As October rolled in, we moved with the seasons and shifted our grain offering for lunch to millet! We love Bob’s Red Mill millet. The children are really loving it, with several taking seconds and even thirds! The teachers and I are celebrating their enjoyment of this new found food that holds such nutritional benefit! As an added bonus, cleanup is so much easier for me with so many empty LunchBots!
At AFK, we have been soaking our grains to enhance their nutritional benefit & digestibility. This is an ancient preparation method that was introduced to me by Donna Gates, author of the Body Ecology Diet - a way of eating that has transformed our son’s health. I’m so thrilled to share all I’ve learned with our AFK family.
Here are a few wonderful facts about millet!
Acts as a prebiotic to help feed important microbes in your inner ecosystem.
Digests easily.
Does not help feed pathogenic yeast (candida).
Helps hydrate your colon to keep you regular.
Is alkaline.
Provides serotonin to help calm and soothe your moods.
Millet is full of nutrients your body needs, such as:
Antioxidants
B vitamins
Calcium
Fiber
Magnesium
Manganese
Phosphorus
Tryptophan
(The above information is taken from the bodyecology.com website, where references are cited.)
Here’s how the process of soaking goes! It’s super simple and so well worth the benefits.
Ingredient list for soaking:
Bobs Red Mill Millet
Filtered water
Bragg’s ACV
I usually prepare 2 cups of millet at a time to ensure freshness at the time of serving.
Into a large glass jar goes 2 cups of dry millet, substantially covered with water. I add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per cup of millet, in this case 2 tablespoons. I then take a spoon to swirl everything around to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
This mixture gets tightly covered and remains at room temperature for 24 hours. I usually like to do this early morning so that I can cook a fresh batch the morning of school days.
Full ingredient list for soaking/cooking:
Selina Naturally Celtic Sea Salt
Sea Seasonings Kelp Flakes
Olea Estates Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Once it has soaked, I thoroughly rinse the millet under cold water for several minutes.
Millet takes 3 cups water to 1 cup millet, so, for this situation, we have 2 cups millet & 6 cups water. Bring lightly salted water to a rapid boil, toss the millet in, give it a good swirl with a fork, then cover & lower it to a simmer for the remainder of the cook time. The soaking really does reduce cook time for grains, so I generally set a timer for 15 minutes and then look to see if it’s ready. Often, right around 20-25 mins works for 2 cups. Turn off heat, leave lid on, and let it sit for a few mins.
This is how millet appears when finished cooking - just like rice!
I’m making millet “pies” for our children and this is such an easy and healthy way to incorporate millet into their lives! Millet has a similar flavor & texture profile to polenta or grits, so it’s easy for them to love. Once the millet has cooked, I take a casserole dish and scoop the millet in. I toss in sea salt, kelp flakes, and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Of course, you can vary your seasonings in any direction! This is how the millet looks once oil and seasonings are added:
This is the final, smoothed out millet, prior to slicing into portions:
That’s it! The millet slices cleanest when it reaches room temperature and it is served at room temperature as well. It stores well in the refrigerator for several days and works well for bulk cooking.
We serve this with a rotating parboiled vegetable or two (lately it’s broccoli & carrots!) and rotating fermented vegetables. Our kids seem to love the beet cabbage and garlic pickle krauts the most, so we always have those handy.
They also love adding “sprinkles” to their foods, so we have dulse & kelp flakes around for sprinkling. This little touch offers the children an additional sense of ownership and choice with regard to their food.
Observing children discover new and nourishing experiences is so heartwarming and I feel extremely grateful to have the opportunity to take part in it daily through our home cooked meals.
With love & gratitude,
Kim Toscano Adams, AFK Nutrition Coordinator