Now We’re Cooking With Flax!

In certain areas of my life I like to eat somewhat healthy. I often eat well throughout the week and sometimes splurge (a little too often) over the weekend. Oh well. Despite that, I am often on the hunt for new and different healthy foods. Last year I discovered Flax Seeds/ Flax Meal. I did some extremely basic research and decided to buy a bag and started adding it to all sorts of foods.

I found my flax meal at Whole Foods, but I am sure it is offered at most other health-oriented stores. With the little information I read I found out that although flax seeds can  be used in various recipes, flax meal is the product you reap the most benefits from. Flax seeds eaten whole pass through your body undigested. If all you can find is flax seed it can easily be ground up in a food processor, blender or coffee grinder.

I’m no nutritionist but some basic research explains that flax meal is loaded with fiber, (which is all around great for digestion as long as you are ingesting a fair amount of water) and omega-3 fatty acids.  And here, check out this website since it just about sums up the great points about flax meal because I don’t feel confident in my explanation.

Anywho, since I started taking flax meal on a whim I had to decide what foods to mix it in with on whim. I had read a lot of people sprinkle it on cereal…gross. All I got from that was little particles floating in my milk once the cereal was gone; seemed like a waster. I highly recommend adding flax meal to cream of wheat, oatmeal and yogurt if you are looking to add it into your meals. However, if you are looking to add it into your cooking and baking you are in luck, I have a  couple of good ideas! Here are some examples of foods I like to add flax meal to:

Granola
Couscous
Breading
Any dish with bread crumbs
Macaroni and Cheese
Muffins
Bread
Cookies
Granola Bars
Cupcakes/Cakes
Streusal Toppings

You can also use flax meal as a substitute for eggs! Which comes in handy when you don’t have any on hand or if you’re just a vegan.
***1 egg= tablespoon flax meal whisked with 3 tablespoons water. This can be used for baking recipes like breads, muffins, cakes, etc.

Remember you don’t want to eat TOO MUCH flax meal a day. About a tablespoon a day will suffice. Before you give it a go do a little research and make sure it is the right addition to your diet!

The First Bite

Let’s be honest, I eat in bed a lot. I eat my dinner nearly every night snuggled under my covers, holding my plate up to my face. Classy, I know. Growing up I cannot think of a time I actually ate a meal, let alone a snack in my bed. However, after making the transition from a house with a kitchen table to college with a dorm room and a bed as a primary furniture staple, things changed a little. In a dorm, a bed serves as a table, a desk, a hangout spot and a couch. It became common for me to have a snack or a meal buried in the covers watching t.v. or hanging out with my friends. Even now that I’ve made the transition to an apartment, one that includes a table to eat at, I still cannot help but eat in bed. Perhaps it’s my way of avoiding sitting at a lonely, quiet kitchen table alone. But this simple pleasure brings me some sort of comfort; I can’t describe it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t plan to have my family one day huddled in a queen sized bed passing bowls of mashed potatoes across the sheets, but for now this works for me.

My boyfriend on the other hand does not appreciate my habit. To be clear, it isn’t so much the habit but the effect of the habit that really eerks him; crumbs in bed. Now, I am a normally very tidy and cleanly person and my boyfriend is quite the opposite. But for some reason our thoughts on crumbs in the bed really differ; mine being I could care less and his being totally appalled by a few little crumbs. Maybe it’s my indifference to any negativity having to do with food or perhaps I’m just strange in that way, either way I like it. It’s me.

With that, I will unleash the secret purpose of this blog; finding me, or perhaps finding what makes me, ME! Sounds lame right? Well, hold tight for now. Just about a year ago I exited the University of Connecticut with a Journalism and Sociology degree and said to myself, “What the hell am I going to do with this?” I have been at three jobs since May of 2010 and I have not found my fit just yet. I’m sure this story doesn’t sound to unique, a lot of people don’t know what they want to do. The thing is, I think I know what I want, I just don’t know in what form. I love FOOD. I love to cook. I love to bake. I love watching cooking shows and researching recipes. I like to experiment with ingredients and walk around the grocery store looking for new ones. I like healthy food but I love junk food too. I’m not going to write a blog about cooking for one or healthy meals on a budget because that’s boring and I know Food Network has that covered. I’m just going to write and I hope someone, somewhere listens. I hope this blog is my ticket to figuring out my niche. Fingers crossed.