(The wind blowing Elena’s hair as she takes in all of the scenery at the beach)
Joel, Elena and I just had a wonderful day and night at the beach. Joel had a midterm, long weekend, and so we thought we would go have some family time at the beach. We left Sunday morning and just got back a few hours ago.
We were very blessed to find the beach very mild, and so were able to relax for a couple of hours reading on the seashore while Elena played in the sand. This was really the first time she was really able to enjoy the beach, and enjoy it she did! Everything was new and exciting to her. Those seagulls that Joel and I have long decided were just annoying, she found thrilling. The sand, the water, the waves, the rocks, the dogs running on the beach, all attracted her intense concentration.
This week is Joel’s and my anniversary, so this was our little anniversary trip too. I had slightly mixed feelings about bringing Elena on our anniversary trip, but she had such a wonderful time being with us and seeing new things at the beach, and we had such a wonderful time being with her, that we were so glad that she came with us.
Once again, having a child with us brought back the awe of seeing new sights, hearing new sounds, and experiencing new things. Joel and I will have plenty of time together in years to come, but these special family times are so fleeting! I am glad that we have the opportunity to share them.
Now that we are back home, dishes call, dinner needs to be fixed and suitcases need to be unpacked, but we are refreshed and ready to get back to our normal duties. I have several questions in the comment sections that I need to answer and I will soon (hopefully tonight), but let me leave you with one food picture of our trip. We pretty much brought all of our food for the trip to save money, and all of it was very nourishing and simple…that is except for one little exception.
When Joel and I were on our honeymoon, for several meals we made one of my childhood favorites, cream of wheat with a dab of butter, maple syrup, and cream. Since we were going to the same coast as when we were on our honeymoon and it was almost our anniversary, we decided that it was a perfect time to fudge on some of our normal eating standards and enjoy this very yummy bowl of hot cereal.
I will have to figure out a healthier version of this, that we actually like (some of those whole wheat versions are yucky), because this was a delicious and filling breakfast! Does anyone have any ideas?
I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend as well!
(And yes, there is still sand in my socks!)
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Oh I used to love cream of wheat (probably still do). When I was a child we ate it with milk and white sugar (gasp!). Then my favorite thing to do was dip buttered toast into it. Sooo good, but a carb nightmare.
As far as making it yourself, how about just some whole wheat (or other grain) flour cooked similar to grits. It will take a lot longer to cook than cream of wheat, but much better for you. And actually, if you soak it out overnight in buttermilk or other it could cook a lot faster. Just cook in soaking liquid and add a bit more water.
Thanks for sharing about your trip.
Mrs. S
Happy anniversary! Seems like a lot of us got married in the fall. 🙂 And why not? It’s the best time of year!
Glad you had such a lovely weekend together. Oh, and that hat picture of Elana is really cute, by the way.
Mrs. S,
I have tried the “whole wheat” version before, but I really didn’t like it. But I am going to try grinding it myself with soft white whole wheat berries and maybe some millet too (millet has such a nice mild flavor).
I was planning on soaking it, which I think will help in texture as well as cooking time (I just can’t use buttermilk yet, so I may have to use some other type of acidic additive). We will see how it turns out!
Alison,
Thanks. 🙂 It is the best time of year, isn’t it!
We like Arrowhead Mills “Rice and Shine” Cereal made with rice milk and maple syrup – same deal as the cream of wheat, but with brown rice. Yummy!
I like the Cream of the West Roasted Wheat cereal (creamofthewest.com). It’s whole wheat. I think Bob’s Red Mill also makes a whole wheat version in addition to their regular Creamy Wheat, but I haven’t tried it.
Mornings when I haven’t planned well I often make this recipe.
Cream of Millet
Amount: 1 cup (1-2 servings)
1.Grind fine in grain mill, a
blender or coffee bean mill
3 Tbls. whole millet
2.Measure 1 cup water and pour 3/4
cup water into saucepan. Bring
to a boil.
3. Whisk millet and 1/4 tsp. salt
into remaining 1/4 cup cold
water.
4. Gradually whisk grain mixture
into boiling water.
5. Return to a just a boil. Turn
heat very low, cover and simmer
until done about 10 minutes.
I usually double or triple this recipe and stir in an egg yolk or two once the cereal is done for added nutrition. I usually make this when I haven’t soaked anything the night before. It is easy and quick to whip up. We like it topped with sucanat or maple syrup, butter or cream and coconut. My daughter likes a bit of cinnamon stirred in also.
I got this from Sue Gregg’s Breakfast cookbook. In it she says in step 4 you can “cover, remove from heat and stand overnight for improved nutrition” and then follow step 5 in the morning. I haven’t tried that. You follow this recipe with brown rice.
Thanks so much for your blog. I was excited about the crockpot recipe for breakfast cereal!! It was great to wake up to breakfast hot and ready!
Mary,
Thanks for sharing that recipe! It sounds great. By the way, Millet is a low phytic acid grain, so it’s one of the best ones to use when you didn’t have the chance to soak something. 🙂