Meet quinoa. It’s a good-for-you “grain” (I’ll tell you why that is in quotes shortly) that looks and behaves similarly to couscous … though the two are not related. It can be used in place of rice or couscous for whatever you might be making.

But what is it? Well, it’s natural — not processed or anything. And lately, it seems that everywhere I turn, I hear about this unfamiliar food. Quinoa, pronounced keen-wa, is a relative of ultra-healthy leafy green veggies and also high in antioxidants, according to World’s Healthiest Foods. In fact, contrary to popular belief, it’s not actually a grain (hence the quotes above).

So, after hearing and reading about it, I got really curious. Is quinoa something that my family might like? Could it be a healthier take on our fav sides of couscous, rice or potatoes?

Quinoa is one of those foods that will take on the flavors of whatever you cook it with, making it pretty versatile as a side dish. The first time I made it (after heading a few towns over to the natural foods store where I could buy just the amount we needed from the bulk bin), I cooked it in chicken stock and seasoned it with garlic and basil. It was very good. Will practically inhaled his and once Paige was finally convinced to try hers, she ate most of it too. As for Shawn, he said that while it’s not his favorite, it’s definitely something he will eat again. I really liked it myself.

I’ve since refined my method, using vegetable stock instead and adding in cheese. It’s got a lovely nuttiness that works so well with the combination of basil, garlic and Parmesan — it reminds me of a good summer pesto.

As for locating quinoa? Not the easiest thing. In fact, my search made me wish I had bought more from the get-go. It certainly wasn’t the easiest thing to find. On my first trip to look for it, I came up empty handed at two stores. Then I headed to that health food store and found it. After that, I gave a closer look at one of my local grocery stores and found one (yes, one) bag of it, on the top shelf, with the couscous and rice. So, lesson learned: you have to really seek this one out … and you should. It’s really very good.

Here’s what you need to know (and what I learned from my food-loving friends on Twitter):

• To make, you use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to quinoa.
• You cook it basically like couscous — boil the liquid, add the quinoa, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Then you season and serve.
• Rinse it before cooking. This is very important.
• People who’ve tried it largely love it.

Have you had quinoa? What flavors do you like to mix it with?

Garlic, Basil and Parmesan Quinoa
serves 4

2 cups vegetable broth/stock
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped (alternatively, use 3 cubes fresh frozen basil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt (sea salt or Kosher)

Bring the broth/stock to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the basil, garlic, cheese and salt until fully combined.

Serve immediately.

I’ve discovered the perfect workout video for me. And I can do the whole thing without thinking about it . . . that’s a great sign.

Anyway, the video arrived and I couldn’t help but think the woman on the cover looked awfully like an Asian Jane Fonda circa 1985. But, who am I to judge? The 80s are back, after all. Leggings, Bermuda shorts, Sweet Valley High books, and all . . .Will grabbed it off the counter yesterday — I hadn’t gotten to it yet. He wanted to watch it – especially after I told him it was a dance video. I obliged. Can’t turndown a chance to combine work and play with the kids.

Well, we did the whole video. No clock checking or water breaks. And Will was so cute – trying to master the dance moves too. As for being a workout, I could definitely feel different muscles being stretched and moved during the dances, which is a good thing. This is something I could easily do everyday – maybe even more than once a day.

My favorite dance (and Will’s too) was the Latin Groove.

We haven’t yet checked out the movement breakdown, but that’s a feature for another day. Seriously, this is a really fun workout.

No, it’s not a trick question. He is a chocolatier who owns Chocopologie in Norwalk, Conn., and also owner of Knipschildt Chocolatier. Fritz hails from Denmark, who was trained in Denmark, France and Spain.

We didn’t know who he was either until we saw him on Throwdown with Bobby Flay — a chocolate episode. He used these techniques to make his chocolates truly beautiful – like painting the inside of the molds and then doing a layering process to build the shell. I was intrigued by his chocolates so Shawn ordered me some for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, they arrived a bit damaged but nonetheless were delicious. And I ate every last one myself.

Meanwhile, Shawn wrote a quick note about the delivery condition and got a reply back from Fritz himself. And Fritz, the sweetheart that he is, was kind enough to send me more (!) chocolates. Two. Boxes. More. Oh, that wonderful man. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, Fritz!)

I think I am in love.

No, really, I couldn’t believe it when more chocolate appeared at my house. That’s such good business practice — it certainly has made me into a Fritz fan, and I will be ordering from his collection again.

The Quail Eggs were the best Easter candy I’ve ever eaten. White chocolate shells with a chocolate ganache center. Melt in your mouth good. The signature chocolates – my favorite and the box that my husband bought me – were delicious. Ever. Last. One. Of. Them.

The bon-bons were beautiful and rather tasty themselves . . . Except for one, the one that is filled with marzipan with fresh squeezed lemon. It just didn’t tickle my fancy. In fact, I barely touched the second one.

But, overall, Fritz’s chocolates are beyond good. On the expensive side, certainly, particularly when you factor in shipping. But this is one of those instances where the cost is without a shadow of a doubt is justified by the taste.

As great as J&R was to get this taken care of so that we didn’t have to wait until last week, a friend was also really great today. In the midst of the calls, I had a crying breakdown (ugh, pregnancy hormones!) and Cate was so awesome to talk me through it and offer some really fantastic suggestions on how to get this whole mess solved. And it was one of her suggestions that did the trick.

Thanks Cate!!!

So, now the kitchen is up and running again. I can’t wait to start posting regular recipes again!!!

But while I was pregnant I began learning more and more about organic produce and why pesticides are bad. I was surprised to learn about how supermarket produce can have so much pesticide on it, and that certain fruits and vegetables absorb pesticides. It’s a little scary, actually, and it’s really impacted how I look at supermarket fruits and vegetables.

If I could, I’d have a completely organic kitchen from meat to fruit to veggies…even milk and eggs. But let’s face it: that is an expensive endeavor and, while it is worth it, I just can’t afford it.

What I can afford is fruit and veggie wash to get the icky stuff — like pesticides — off of my food. I found one that I like at Trader Joe’s a month ago. It’s called Environne (www.vegiwash.com) and is about $4 for the bottle of concentrated fruit and vegetable cleaner.

For easy access, I mix up a lot of the Environee with water in a spray bottle and just keep it next to the sink. Then, when I need to clean pesticides off of our fruits and vegetables, I just spray-spray a bit and rinse the fruits and vegetables off. Easy as pie.

So, if you can’t afford to go completely organic, you don’t have to accept pesticide covered fruit and vegetables. Simply use a fruit and vegetable wash to rinse away the pesticides and keep your family eating well.