Giveaway Results

I used Random.org to generate a random winner for this giveaway.  Congratulations to Michelle Christensen who won the Mini Sprouter.  Stay tuned for more sprouting tips and details.  Thanks for entering everyone.

Giveaway reminder

If you haven't already, enter yourself in the drawing for the Life Sprouts Mini Sprouter 2 Seed Pack by leaving a comment on the last post.  I will do the drawing on Thanksgiving Day--giving a lucky person something else to be thankful for. 

In the meantime, here is a great recipe for a yummy pasta salad.  It's our family favorite.  A good friend, Deanna, made it for us when my twins were in the NICU during their two-month stay.  One funny thing about it, we think the leftovers are better than the fresh salad so you can easily make it the night before or make a big batch to have some for lunch the following day.

Pasta Salad

32 oz spiral whole wheat pasta

1 can olives (sliced)

1-2 chicken breasts--cooked and cubed

1-2 appled (chopped)

1/2 lb grapes (halved)

1 cup Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar salad dressing (you may need to add a little extra if needed)

1 1/2 T Italian seasoning

1 cucumber--diced (optional)

2 cups spinach--sliced (optional)

salt and pepper

Cook pasta.  Chop and combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate.  I did my best to estimate the amounts, but you can add a little more seasoning and dressing--to taste.

Win a Free Sprouting Set

I've taken a few classes on sprouting and learned from many friends--but it took me years to attempt it myself.  I even purchased all necessary products and didn't sprout for over a year.  When you read this post, you will see how simple it is, but you just need to START.

WHY SPROUT?*
Health Benefits: A sprout is the beginning of a new plant with stored nutrient potential bursting from the seed.  These little sprouts take a healthy seed and amplify it's nutrition...
     Protein: increases somewhere between 15% to 30%
     Excellent source of antioxidants
     Chlorophyll and fiber increase
     B vitamins increase to give you more energy
     Vitamins A, E, K, and C increase
     Calcium, phosphorus, and iron increase a little as well
     Enzymes are activated for optimal digestion

Low Calorie: Not only are sprouts low-calorie, but they are high nutrient and tend to support improved metabolism.

It's Cheap: Buying sprouts at the store is expensive and once you've seen fresh sprouts, you see that the sprouts in the store are pretty old and don't last as long.  Sprouting is very cheap, easy, and takes only a few minutes.  Literally.

Great Survival Food: Seeds, beans, and grains can be sprouted all year round.

HOW TO GET STARTED
Step one: 
Buy the seeds.  I love Life Sprouts, but I have also purchased the seeds at the store that aren't specifically marketed for sprouting.  The main difference is that Life Sprouts tests their seeds to make sure they will sprout.  If you buy a regular grain/seed/legume, a few of them in a batch won't sprout.  At first this doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you bite into it--it doesn't feel good, as it is hard.  Life Sprouts also makes blends--my favorite is Pro Vita Mix.  I have only sprouted Pro Vita Mix and alfalfa at this point.  They are favorites at my house.

Step two:
Determine which sprouter you want to use.  There are many sprouters you can use.  I have used a few different kinds and find I also like Life Sprout's Sprout Master the best.

Another kind of sprouter (and there are many variations of this) is this one:

You can also use a mason jar and using some new nylons or mesh, create drainage for the water:

HOW TO SPROUT
Soak the seeds: Each seed is soaked for different amounts of time, but a general rule is 12 hours of soaking.  Pour the seeds in a cup, or a jar sprouter and cover the seeds with water (plus about an extra cup because the seeds will expand).  I like to set mine out at night so I remember 12 hours later to remove them from soaking in the morning.  It isn't bad if they soak a little longer. 

Pour into sprouter: Drain the water and spread them into a thin layer of a tray or pour them into the bottom of the jar. 
     Jar:  Cover jar with mesh/nylon lid and place in a cupboard or dark place upside down on an angle.  I leaned mine against the cupboard.  This allows for drainage.  Water will drip out, so make sure you have something under it.
     Tray: Cover tray so no light can get to the sprouts.  What I love about the Life Sprouts tray sprouter is that it has built-in drainage that doesn't leak and has a cover.  You can leave it on your counter--so you don't forget about it!  Also in the jar-type sprouters, a brown film develops on the bottom and it looks like the seeds are souring--yuck.

Rinse. This is so easy.  You just rinse the seeds with water both morning and at night.  You will notice little tails forming on the sprouts.  Most take just a few days of the rinsing.  Really...it's that easy.

GIVEWAY

Life Sprouts has offered to giveaway a Mini Sprouter 2-Seed Pack to a lucky follower of this blog.  It retails for $15.95.  If you already have a sprouter, you can enter to give it away as a gift this holiday season.

Leave a comment and tell us your favorite way to eat sprouts or if you're new to sprouting, why you want to try it.  Become a follower of this blog for an extra entry. Just click "Follow" on the right-hand side.  (This allows us to do more giveaways in the future!) If you're already a follower, I will count it as an extra entry.  Good luck everyone. 

*Source: Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson M. Haas, M.D.

Giveaway Winner!

Wow.  I am so late posting this.  Our lucky winner of Peter Walsh's book on CD is Inspired Kathy.  Thank you for those who commented.  I have a few other books on CD to giveaway, so keep following the blog.