Most know Bob’s Red Mill whole grain goodness from the shelves of their local grocery or natural food store.  It is no secret, however, that Bob’s Red Mill has long provided an extensive collection of Whole Grain, Organic and Gluten Free Grains, Flours, Cereals and Mixes to a wide variety of regional and national food service establishments.

Food service can be simply defined as anywhere where someone eats away from home.  This includes restaurants, diners and coffee shops; cafeterias at hospitals and health care facilities; schools, colleges and universities; in hotels and resorts; at businesses and corporate campuses and so on.  It is reported that foodservice accounts for nearly half of the money spent for food in the US.

Now, Bob’s Red Mill is taking aim to increase the consumption of Whole Grain Foods for those eating out and about, and, we have some good things going on.  Bob’s Red Mill products have made their way everywhere from Disney Resorts, to dining facilities at Nike, Google, Intel and Amazon.com, to hotels such as Hilton, Marriot and Hyatt and to Universities like Oregon State, UC Davis, Syracuse and Ohio State.  This is just a hint of the dining facilities where Bob’s Red Mill products live up to the motto of Whole Grain Foods for Every Meal of the Day.

Tim Steiner represents our company in the food service sector. He works diligently to bring our products into restaurants and other eateries so that you can have the very best whole grain options.

Seeing as how most of the country is experiencing a winter-chill today, I thought I’d share this recipe for Creamy Mushroom and Grains Soup. It’s delightfully easy and wonderfully soothing on a cold day. Not to mention the amazing nutrition from whole grain barley and oat groats. Both wonderful sources of dietary fiber, these two grains are definitely a heart-healthy team! We have many more heart-friendly soup and stew recipes on our website. Enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom and Grains Soup

Ingredients

* 1 c. Whole Hull-less Barley
* 1 c. Oats, Whole Groats
* 6 c. Water
* 3 c. Milk (Soy or Cow)
* 1/4 c. Sherry
* 1/4 c. Soy Sauce or Tamari
* 2 tsp. Paprika, Hungarian
* 1 Tbsp. Parsley Flakes
* 3 c. Mushrooms, sliced
* 1 small Leek, sliced
* Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Combine oat groats and barley with water and bring to boil. Turn heat down, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add soymilk, soy sauce, sherry, spices and vegetables to cooked grains and bring to boil. Turn down heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread and enjoy! Makes 8 servings.

Good fats are almost an oxymoron in our society, but a little bit of nutritional research quickly reveals that your body needs fat to survive and some fats are much better than others. Trans fats and saturated fats are the “bad” fats, those that promote clogged arteries, obesity and heart disease. Unsaturated fats and Omega-3 fatty acids, however, are the “good” fats. Good fats typically come from plant sources and are helpful for reducing cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

The body produces a small amount of dietary cholesterol and absorbs cholesterol from any animal protein we consume. The body makes exactly what it needs and any of the excess we eat gets stored. When we eat too much of it over time, it increases plaque in our arteries. Arterial plaque can lead to deadly heart attacks and strokes.

Healthy fats often come from plant-based foods, such as olives, peanuts, tree nuts, flaxseed, whole grains, chia, hemp and avocados. Most fish also offer up a good serving of healthy fats. Healthy fats are most recognizable by their ability to stay liquid at room temperature. The good fats help lower cholesterol levels and have so many health benefits that it’s hard to list them all here. Omega-3 alone aids in reducing cholesterol, promoting brain health, boosting the immune system and reducing inflammation… not to mention that it promotes healthy skin, nails and hair (we’ll call that an added bonus).

Choosing to eat more whole grains and avoiding foods with trans fats and those heavy in saturated fats is not exactly new health advice, but we all need a reminder once in a while. This month, through our website, we have many of our oat products along with Flaxseed Meal on special. Next month, we’re placing some of our best sources of healthy fats on special- so keep your eyes on the Monthly Specials section to stock up and save!

Recently, the Bob’s Red Mill Bakers have put our heads together with thoughts on how to incorporate and showcase our wide variety of grains. We have decided to select a monthly grain that will be showcased in the store, as well as, an accompanying recipe including that ingredient. For the heart healthy month of February we showcased the New Mexican-grown blue corn in the form of our stone ground Blue Cornmeal.

Bob’s Red Mill Blue Cornmeal is naturally high in fiber and protein. This satisfying grain is sold as a medium grind and can replace up to 25% of the flour in a recipe. Adding blue cornmeal to a recipe will add extra nutrients, a different texture and a fabulous flavor. Soaking the cornmeal prior to mixing promotes an overall better texture that is more moist. The grind is fairly consistent in its blue-gray color, which lends to a beautiful finished product. You may notice black specs within the meal, but don’t worry the germ of the corn is good for you!

Try this age-old grain in pancakes, bread, muffins, crepes or come on over to the Whole Grain Store and try our Blue Cornmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.  Believe it or not February is almost over, so hurry in for the opportunity to experience this delicately sweet variety of corn. Oh and best of all, the corn that Bob’s Red Mill grinds is not genetically modified! Eat up!

Blue Corn Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

• 8 oz (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup light Brown Sugar, packed
• 2 large Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Blue Cornmeal
• 1 cup Unbleached White Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 10 oz best-quality Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks or Chips
• 1 cup chopped Walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the blue cornmeal, sift in the flour and the baking powder, and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges, switching positions of the sheets halfway through. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before carefully transferring with a thin spatula to wire racks to cool to room temperature.

Try not to eat all of them in one sitting! We dare you!

Tuesday, February 15th, marked the one-year anniversary of Bob’s announcement that he was handing ownership of Bob’s Red Mill to his employees. When the announcement was made, we had no idea how inspiring people would find this. Obviously, the employees were blown away by the announcement, but the rest of the country seemed to follow suit, as if they, too, had received a piece of Bob’s Red Mill.

After a year of reflection and still quite a lot of interest from the media and our customers, I feel privileged to work at Bob’s Red Mill and so lucky to call these people my family. This story is more unique than most of us realized at the time. There are only about 1100 employee-owned companies in our country. This is truly the exception of how to do business, where the rule seems to be “sell the company and move on.”

A question I get at every event I attend is “Who runs the company now?” That’s easy, Bob! Of course he still runs the company and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Truly, it’s a team effort that involves everyone in this company, but Bob is still the thriving ring-leader of this whole grain circus. We now have a team of stakeholders who help steer decisions that affect our company, but the day-to-day aspects of our company haven’t changed a bit. Our stakeholders are just as vested in the success and quality of our brand as the rest of us and have no intention of changing the way we do business.

If anything has changed, it’s the incredible pride each employee takes in their job. Knowing how seriously people take their jobs here, I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m certain that everyone is working harder than ever to do their best. I’ve never worked somewhere that people loved so much. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you with a beaming smile why they love their job here. It’s an incredible place to call home and I can’t wait to see where the future takes us.

Thank you for making this possible. Bob wouldn’t have had anything to save or pass on to us, if not for you. Each time you buy a product, you cast a vote that affects the world. Thank you for voting for us and a world where whole grains and health take priority.

A perfect protein-packed snack!

When we first saw this recipe at Miss FitBliss, we knew you would love it. Here Joslyn gives you a quick guest post and link to the recipe. Enjoy!

I can be an extremely selfless person, even to my own detriment.  I’m the first one to come sprinting out of nowhere to fall on the sword for a complete stranger, and the last one in line at a buffet – just to make sure that everyone gets their fill before me.  It’s instinctual, it’s inexplicable, it’s annoying.  When I looked around my kitchen last week, I realized that the majority of the food that I make and prepare daily is for my husband.  Much of this habit is due to the fact that it’s a lot more fun to prepare juicy lasagnas, cheesecakes, and muffins than it is to prepare a salad.

But when this realization hit me, I resolved then and there to start to make small changes toward accommodating myself in the kitchen more often.  These crackers were first in line to accomplish this goal.  They are completely gluten-free and packed with protein from amaranth and almond flours.  And although the baking and prep process was a bit of a challenge, the outcome really made it worth the work.  Here’s the link if you want to give them a try: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/pizzasflatbreadswraps/r/gfcrackers.htm

Bob calls “Forks Over Knives” a very worthwhile film and encouraged all of us at Bob’s Red Mill to take ourselves and families to go see it.  I have seen this documentary twice already, and even though I have eaten a plant based diet for 15 years now, I still learned a wealth of information and was reminded to focus on whole foods in my diet.

“Forks Over Knives” deals with the health crisis in America and how to use nutrition as medicine.  The film concentrates on the correlation of increased meat, dairy and sugar consumption with the influx of our biggest killers as a nation; heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.  Although the medical community works hard to find cures for what ails us, often times the actual cause of disease is overlooked and is often related to diet and lifestyle.

Dr. T. Collin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn are ground-breaking scientists using their education, years of research, clinical experience and observations to separately come to the realization that a plant based diet will increase human health, and that the standard American diet leads to disease. Research has further shown that a plant based diet will not only keep you healthy, but it can actually reverse some health conditions, especially of the heart.

Although the idea of completely changing your diet can be overwhelming, the documentary looked at individuals with compromised health who embraced a plant based diet.  This resulted in not only increased standard of living, but in many cases, even saved peoples’ lives.  Individuals were able to reverse health conditions, stop taking medications and were feeling better than ever.  It was truly remarkable and encouraging to see these transformations.

I truly appreciate all the information the film provided and the undeniable facts concerning our food choices in America.  This is a must-see film for every one who wants to live a healthier life.  “Forks Over Knives” releases nationwide in May.  To keep yourself updated on the film and when it will be showing in your area, visit www.forksoverknives.com.

Beyond eating right and getting exercise, dealing with your stress levels is a crucial component to heart health. Stress can lead to high blood pressure, sleep deprivation, weight gain, overeating and an increase in high-risk behaviors, such as drinking and smoking cigarettes. Those are just some of the things stress can induce that are related to heart-health.

No one is exempt from stress, so we might as well start figuring out how to manage it. None of these tips are new, but they make for an excellent reminder of how we should be taking care of ourselves.

• Move more! Get out and walk for 20 minutes on your lunch break or take a five minute cruise around the office every hour. Can’t leave your office or your desk? There are some great stretches and breathing techniques that calm your body and mind, here. Exercise releases endorphins which make your mind and body feel good and naturally reduce stress. read more about exercise and stress here.
• Sleep more! A properly rested body and mind will be more equipped to deal with the daily ups and downs you face. Every body is different in how much sleep it requires, but on average, adults need 8 hours every night. Instead of burning the midnight oil trying to finish a project, go to bed earlier and let the project wait. Your mind and body will be better-equipped to handle the project after a good night’s sleep. I know how impossible that sounds to some of you, but if you can manage it, it will be worth it.
  • Have trouble sleeping? I personally have trouble falling asleep at night and use relaxation techniques to help me hit the hay more smoothly. This is a wonderful article from Women’s Health about sleep and how to get the most out of your night.
• Let it go! Some things are just not worth the energy; find a way to let small things go while still holding sight of the big picture. I like to think , “Will this matter in a week/month/year?” If the answer is no, then it is not worth it and shouldn’t be taking up any of your vital brain space.
• Laugh more! People who laugh often are generally happier and more relaxed. Laughter is the perfect cure for stress. The hormones released when you laugh combat the stress hormones in the body, such as cortisol and epinephrine, and promotes the immune system. So lighten up and check out funny blogs like The Oatmeal or visit YouTube to find the newest funny videos.
• Touch more! Whether you snuggle with a loved one, a pet, or simply start hugging your friends more often, the physical interaction promotes hormones that naturally calm us. If these options are not available or make you uncomfortable, a 30-minute massage will work wonders to reduce your stress!

Here is a wonderful article on stress heart disease from WebMd.

Hi, I’m Sarena from The Non-Dairy Queen. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to share a little bit of my thoughts on the struggles of living with food restrictions due to allergies and intolerances here…

It’s kind of funny how my thoughts have changed over time since I was first asked about how I cope with the challenges of a dairy free diet. In our household, we don’t just deal with dairy allergies, but soy and gluten are all problems here too. I have lived dairy free for 9 years, soy free for 2 and my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease 2 years ago. Out of everything we can’t have, the one thing we miss the most, is convenience. We just don’t have that when it comes to food any more.

Since when did getting around the grocery store become so difficult or how about how complicated it is to grab a quick healthy bite to eat while you are out running errands or on a trip? I’ve been grocery shopping for my family since I was 15 years old.  I grew up in the kitchen. Cooking and baking were an every day event for me. I even went to culinary school because of my love of food and cooking. Now, after all of these years, I have had to teach myself how to cook all over again.

My allergies are mild, but my intolerance to dairy is extremely high. I get rashes, shortness of breath, anxiety and the usual stomach issues that go along with having food allergies. I have gotten used to shopping and cooking for myself. I rely on soy free vegan products and have learned how to bake things from scratch using these new to me alternatives. I have actually fallen in love with vegan baking. Most people cringe at the term vegan when it comes to baked goods, but really, unless you tell them, they would never know there’s no dairy in what they are eating.

My husband’s issues, however, are far more serious than mine. Not only do his problems affect him physically now, but they cause damage for him later on as well. When we found this out, I had a whole other side of baking and cooking that I had to educate myself on. This was not completely new territory for me since my grandmother has celiac as well, but I never really worked with gluten free flours until my husband was diagnosed. For me, living without was something that I learned to deal with and I just worked around it. For my husband though, living without all of his family favorites was just not an option. My heart broke for him and I just wasn’t willing to let that happen.

With his diagnosis is where grocery shopping became even more fun.

Luckily, I love the grocery store. I spend a lot more time there looking at labels for crazy ingredients. We never really bought a bunch of processed food to begin with, but when you are told you can’t have something, that’s when you start to crave them. Where things get harder, is when you are looking for any of your favorite quick snacks. We have started going to the store together (which I really like). We tag team reading and looking up what is in everything. By the end of looking up all these crazy ingredients, we have forgotten who is intolerant or allergic to what. I have always been more of a whole food person, so when we pick up a bag or box of something and it has only three ingredients, all of which you can identify, we feel like we have hit the jackpot!

Another trick we have learned is that you should focus on the things you can have and not what you can’t have. On our first trip together to the store after we learned about my husband’s diagnosis, he decided to buy better cheeses from the deli department. He felt like it would be more of a treat to have something really great than to buy something else that was trying to mimic something that he loved. There is a balance you have to achieve when you have to give up things that you love. You can find alternatives that will make you just as happy even if they aren’t exactly the same. We have decided to make things simple for now since baking gluten free can be a bit confusing when you don’t know where to start. Everything has a different flavor or texture than what you are used to. There are great products out there, as well as, great resources to get more information. Don’t get overwhelmed by the “giving up” aspect of food restrictions. I have started researching one product or ingredient at a time. I use it in different ways so I know what works and what doesn’t work. It will come together…it just takes some time. There will be failures, but there will also be successes. I work with smaller batches so I know that I won’t be wasting too much if something doesn’t turn out the way I had expected. There have been numerous batches of muffins that have been fed to the birds, but there have also been cakes and loaves of bread that turned out better than our gluten filled favorites. Bob’s Red Mill products have been a lifesaver. I love the information they have on their website about the different products, as well as the recipes to guide you through using these ingredients.

As for traveling or meals when you are out, we have learned that you have to be prepared. I have a list of foods that I always prepare for trips. If it is a longer drive where meals need to be eaten on the road, I will take my gluten free dairy free oatmeal cookies, gluten free sausage balls (my husband’s favorite easy meal at hand), cinnamon bread (a family favorite), fresh cut vegetables and fresh fruit. If we know we will be going out somewhere, we try to look at the restaurant’s website to see what they offer and what we can eat. Most restaurants, even fancier places, will happily accommodate those with food allergies.

This has been a long road for us and I have a feeling that our children are going to be on this journey with us at some point, but I find comfort knowing that we have the support of companies, like Bob’s Red Mill. I like to think of baking and cooking for restrictive diets as an adventure and try to learn from it as opposed to thinking of it as a curse.

We’ll have more posts about food allergies and gluten intolerance in the coming months. I hope you enjoyed Sarena’s post as much as I did. I encourage you to visit her lovely blog, The Non-Dairy Queen to read more about her experiences and experiments with gluten free, dairy-free cooking.

February is National Heart Health Month and we’re dedicating ourselves to bringing you tips for keeping your heart in good working condition.  To kick us off right (even if we are almost a week late!), it seems like the perfect time to discuss the newly released 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

As a brief background, the Guidelines are reviewed and revised by the USDA every 5 years. The Guidelines are intended to help guide legislation and provide information for drafting educational materials in an effort to promote healthy eating in Americans. Sounds simple enough, but after listening to Eve Essery, PhD speak at the Whole Grains Conference last week, I realized that these guidelines are anything but simple. The committee who drafts the Guidelines must sift through hundreds, if not thousands, of reports and research papers pertaining to every part of human nutrition to develop a strategy to combat chronic diseases and obesity. Then, they must take their strategy and apply it to the reality of every day life for people of all walks starting at the age of 2.

The Guidelines are not perfect and they really haven’t changed that much in five years. What I found to be the most significant change was the increased focus on portion control and calorie consumption. It’s no secret that the United States has seen a significant rise in obesity levels and the USDA is trying to course-correct our country. Not a bad idea, really. With a few exceptions, we all could stand to pay more attention to what and how much we eat and how much we exercise.

The 2010 Guidelines are not truly ready for public consumption yet, as they still need to be shaped into documents that make sense in our daily lives, but you can find all sorts of great information here at MyFoodPyramid.gov. For instance, did you know that you can make your own My Pyramid Plan? This is the one I made to help me reach a healthier weight (yep, I packed a few on during the holidays, too). I like that it gives me some basic goals to shoot for with different food groups and suggestions for varying my menu. Following a plan of moderate calorie reduction and increased activity is the single best way to reduce your weight. It won’t happen quickly like most diets, but it will be easier to keep off and maintain over the long term.

For more information on the 2005 and 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, visit www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.