As I begin to move once again to a less restricted diet, I am starting to check out adding very limited amounts of grain to my midday meal. My plan is to move to a non-boxed meal to replace one of the HRM meals once a day. I originally thought that I would make that my evening meal, but it would make sense, once I have finished the school year, to make the midday meal the more complicated meal. This will let me forego evening clean-up, and allow me to avoid the kitchen at that awkward time from about 7:00 to 9:00, when I have habitually given in to my need to snack - even when I'm not hungry.
ANYWAY - I am building a list of calories for 1/2 cup of various grains. Then I can add them to meals. Here is the list, as compiled from many internet sites:
Long grain rice - 102 calories
Medium grain rice - 121 cal.
Brown rice - 108 cal.
Wild rice - 83 cal.
Quinoa - 80 cal.
Barley - 97 cal.
Couscous - 88 cal.
Bulgar Wheat - 76 cal.
Steel Cut Oats - 85 cal.
I am not sure why the medium grain rice is so much higher in calories than anything else. I will have to re check that, but I did look it up on two sites already. The Bulgar wheat is a real surprise to me, I expected it to be much higher. Since it is low, I may be able to modify a tabbouleh salad to fit into a 250 calorie meal. It also helps to let me know which items can be switched out for a piece of beef or for a medallion of turkey tenderloin. Balancing is much easier when I don't have to figure out everything at the moment. If I can pre-figure the caloric cost of different cuts of meat (at 3 oz. per meal) and legumes (1/2 cup servings) I can use my recipe prowess to add the right spices and vegetables to each meal.
