One day, Holly, a restaurant owner in Connecticut, decided that her morning oatmeal could stand some improvement. After many trials, she discovered that a blend of seven certified-organic and kosher grains (including multiple types of oats, golden flax seeds and triticale), combined with a protein-boosting ingredient and some good dried fruits/nuts (like apricots, goji berries, or almonds), resulted in a flavorful hot cereal with more texture than plain old oatmeal. cont.

This is directed toward you, Mr. or Ms. Constantly-On-The-Go. Yes, you, making do with whatever you can find when you need a snack. Too often, you reach for coffee and a doughnut; overly-caloric, excessively sweet granola bars or, even worse, fast food. Why not try something a little more dietarily virtuous for a change? Fresh fruit or veggies would be great, sure, but sometimes you just want a snack with a little more staying power. cont.

Time to ‘fess up… how often do you eat frozen pizza? It’s undeniably an attractive meal option for any busy person; it’s quick, it doesn’t require any special skills or thought to make, it’s not too expensive, and is there anyone out there who doesn’t love pizza? Problem is, most frozen pizzas really aren’t very good, and they tend to be full of junk — preservatives and other ingredients you certainly don’t need to be consuming. Happily, there is another way. cont.

I like yogurt. And I like many different flavors and several styles and a number of brands. But no matter how many variations on this theme I try, there’s one brand to which I always seem to return, and that’s Seven Stars Farm. There’s a real farm behind this yogurt (many products with farm in the name do not come from actual farms); it’s 350 acres in southeastern PA. cont.

If this isn’t the middle of nowhere, it’s certainly in the same neighborhood. I’m on a local road in eastern PA, driving past farmland and not too much else. My destination is easy to miss; there is a sign, but I was expecting something a little larger or flashier. It’s a cloudy, chilly day in early March, yet there are multiple cars in the lot, somewhat unusual for an ice cream joint at a time of year when many are still closed. cont.

I don’t know enough about the agricultural history of the United States to explain why particular grains and legumes are grown or not grown here. But somewhere along the line, the U.S. became heavily dependent upon corn, soybeans, and wheat. The result? Other grains/legumes tend to be underutilized in this country, which is a shame, given their versatility and nutritional value. cont.

“Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it.” Biblical verses are not my strong point, but they are a foundation for the products made by Food for Life. This particular verse is the inspiration for their Ezekiel 4:9 breads, tortillas, pastas, and cereals that, based on these instructions, uses wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. cont.

Before Brian Noyes started baking for a living, he was the Art Director of several national magazines including Smithsonian and House & Garden. When a new job took him to Washington, D.C. Noyes and a friend bought a small farm in the Virginia village of Orlean, 50 miles west of the capital. They planted fruit trees and roamed the countryside in a red 1954 Ford farm truck that Noyes bought from fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. cont.