RICE AND WHEATBERRY PILAF WITH BABY SPINACH

Ingredients:
¾ cup wheat berries
5 ¾ cups water
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil
¾ cup basmati rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz. baby spinach
Directions:
Place the wheat berries in a heavy medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to the pan to cover the wheat berries by 3 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain.
Bring 4 cups of water, the wheat berries and ¾ tsp. salt to a boil in the same saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the wheat berries are tender but still slightly firm to the bite, about 1 hour. Drain.
Heat the oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and garlic; stir q1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1-3/4 cup water and ¾ tsp salt and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until liquid is almost absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the spinach and cooked wheat berries. Stir until the spinach wilts and the wheat berries are heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES

Ingredients:
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 ¼ cups boiling water
1 large onion, sliced
1 red pepper, cut in thick slices
Cherry tomatoes
1 zucchini or yellow squash, cut in chunks
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pesto:
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup olive oil

Directions:
Cook couscous according to the package instructions. Baste the onion, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and zucchini with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Grille. Set aside to cool. Cut into bite sized pieces and add to the cooked couscous.

Pesto:
In a food processor, chop the garlic, add basil and oil. Blend.
Add pesto to couscous, add salt and pepper.


Great at room temperature. *Israeli couscous is a pea-sized pasta, not to be substituted with the more traditional Moroccan style couscous.

Exercising With A Cold?

Last week I came down with a bad cold, the kind of cold in which you can’t identify which symptom is worse the coughing, runny nose or the overall feeling of “blaaah”. I have always had this rule of thumb when it comes to exercise when you are sick; “if the cold is just in your head, you can exercise but if its in your chest...time to rest.” So taking my own advice, I decided to rest (well most days) but I did find that while I spent a lot of time resting, I did some simple easy stretches to my day, to my delight, it really helped on the muscle fatigue I was experiencing. Its always important to listen to your own body signals but if you can next time you find yourself in bed with a cold, add a little stretching to your cold it just might make you feel a little better! Keep Warm