A major timesaver if you're trying to eat whole grains

I try to eat predominantly whole grains and vegetables whenever possible. Unfortunately, unless you plan ahead to some extent, this can be difficult.

Brown rice, for example, is the healthiest version of rice you can eat. It doesn't have the outer bran layer removed like white rice, and it hasn't been parboiled or pre-cooked to further destroy its fiber content. However, brown rice (basmati, arborio, etc.) takes about 45 minutes to cook to an edible stage.

Wheatberries, although just as healthy, take around two HOURS to cook to an edible state.

How to begin eating more of these foods without HOURS of preparation each time? Simple.

Cook up a large quantity and freeze in smaller, quart-sized ziplock bags. Then when you want to eat some, simply set it in the refrigerator the night before, and it'll be ready for a quick reheat for lunch or supper.

Cooking the aforementioned grains correctly is important, though. You don't want to be freezing soggy or hard rice, only to find it's ruined come time to eat it.

Cooking rice
This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you're used to cooking instant or parboiled rice you might have trouble getting "real" unadulterated rice to cook up correctly. And you won't need a rice cooker.

It works for all kinds of rice - basmati, jasmine, thai red (my personal fave), wild rice and even the blend of wild, sweet, basmati and red rice that sometimes will give you trouble because of the different cooking requirements of each of the varieties in the mix.

I like to purchase Lundberg rice in bags or organic rice from the bulk bins. If you shop around, jotting down prices of different kinds of rice even if you're not shopping for rice, you can find some pretty good deals on rice in bulk bins.

It's wise to cook up an entire bag (usually about 2 pounds) of rice at a time. You'll have lots for freezing and it takes the same amount of time no matter how much you're cooking up.

Start by measuing out the amount of dry rice you'll be making. Remember that amount. In approximately 1-cup amounts, wash the rice in a fine-meshed wire colander. Be thorough, washing each batch for 1-2 minutes and moving the grains around as you do so. This not only removes debris but will remove some of the starchiness of the rice which sometimes makes rice stick together in a globby fashion. Even if you're making sushi rice, this step is most important. Don't worry, you can't overwash it.

Dump the washed rice into your cooking pot. Now add double the amount of water as you measured out rice. But wait. Just as an extra measure, to avoid soggy rice, I generally subtract about 1/4 cup of the called-for water measurement and add that. So if you measured out and washed 3 cups of dry rice, add 5 3/4 cups of water.

Set it on the stove, and bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn the stove top setting down to the setting just slightly above the very lowest, and tightly cover the rice with a piece of tinfoil or a lid that fits the pan. Set your kitchen timer for 45 minutes. DON'T TOUCH IT FOR ATLEAST 45 MINUTES!

If you are making straight-up wild rice, you'll want to leave it for 55 minutes. If you're cooking the "blend" of rice, I generally leave it for 50 minutes and things don't get too soggy.

Now, remove from the heat, uncover, fluff, and let sit for a few minutes before portioning it into quart-sized ziplock bags for freezing.

Cooking wheatberries
Wheatberries are available in the bulk food (bins) section at most supermarkets these days. They're extremely high in fiber and protein - both of which most of us could use more of. Wheatberries are the original, unadalterated form of wheat - which means the most whole grain nutrition and fiber available. It ranges from 99 cents to $2 a pound.

First, wash the wheatberries in a fine-mesh colander and dump them into a soup kettle. Cover them with water, atleast a couple inches over the top, and bring to a boil. You don't need exact measurements, because you'll end up draining the wheatberries when they're fully cooked.

I usually don't cover the pan. Bring it to a boil. You'll probably need to keep adding more water (to keep them full submerged) until they've boiled for roughly an hour and 30 minutes. At this point, sample the wheatberries. If they're too chewy, continue boiling. It's sort of a matter of taste - some people like them softer, others "chewier." A good guage is they should kind of "pop open" at the seams when cooked through.

Drain them and portion off into quart-sized ziplocks for freezing.

In my next column, I'll give you a few ideas on how to use the rice and wheatberries in quick recipes.