My microwave is all shiny and clean...

...and let me tell you why.

Pretty much by virtue of breathing in this day and age, we all know that for a healthy body and lifestyle we should consume more whole grains.  This is easy for me in some ways -- oatmeal for breakfast, usually whole grain bread for my sandwiches -- and difficult for me in other ways.  For example, rice, brown or white, is one of my food nemeses.  I find rice on its own boring.  It needs to be in something or have something in it for me to want to eat it.  Every time I focus a little more closely on my eating habits, I swear that I will eat more brown rice.  Consequently, I tend to haunt the rice aisle at the grocery store on a rather regular basis.

Now, I am somewhat of a savant when it comes to cooking rice.  Somehow, the secrets of the universe in terms of how to cook rice properly (without a rice cooker) have been shared with me.  I don't know how, I don't know when, I don't know why, but I can make rice that is edible.  Not that I necessarily want to eat it, but there you go.  So I look at the bags of rice, but again rice is boring.  I look to the rice mixes.  I like those a lot.  I could eat a whole thing of rice-a-roni in one sitting.  Problem with that is, as you know if you've been breathing in this day and age, the sodium levels are off the charts.  And my favorite flavors (some variety of chicken) do not have whole grains.  But the other rice varieties, not necessarily the rice-a-roni brand, are usually boring.  Or I don't like them.  Again, I haunt the rice aisle. 

Recently I found a rice I really like that only takes 90 seconds in the microwave and is not only whole grain (please don't tell me if I'm wrong about that, I need my delusions) and extremely tasty but it is also decent on the sodium.  Product placement:  Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, Long Grain and Wild Rice variety.  The spices are fabulous.  No idea what they are, but it compliments a variety of main dishes.  And it's only 90 seconds in the microwave.  You don't even have to vent the package.

Hmm, or do you?  Maybe that was the problem because last night mine BLEW UP.  Exploded.  The big bang, right there in my microwave.  Thousands of little long grain and wild rice forms of life, ready to evolve EVERYWHERE.  Honestly, I'm going to have to check the package and see if I was in fact supposed to allow for a small vent in the packaging.  I've made this before without the pyrotechnics so perhaps I was just distracted.

But my microwave?  Is all shiny and clean.

I'll probably post more later today.  Til then,

Cheers!
the CilleyGirl