Mommy,,, what's Quinoa ???

Breakfast:
Scrambled Eggs
Pureed Strawberries thickened with rice cereal
Slice of Banana Wheat Bread
Earths Best Banna Peach apple Juice

1 protein serving - eggs
2-3 fruit/veggie servings- pureed strawberries , bananas and juice
1 serving of grains- Bread and rice cereal

Lunch :
Italian Style Lentils - Recipe to follow
Cornbread muffin
Shredded Apples topped with cinnamon
Earths Best apple Peach Banna Juice

1 protein serving- lentils
2 grain servings- lentils and cornbread
2 fruit/veggie servings- shredded apples and various veggies in the lentil dish

Dinner :
Peruvian Quinoa Stew, ( courtesy of Moosewood Cooks at Home Cookbook , the BEST cookbook I have laid my hands on.)
More Corn Bread
Pan simmered bannas, pineapples and peaches.
Glass of Milk

2 protein servings- milk and quinoa
2 grains ervings- quinoa and cornbread
2- fruit/veggie servings- fruit and various veggies in quinoa stew

Alright, so here goes ,,,, what is ????? Quinoa.

Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkinwɑ/ KEEN-wah or /ˈkinoʊə/ KEE-no-uh, Spanish quinua, quínoa, or quinoa) is a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds
In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essentil amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phsphorus and is high in magnesium and iron.

Many of you may already know the beauty of this lil grain, but for those of you who dont,, please read on,, my lil Lily is a HUGE fan of this stuff. As you know, children , especially toddlers who are first being introduced to new tastes and textures of foods, are extremely sensitive to texture. The texture of Quinoa, when prepared correctly is extremely pleasing to the lil sprouts new tastebuds. It has somewhat of a distinct "nutty" taste to it,,, and is aa cross in texture between rice and couscous. Kinda like pastina,, but more flavorful.

For those of you who are inquiring,,, Iam working on a format to include recipes for the culinary delights I have posted thus far,,, I hope to have them up soon.

Til then,,, Keep it flesh free and oh so happy !