As I start to increase my running again, I am testing out adding some white rice (basmati) back into my diet. I have deliberately chosen white rice over brown rice, even though brown rice is generally thought of as the healthier of the two.
While the nutrient make up of brown rice on paper looks better than white, there is the issue of phytic acid:
But most of it is bound up with phytic acid and mostly useless to humans. Rats and other rodents produce phytase, which breaks down phytic acid and releases the bound minerals, but until we engineer rat-human hybrids, we’re not enjoying the full potential of brown rice. {Source: Mark’s Daily Apple}
As always please do your own research to assess what is best for your dietary needs. I will try the addition of rice for the next month and see how it goes.
I have always loved Mexican rice and it is a great addition to Mexican style meals like tacos and oven baked fajitas. This recipe makes a huge batch so unless you are cooking for more than 6 people, you might like to halve the recipe.
- 3 ¼ cups rice
- 400 grams diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsps cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- In a jug mix tomatoes, stock and spices.
- Add rice to the rice cooker, then pour the liquid onto the rice. Give a light stir then set to cook.
- Once ready, fluff with a fork and serve with your favourite Mexican meal.
Our Family Menu Plan For This Week
On the weekend, the family and I worked together to create our menu plans for the next month. I had been doing it more myself lately so as to engineer it that I didn’t have to make too many separate meals for myself.
The kids and the husband still eat pasta and grains, but in a much reduced amount. Nights when there is pasta on the menu, I will have a veggie alternative as accompaniment where I can or left overs from another meal.
Day | Week Commencing 8th March |
|
|---|---|---|
| Sat |  | Homemade Tacos |
| Sun |   Seed slice | Slow cooker balsamic beef with pumpkin salad Left over mince recipe - taco puffs Seed slice |
| Mon |  | Chicken sticks and salad |
| Tue |  | Baked penne pasta |
| Wed |  | Beef stir fry and crunchy noodles |
| Thu |  | Slow cooker butter chicken |
| Fri |  | Homemade pizzas |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 8th March 2014 | |
If you are looking for further recipe inspiration, check out my complete list of Family Friendly Recipes. You might like to also check out Planning With Kids Menu Planning App.
The kid friendly menu planning app allows you to:
- Create weekly menu plans quickly, choosing as many meals per day as you would like to plan for.
- Generate the shopping list for all the meals selected.
- Modify the shopping list to check off items you already have at home.
- Email the shopping list to yourself and/or others.
The most popular recipes from the blog have been included and more will be added on a weekly basis. The app will notify you when new recipes have been added, so you will be able to deliver plenty of variety in your family’s menu plans. Each recipe lists the ingredients required, easy to follow instructions and a photo from the blog.
Are you a white or brown rice fan?