Crunchy Goodness

If you've been following my posts on here or on MFD, you know that I'm quite passionate about eating real food and avoiding, as much as possible and within reason, processed foods. One food I ate daily, though, was definitely processed: Kashi GoLean. Sure, there are many many worse processed foods I could eat, but for some reason, it was galling me that I could not find a less processed, yet still very healthy (ie, not yummy fattening granola) crunchy topping for my home-made yogurt and fruit.

I learned to eat plain yogurt right after I came off of OPTIFAST. My partner and I were visiting Charleston, SC and had breakfast at one the city's local spots: G&M - fast, French cuisine. It was lovely - fresh brewed coffee, croissants, yogurt and granola with fresh fruit. I loved the crunch of the granola with the creaminess of the rich yogurt.

I quickly learned that granola is one of my trigger foods - so I rarely enjoy it. It's a great food, but a small amount goes a long way and I just can't seem to get enough of it. So I used Kashi GoLean to provide my crunch, along with some fiber and protein (from the processed soy).

Then I learned to make my own yogurt. Since that time, I looked for alternatives to the Kashi. I tried low-fat granola. I still scarfed it down. During all these experiments, I'd bought a package of wheat berries. I had no idea how I'd use them, but I figured I'd just cook them like rice. I never thought about toasting them. Until this weekend.

I was snooping through nuts and berries sites online this weekend and learned that wheat berries can be toasted (they pop like popcorn and puff up just a tiny bit) and then enjoyed without additional cooking. So - I toasted (using a covered frying pan and small batches) almost all of my wheat berries. They're delightful with my yogurt and fruit. The best part - they provide a nice amount of protein and fiber. Not as much as the processed Kashi Go Lean, but enough to keep me happy until lunch time.

I love it when something works!