Occasionally, I find myself in times when the busy pace of life means that I've eaten more meals prepared by strangers than those cooking on my own stove and the carefully chosen produce in my crisper drawers wilts and turns black long before I have a chance to get to it.

Last week was one of those times when, between the stomach flu, a busy week at work and a couple of evenings out with friends, I hardly cooked at all. By the time Friday night rolled around, Scott and I found ourselves sprawled out in the living room, staring blankly at each other, hungry and exhausted. We didn't want to go out and I didn't feel like cooking anything particularly ambitious. I wandered into the kitchen and took stock of my resources.

The recommended daily guidelines for Americans suggest that at least half of all the grains consumed during the day be whole grains, which comes out to be 3 -5 servings daily. Aside from whole grain breads, like those made from whole wheat flour instead of wheat flour, there are quite a few other foods that will let you get those servings in. The ten most popular sources of whole grains are whole wheat (flour), whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat and triticale, and as they are the most popular, they are also the most readily available.

Oatmeal, corn, popcorn and both brown and wild rice are easy enough to add into your weekly diet, and barley can stand in for rice or potatoes at many meals. Rye and buckwheat can be found in many breads, most of which will make superb sandwiches during the week. To add them in at home, you can try buckwheat pancakes or a blueberry buckwheat bundt cake. Triticale is a hybrid of rye and wheat, found mostly at health food stores, and can also be incorporated into many recipes.

A great source for some whole-grain recipes online is Bob's Red Mill website, which covers recipes for all of the top 10 grains.

So, it's the first week of January and you're still feeling a little bloated from all the egg nog, stuffing, and booze you had over the holidays. I hear ya. And you made your New Year's resolution to "really eat better this year!" and "I'm gonna get in shape!" Maybe whole grains can help you.

The Boston Globe has the scoop on how brown rice, bulgur, and quinoa can help you get your waistline back (not to mention giving you a nice base to center a meal around). You can simmer the brown rice for 45 minutes if you have the time, and maybe have a casserole of winter veggies cooking at the same time. The bulger isn't as easy, since you have to toast it a little in oil, then add chicken or vegetable stock. (The authors of the piece serves it with a cauliflower in a curried tomato-onion sauce dish, but I'm not going near cauliflower). 

The quinoa? Doesn't taste like anything unless you toast it like the bulgur, and serve it with something saucy.