voucher, it was used, but we also bought some whole grain items from our local vegetarian shop as they had more competitive prices (there are 6 of us so we had to buy a fair bit for two weeks).
With our mixed diet family (vegetarian, meat eaters and fussy) we have to make a number of meals, and sometimes wholegrain hasnt always been on the agenda.
The items we have bought included
Brown Rice
Wholegrain Pasta
Wholemeal flour for home baking
Wholegrain bread and wraps
Quinoa
Bulgar wheat
Wholegrain labelled cereals
Fine oats (new thing for us)
Popping corn (not popcorn as it was flavoured or salted so bought plain corns)
Cous Cous
Most of these are normal buys for us, but its mostly the adults that eat it. The kids do not like the texture of cous cous but have given it a go.
Please share any tips and ideas you've discovered while taking part in this challenge e.g. have you found any good ways to encourage your child(ren) to choose wholegrains?
We told the kids of the challenge and they were keener. They winge a bit when we get brown bread and they love it when Dad breaks the mould and buys top brand white and thick. But having made the birthday muffins with wholemeal, they seemed pretty happy. I think brown rice and pasta can be hidden in sauce and mixed in, but some kids are aware of this.
I usually make something I call tortilla pie - like giant enchilladas and pies combined - oil and line a dish with tortillas, fill the dish with the product and wrap the item like a pie in a dish. Ive done this with wholegrain tortillas and it was still popular.
I made bread for the first time in ages yesterday and forgot how enjoyable it was (as normal, dont usually have time to do this.).
Have you discovered any recipes or tasty on-the-go wholegrain snacks that your family really like?
Popping the corn kernals for the lunch boxes has turned out to be a top idea
Have you tried out any Wholegrain Goodness recipes? How did you and your family find them?
I really like the idea of adding oats to meals, I had never thought about it before and it worked really well. My younger ones dont like porridge but didnt notice!
The only thing I would say about Quinoa is I recently read an article in a UK braodsheet that its not as ethical as we would hope, as we are pricing the south americans out of their main food staple with our search for other foods and that we are willing to pay (this also happens with other products, but Quinoa is their main grain).
Unless I find a more sustainable quinoa, I won't be buying it anymore. If anyone knows of any, please let me know.