# any way to make white rice healthy and recipes?



## christianmomof3 (Mar 11, 2005)

We were give three big bags of white rice several months ago - I think about 25 pounds each. Due to finances it would be good if we could eat it. The thing is, I had gd in my 2nd and 3rd pgs and stopped cooking and eating it and so my kids don't eat rice. Dh, oldest dd and I eat brown rice, but dh thinks the white rice is unhealthy and doesn't want to eat it.
But it is food.
Is there any way to make it healthier or to hide it in foods?
I may add some to the grains I grind for flour.
Any other ideas?
I may just donate it if I cannot find ways to use it.


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## JoyMC (Aug 15, 2005)

the one thing i can think of is to prepare it w/good, homemade bone broth instead of water.

also, if you sew you could make rice bags and bean bags for Christmas presents!


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## HappyMommy2 (Jan 27, 2007)

I agree, cooking it with bone broth, and adding it to a meal with lots of veggies is about the best you can do. A stir-fry or fried rice where the veggies outweight the rice.

Stuffed peppers or cabbage rolls (again with lots of veggies in the stuffing mix). I dice and saute anything I have, onions, carrots, celery, zuchini, etc. Mix with cooked rice, tomatoes, etc. and roll in the cabbage. Cover with red sauce and bake. For the stuffed peppers I add a little ketchup and worcester sauce. For the cabbage rolls, I do Italian seasoning.

I'm not sure how old your kids are, but you can make a rainy day toddler activity with one bag. You put the uncooked rice in a box or dishpan and then hide little things (plastic toys, scoops, tiny cups, etc.) underneath. It is fun to dig and pour. If they eat a little, no worries. If it spills - just vacuum it up. (or do it on a sheet/blanket)


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

Yeah, just another vote for making it with some sort of broth and serving w/ lots of veggies/meat/whatever... it's basicly just filler







White rice/flour is, imo, not neccasarily 'bad'... its just, well, worthless calories - ie no nutrional value beyond plain calories to burn. Which, if you need to burn them, is good I suppose.


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## la mamita (Apr 10, 2005)

You can pump up your rice by cooking half white rice/half quinoa, just substitute the quinoa for the rice and cook as usual in a rice cooker or on the stove. You could try half white/half brown rice too, although you might want to cook them separately and then mix later, because brown rice takes longer to cook, in my experience...

I live in Peru where we eat a lot of white rice (despite living in a major rice producing region, brown rice is only available as an imported 'rich people' product at the fancy supermarket...). Some of my favorite ways to use rice: rice pudding (the dessert or add eggs, use honey or very little sugar, use whole milk and it becomes a breakfast pudding), horchata (Mexican rice milk...not much nutritional value, but it tastes so good!), stir fries, chicken/egg/beef/favorite protein fried rice, arroz con pollo (cilantro flavored rice with baked chicken...I can post a recipe if you'd like), rice & beans, served with tuna or egg salad instead of bread, in soups, you can also cook non-risotto white rice in the risotto style and it turns out pretty well, cooked plain rice drizzled in soy milk and fruit for breakfast.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Can you get ahold of rice bran fairly inexpensively, and mix that with the white rice? That would probably work better if you grind it into flour first.

OTOH, the way rice bran is priced near me, it's probably cheaper to just buy brown rice at that point and donate the white rice.

I mostly use brown rice when I cook, but I do keep white rice on hand for making rice pudding and for "oops, I should have started dinner half an hour ago" nights.


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## damona (Mar 27, 2008)

i usually cook white rice with broth instead of water. you could try it with coconut milk and a pinch of sugar and salt, that's tasty.

i use my rice cooker a lot for "rice stews". for instance... i put 2 cups rice, 4 cups broth, a 14-16oz jar of salsa, a can of black beans, and some chopped up chicken in and just cook til it dings (sorry, i don't really use recipes and timing... *shrug*). you can do this in the crock pot, too.

the 2 cups rice/4 cups broth is about standard. sometimes i make it with ground beef, mushrooms and peas. this is really good if you have some leftover gravy (or if you don't mind using jarred gravy) to add in. or corn, mushrooms and black or pink beans.

sometimes i make tuna casserole using rice instead of noodles.

rice pudding with raisins and cinnamon.

fried rice with a couple eggs stirred in and a bunch of veggies. i make a chicken and mushroom fried rice that never leaves leftovers.

i made a stirfry the other night with sliced summer squash, diced carrots, onions, minced garlic, green beans, mushrooms (what can i say? we love mushrooms lol) and a cup of leftover rice. just saute the harder veggies in olive oil first, then add in the rest and maybe a squirt of soy sauce or Bragg's amino acids.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

I think if financially you need it, it makes sense to use it as the "filler" that it is. I mean, I wish I could afford every bite my kids take to be insanely nutritious, but with 5 kids still at home and our own financial issues, we eat rice and noodles and cheap fillers a lot. Plus, it sounds like you would be able to piece it out, make it last a long time in combination with lots of healthier foods.


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