Virtual Recipe Club - More Details

Now that I've had more time to organize my thoughts, let's go into more detail about this.

1. We will pick a theme each month. If you have any suggestions for themes, please email me at lindrusso AT yahoo DOT com.

2. At the end of the month we will share our favorite recipe or recipes that fall under the theme for the month.

3. You do not need to have a blog to participate. Simply email me and I will post your recipe/write-up.

4. If you do have a blog, simply post your recipe or write-up to your own blog and send me a link. I will post the links toward the end of the month.

5. Please include photos wherever possible. Even if, like mine, they are not great photos. ;)

6. The recipe need not be original, but please credit your source wherever possible.

7. Wherever possible, especially when the theme is focusing on healthful recipes, please try to include nutritional information. If you do not have this information but would like to include it, I can run your recipe through Mastercook and send you the info to add to your post.

I have chosen to have us meet monthly because I would like to use this club as a motivation to try new recipes throughout the month, sharing my favorites at the end of the month. However, this is not required - you may simply show up at the end of the month and share your favorite tried and true recipe. If you choose to join me in trying out new recipes all month long (and I must admit, this may not happen all the time - I may choose to just show up too), you can post your favorites at the end of the month, along with a little write-up about what you tried, what worked and what didn't.

I may choose to change things up and sneak in extra "meetings" if a month seems too long, but we'll start it out this way and see how things go. If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to email me at lindrusso AT yahoo DOT com.

January's Theme - Whole Grain Breakfast Foods

Let's start off the New Year with an eye toward healthier eating. I get up at 5:30 a.m. on workdays, and I'm usually not very hungry and time is also a factor - trying to get the dog fed, kids up and fed, etc. I would love to have an aresnal of on-the-go or easy breakfast foods that would make the morning routine easier, but still healthful.

Here are the guidelines for January:

The breakfast food can be anything you like - muffin, bread, waffle, pancake, scone, granola bars - but it must contain whole grains of some sort, and preferably more than just whole wheat flour. Here's a list of just some of the possibilities (which I am limiting to those that are most commonly found in baked goods - any whole grain is fair game):

• whole wheat flour
• wheat bran
• oat bran
• wheat germ
• millet
• whole grain cornmeal
• oats
• buckwheat
• barley

Those are just a few. Here's a link to a great list of whole grains, each with a description and list of health benefits.

Along with whole grains, consider looking for recipes that have other healthful ingredients. Other ingredients that add a nutritional punch to breakfast foods:

• raisins
• carrots
• bananas
• zucchini
• nuts
• molasses
• berries
• apples
• flaxseed/meal

If you want more information on these or other foods, I found this website that offers VERY in-depth information on many different foods: The World's Healthiest Foods. Just look at this nutrient analysis and this write up on raisins alone!