Rice and Shine! Waking Up To A Few Of My Favorite Eats: Brown Rice, Pistachios, and Pears

I'm not the biggest proponent of boxed cereals. While many are 'fortified' with nutrients, i do not believe that any processed/refined food can be a replacement for nature's own nutritional bounty: whole foods. For ease of use, I encourage individuals to prepare a pot of grain each week that you can have on hand for brekkie, lunch, and dinner. There are many methods out there from soaking and sprouting to cooking/steaming. You might use this time of preparation to make two smaller pots of different grains so that you can offer yourself some variety throughout the week- perhaps a bit of brown rice and a some red or black quinoa (color always signifies more antioxidants). These grains can be put into single serving ziplocks and frozen for later usage, or kept in the fridge if you'll consume in 4 days.

This morning i took one of these (1 cup) frozen packets of rice out of the freeze and thawed it in a small pot with a tsp of water. To it I added all the goodness listed below. Have fun with your grains and try something new each day - adding berries or other chopped fresh or dried fruits, sprinkling with fiber rich wheat bran, flax seeds, or chia (salva) seeds, and topping with almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, or coconut. Sweeten and spice with honey, cinnamon, and rice milk one day, trying garam masala, agave, and greek yogurt the next!!

Rice and Shine: Brown Rice, Pistachios, and Pear

1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup milk , kefir, or milk alternative (rice milk used in photo)
1/2 pear chopped
1 tbsp dried cranberries
1-2 tsp coconut flakes
1 tbsp pistachios
dash cinnamon
honey to taste

One Serving. Place the rice, pear, and cranberries in a bowl, and stir in a few dashes of cinnamon. Pour in the milk or milk alternative of your choice. Sprinkle with coconut and pistachios and a drizzle of honey.