It’s hard to describe being on the start line. The sea of humanity gearing up for the race. The old, young, fit and unfit, costumed or geared out, sign carrying or wheelchair bound~all of them all around us, strangers united in a personal goal. It’s truly awesome. And when you have some of the people you love the most to run with it’s like perfect moments, etched in your mind forever. The look on my dads face, imprinted in my brain. It is LIVING. These moments.

Then the run begins. Just a slow jog. A pace that allows a massive amount of sister catch up. I’ve got my Gretchen’s Grains T-shirt on with the website on the back. I’m feeling proud. The miles pass like butter. About mile 6 we all pop an ibuprofen with our Gu and gatorade. It’s always the joints that hurt the worst.

The crowds we pass holding signs and cheering give needed boosts of energy. I love these strangers . They make my heart swell. The small children we pass are well worth the effort to get over and give a high-five. To them we are Runners. Real Ones in a Real Race. Wait. We are real runners in a real race. So awesome.

About mile 10 we realize that we will actually finish. Any self doubt washed away in the fact that we just passed the 20K sign and none of our knees have completely seized up. With the finish line in sight the crowds get much bigger on either side of the road cheering loudly with looks of excitement for us, total strangers to them, giving us encouragement, pride and a final adrenaline rush. We cross the finish line, my sisters and me. We hug and laugh. Look around for our dad. But he beat us to the finish line. By half an hour. No #*it.

Back at my dads house a whole group of runners converge with their medals and stories. Some of us are walking pretty funny. The rest of the evening is filled with laughter, ribs and beer. Lots of beer. Into the night we laugh, bundled in blankets on the patio with the Columbia River stretched out before us. There is singing and eventually the inevitable game of Taboo. The men won. For the first time. Ever.

Home now and back to the grindstone I feel invigorated from the weekend.  I just got an email that we’ve been placed in two more Whole Foods locations making it a total of 214 locations that our products are being sold. The excitement I feel at writing that gives  me butterflies. However, I keep thinking about the next half marathon. I just can’t wait to do it again.

So first take 4 egg yolks and beat them with the 3 teaspoons each of grated lime and orange zest. Whisk in 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup fresh lime juice. Add 1 cup of cooked and cooled (much easier if you’ve got a bag of our grains in your freezer) quinoa and stir. This is the cool part: the lime juice essentially “cooks” the egg yolks, and once you let it sit for 30 minutes (stirring once or twice in there) it sets up all by itself!

At this point you can put it in little cups like pudding and top it with whipped cream. However, if you don’t like the idea of the yolks uncooked, spoon the custard into individual ramekins, or a pie dish. Make sure they are buttered. Bake the custard at 325 for 15-20 minutes until it’s jiggly but not sloshy.

I let mine sit for 10 minutes then unmolded them for a pretty presentation. Homemade whipped cream is a must. Maybe even some orange zest in the whipped cream? Next time I’m definitely going to put some finely diced jalepenos in this custard.  Sweet, spicy, creamy quinoa delightfulness. I’m really pretty excited about this recipe and the directions it could go. Check out the picture. Then make some. Then eat it all. Or share it and be considered a dessert genius.

Business meetings were amazing. Amy’s Kitchen people are fabulous. They’ve been taking their time to help out the little guy, a most humbling experience coming from such a successful company with wonderful beginnings. Presence Marketing people are a joy to be around and so very helpful in steering us in the right direction. Investors who are just plain kind and think our company is viable and investment-worthy. So much progress we’ve made the last year!

Now for the juicy parts of Expo West. First of all, the red stretched hummer limo(!!!) that transported us to the lovely AnQi bistro. I’m not sure Bill Weiland knows what an absolute treat it was to be invited to a night out with over a dozen amazing industry veterans. I did not mind being the greenest of the group, to say the least. Check out this trippy pic from inside the limo. That’s Tracy in the foreground. It’s my only proof. Dawndra, I’m lost without you and your camera.

Now the best part….I caught a pass from none other than…you guessed…DREW BREES!! WHO DAT!! No. I’m not joking. Yes. He was at Expo West. Why? Because he is a spokesperson for SoDelicious! This I did not know until my Bill texted me that Brees had tweeted he was going to be throwing footballs at the SoDelicious booth at 3:35.

When I read those words..Drew Brees..Expo West…I instantly knew I had to have those Super Bowl winning fingers, splayed perfectly, direct a throw to my outstretched arms. I knew the moment, and football, would be mine!

Tony, a very sweet gentleman (and potential investor) I’d met just the night before happened upon me as I realized my new mission in life. He immediately understood the urgency of the situation and manned one corner of the booth while I went around the other side to position myself strategically. We couldn’t tell which way Brees would fire that cannon, and there were people everywhere, just drooling for a ball. Just as he was about to throw, time seemed to hold still as I yelled, “season ticket holder!!”. He pivoted, looked me in the eye, and released. Did I catch it you ask? Please. You don’t mess up that moment. Besides, I’ve essentially ensured a happy marriage forever because Bill certainly isn’t going to find another gal who’s caught a pass from Drew Brees. See that blue speck up top the booth? That’s my new friend, Drew.

Here is the ball. Proof. Proof of the best Expo West anyone has ever had. And proof that when I travel I’m a total slob.

I can’t wait for next year. I intend to top this one. Love ya Trace!

Anyhow, I’ve wanted to create a quinoa enchilada for some time. The problem is the excruciating amount of time it takes to make a homemade sauce. Necessity being the mother of invention, I was forced to crack the code on a super delicious, totally cheater, half-homemade version of a verde sauce to go over my Quinoa Goat Cheese Enchiladas Verde. So totally tasty and simple anyone can make it and everyone will RAVE over it.

Start with a 15 oz can of any verde (green) enchilada sauce from the supermarket. Then add to it a cup of finely chopped cilantro, 3 cloves finely chopped garlic, 1 finely chopped serrano chili and 1 finely chopped tomatillo. Bring to a simmer and it’s done. For real, so insanely good and a beautiful, vibrant green color.

While the sauce heats, mash in a bowl with a fork 2 cups quinoa, 2 chopped roma tomatoes (or 1 large), 6 ounces goat cheese, 4 ounces queso fresca and half cup chopped cilantro. Squirt the whole thing with some lime then salt and pepper a bit. Roll this filling into about 6 medium sized tortillas. See? Super easy.

Now place your rolls in a baking pan and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully place 2 hot enchiladas each on 3 serving plates. Top each with 1/2 cup or so of verde sauce, then sprinkle with a grated cheese blend of your choice (like that Mexican blend you can buy already grated). Avocado is nice here, too. Serve with a side of brown rice and some black beans, both sprinkled with queso fresca and chili flakes and you’ve got gourmet enchiladas really quick-like. Taaa-Daaa!

Will they make you this handsome?

No.

Will they make you this happy?

Maybe. Give them a try and give me some advice on creating a proper cookbook while you are at it.  A nice sangria recipe would be helpful too. Now get to work! Please, oh pretty please, with avocado and habanero sauce on top….

At any rate, nearly two glorious weeks of sun-filled New Orleans replete with Saints games, French Quarter trips, po-boys and daiquiri’s has made me vow never to go a year and a half without vacation again. I am home now and feel unstoppable! I’m picking up serving shifts, creating a full demo schedule for February and March, developing recipes like they’re going out of style. I’ve even got a presentation (to Kroger) this week and I’m not even nervous. (that’s a HUGE lie) Aaaand I’m going to burn out if I don’t chill out. As you can tell.

Now to my point! Geesh. So I look at my email after vacation and I have all this feedback from consumers. Actual Consumers. Of our product. It still totally blows my mind that we have product, on shelves, and people buy it. And eat it. AND love it. How did all this happen? Why am I surprised? I mean, this is how it was all planned. I’m not self-deprecating or self-loathing or being plain negative when I say I’m surprised… I just am. So here’s an excerpt from one email:

Hi there,
I picked up a bag of the wheatberries and made an excellent pilaf last night.  Everyone loved it and the texture of the wheat was most excellent.
I served this with some nice fresh fish with a caper salsa verde and my BF raved and said he wants to eat this every week. A nice change-up from rice.
I thank you for a most wonderful product.  I’ll be purchasing more!

This is the sort of thing that inspires me to keep pitching and selling and demoing and working and developing. Thank you to everyone who has given me a big shot in the arm by reading your enjoyment of our product. It means the world to me. It keeps me going. It makes me feel like this….

May mid-winter vacation grace you all, every year, with daiquiri’s and po-boys!

*All photos, when they are amazing,  done by the beautiful and talented Dawndra Budd*

The most interesting conversation I had was with a man who had recently returned from a 2 year tour of duty. He was intrigued by my description of the health benefits of quinoa. While on tour he ate practically nothing but McDonald’s (!!!) and it had caused him to gain weight and have health problems. He was at the store with his wife and small daughter specifically looking for ways to eat healthier. I explained to him that my husband and I started our company b/c pre-cooked, frozen, organic whole grains making eating healthy food quick and easy. Period.

He was truly excited about having our grains in his freezer. He expressed sincere surprise at  finding such a simple tool to eating healthier. For me, it is nothing less than an honor for this man to want our products. He served for me, now I can serve (the tiniest bit) him. It is supremely satisfying to provide a product that can help them. It gave me a rush of happiness, a natural high!  The conversations at these demos are so unbelievably fun and satisfying. I really didn’t anticipate it. They are innumerable. It’s amazing.

One more shout out to Suzie, from the Corvallis market. Just a random fantastic lady who enjoyed our story as much as our products and inspired me to crank my marketing up a notch. And you never know what might come of stepping out of your comfort zone and taking the recommendations of a stranger. Thanks Suzie Q baby I love you…(cue CCR).

When arriving at the end of my rope, I will sometimes pull out the old Whirley Pop (thank you Dawndra!) and pretend there aren’t three hilariously short humans making very loud noises at my feet.  By the time I fill bowls with salty, buttery popcorn the little rascals are running to assume the usual position for popcorn; the small blue couch in the living room.  I don’t know why they want to sit  there because there is no t.v. or table.  They just do and I don’t care.  Because all I can hear is the nice crunch of whole grain popcorn between their tiny chiclet teeth.  New Yorker for 10 minutes anyone?  Yes please.  Grab me a cup of coffee while you’re at it will ya.

Enter:DEMONSTRATIONS! I did my first demo last week at Central Co-op. Wow. Did that ever open my eyes to the power of talking to people in person. Product flew off the shelves. After 4 hours of giving out samples and preaching the frozen whole grain gospel I was exhilarated and exhausted. Made it home just in time to tell Bill the good news and zip off to work at LaRustica. Another demo yesterday gave the same results, with 3 more scheduled this week. Just when I though we couldn’t possibly fit one more thing into our lives along comes a new part-time job called Product Demonstration. Bring it on. Dawndra and Matt came by to support me, as always, and snapped some awesome pics. Thanks DD!

I’ll be at Marlene’s this Thursday, Central Co-op again on Saturday and West Seattle PCC on Sunday. Y’all come visit me now!

This is sooo easy, and looks fancy, but it’s not. Take 4 egg yolks and beat them with the 3 teaspoons of grated lime zest. Whisk in 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup fresh lime juice. Add 1 cup of cooked quinoa and stir. This is the cool part: the lime juice essentially “cooks” the egg yolks (like egg ceviche??), and once you let it sit for 30 minutes (stirring once or twice in there) it sets up all by itself! 

At this point you can put it in little cups like pudding and top it with whipped cream. However, if you don’t like the idea of the yolks uncooked, spoon the custard into individual ramekins, or a pie dish. Make sure they are buttered. Bake the custard at 325 for 15-20 minutes until it’s jiggly but not sloshy. I let mine sit for 10 minutes then unmolded them for a pretty presentation. Homemade whipped cream is a must. Maybe even some orange zest in the whipped cream? Next time I’m definitely going to put some finely diced jalepenos in this custard.  Sweet, spicy, creamy quinoa delightfulness. I’m really pretty excited about this recipe and the directions it could go. What to drink with a creation like this. Any suggestions?