I visited www.Kabongo.com with high hopes for a new literacy website.

I created an account and it was easy enough. I tried the Avatar Maker and

created a colorful fun character. Then I tried the Comic Book Maker and

I went to that page but could not figure out how to make a comic book.

Then I went back to the Tree House which is a substitute for HOME.

The MAP takes you to the area where you play.

The Tree House is the Main Page where you use the prizes you win.

One thing I like is, even if the player does not complete the game or get all the right answers,

they still get to select a sticker or a prize. Another thing I appreciate is the setup of the pages

forces any child to listen carefully.

The game surely needs parental assistance to get started.

Watching the tour video will help the newbie to this site understand how the site works.

I am a kinesthetic learner so I just jump in, then read the instructions. So to save yourself some time, watch the video first.

From what I saw a child ages 4-7 could be challenged. I believe that even older kids could find this site fun,challenging and rewarding.

The Quinoa Quiz – A Super Food That Answers Your Nutrition Questions

What is quinoa? If you haven’t heard about quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), you’re not alone. Many people have yet to learn the encouraging details on this super food. Although not a pantry staple in most kitchens yet, quinoa soon will be. This seed (no, it’s not a grain) has a rice-like appearance with a fun crunchy texture and slightly nutty flavor. If you know spinach, Swiss chard, and beets, you know some of quinoa’s relatives. Once called the Gold of the Incas, quinoa is well on its way to becoming revered all over the world. Let’s see why.

Winner of 9 Essential Amino Acids

With just a quick run down of the nutrients in quinoa, it’s not hard to see why this food is considered one of the best super foods in the world. Quinoa is a good source of protein, but not just any protein. The protein quinoa supplies the body is complete protein, supplying all nine essential amino acids. This fact alone makes quinoa the perfect super food choice for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone concerned about getting a healthy dose of protein in their diet. Quinoa is especially rich in lysine, the amino acid that is essential for healthy tissue growth as well as repair.

What Can Quinoa Do For Me?

We can start with a few basics you will recognize right away. Besides being a complete protein, quinoa is loaded with dietary fiber, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. Magnesium is abundant in quinoa. Known to be beneficial for relaxing blood vessels, magnesium, along with riboflavin, appears to benefit those who suffer from headaches, even migraines. Manganese joins with copper to form an enzyme which guards against cell damage caused by free radicals.

The health benefits gained from including quinoa in your diet include helping reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cataracts, and gallstones. For pregnant women, quinoa is a great way to increase iron intake naturally, which is important for baby’s healthy development.

Because quinoa is lower in carbohydrates than other grains, many people substitute quinoa for grains because it is a very filling food that releases its energy slowly throughout the body, to satisfy your appetite longer. This is a great way to stay on a weight loss program without starving.

If you are eating a gluten-free diet, this is a wonderful new food to discover. Because quinoa is gluten-free, and has many of the same characteristics of grains and rice, there are numerous ways to use quinoa in your recipes.

What Do I Do With This Stuff?

Raw quinoa is most often bought pre-rinsed, but if it isn’t, rinse it in a colander lined with cheesecloth. Then follow the directions on the box. Quinoa is cooked similar to rice; usually a 2 to 1, water to quinoa ratio. Cooked quinoa has a nice light texture and a mild, slightly crunchy and nutty flavor.

Once cooked, you can use quinoa in many pilaf dishes, adding vegetables, stocks, and seasonings to taste. Just try substituting quinoa into any of your recipes that call for rice and see how you like it. Quinoa also makes a nice fluffy side dish all by itself. Add herbs and seasonings if you like and spoon alongside chicken, fish, or meat for a tasty side dish with great crunchy texture.

Another favorite way to serve quinoa is cold in salads. Add sweet corn kernels, spring onions, kidney beans, green bell pepper, and celery into a bowl of cooked and cooled quinoa, toss, and you have a light salad that’s full of flavor. Mix in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing for even more pizzazz.

Quinoa can be served at any meal, and is available in several forms, even flour. For breakfast, you can serve quinoa with berries, nuts, and milk as a cereal. The flour can be used for baking along with whole grain wheat or as a substitute. Fitting quinoa into your healthy diet is not at all difficult with all these choices.

When I first started eating quinoa, I used it solely for breakfast as a hot cereal. Now I use it to make a kind of pilaf dish. Below you will find a simple recipe that I hope you will try, then come back here and comment about your experience.

Once you include quinoa in your diet, you’ll be looking for all sorts of ways to serve it. It won’t be hard to find! This is a very versatile super food that deserves a spot in your pantry.

Recipe:

Classic Quinoa Pilaf

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

1/4 tsp oregano

6 cups cooked quinoa

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped almonds, dry roasted

Put olive oil in large skillet over medium heat; add onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, and red pepper, and cook, stirring until vegetables start to soften, but are still somewhat crisp.

Stir in garlic and oregano and heat for 1 minute.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in the quinoa, mixing well.

salt and pepper to taste.

Toss in roasted almonds and serve hot either as a side dish or light main dish.

Note: To roast almonds, put in dry skillet over medium heat and toss until lightly browned.