Over the past few years we have had the pleasure of being a homestay for international students. These students came from a variety of countries and cultures, and brought with them a desire to learn about Canada and our culture while introducing us to their’s. We have learned a lot about welcoming someone’s child into our home, and the ups and downs of being substitute parents to someone who has possibly had a very different life from ours.
One thing we try to do is make foods and meals that are familiar to them, so they feel a connection to home while being in a foreign environment. This has proven difficult at times when dietary needs or preferences differ greatly from our own. One of our students was vegetarian, and we fully embraced her needs and had fun creating new meals that weren’t solely centered around meat. We opened our minds to new protein sources and even now that she has returned home we still have several meatless meals a week.
Another student required a glutenfree diet, which was very daunting to me since pasta is a staple in our home. I discovered pastas that are made from other ingredients, such as Chick Peas instead of wheat flour and boldly used it in place of our normal brand. I was skeptical and worried my hubby and kids would find the texture and taste too different but I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone loved it, and we all agreed to see how many different kinds of pasta we could find and try them all.
One of our favourites is Chickapea pasta, from the creative ingenuity of Shelby Taylor, a mom who set out to create a line of products that was truly healthy and easy for busy families. Her idea was born out of her frustration in finding better food choices for her own son, but quickly grew after she talked to other families who expressed the same challenges.
Chickapea pasta offers a great alternative to traditional pasta, being organic, gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO. It is also has no added sugar and is made in a nut-free facility making it a safe choice for families dealing with nut allergies.
Chickapea is chock full of essential nutrients including complex carbs, thiamine, folate, niacin, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, zinc and antioxidants! Phew! That pretty much covers it all I think . It packs a whopping 23 grams of protein per serving, meaning Chickapea has as much protein as a 3oz serving of salmon or chicken! Plus, it has 40% of your daily iron intake making this a dinner choice you can feel very confident about. Not to mention a single serving of Chickapea boasts 11 grams of fibre – that’s nearly half of your daily recommended value, so you’ve ticked all those important boxes and you’ve had PASTA!
And it is the perfect pasta to add to our homemade cheese sauce recipe. Giving this simple topping the oomph it needs to add nutritional value to our dinnertime.
I could sing the praises about Chickapea all day long, it’s THAT good! If you want to simplify meals in your home, and deliver all those important nutrients in one easy dish then I highly recommend trying Chickpea Pasta. You won’t believe how good it is, and for us it gave me peace of mind knowing I was providing all the necessary elements to a new member of our family while keeping everyone happy.
Want to try some yourself? Check out where you ca buy Chickapea pasta here!