Heavy Hitters

I've been posting a lot about food lately. It's on my mind at least three times a day. Almost as often as changing diapers. (Actually probably moreso since I like it a whole lot better.) I've also been trying to work off a meal plan and cook more from scratch. While changing a baby diaper takes about a minute, cooking takes up a few hours, therefore ingraining into my mind and apparently spilling over to the blog.

As you can see from my popcorn and tuna casserole posts, we've integrated Nutritional Yeast into some of our food. It's been a complete hit and super easy to incorporate. It's easier than pureeing veggies to stick into other stuff so the kids won't know they're eating them. My kids actually like it and ask for it. Magic.

Next in line is Flax and Wheat Germ. Two seriously heavy hitters in the nutrition department. They're also fairly cheap, too. I picked up the Flax for just under $2 a pound at Whole Foods. During the same trip got Raw Wheat Germ for just over $2 for a fair sized bag. It was actually cheaper than the toasted. I opted for Raw for a few reasons;
1. because it was cheaper
2. because it has less flavor and therefore can be added to more things unnoticed
3. the raw version retains more nutrients than it's cooked brother.
4. because it was cheaper

I'm keeping the flax whole until it's needed but I've already used it in a pie crust recipe. I've added the Germ to pumpkin muffins, apple pie, yogurt and cereal. I'm not a nutritionist though so I can't say how many x per x we're getting in each serving. I'm keeping them in glass jars with an O2 absorber in the fridge to extend life.

The kids don't mind it. I think part of that is not making a big deal over it. I bet if I had gone to them and told them what was in or on their food they'd revolt. That's what kids do with stuff that's good for them. Actually, adults do that too...

Anyway, this is basically how the conversation goes:

Various kid "Mom what's all this brown stuff on my yogurt?
Me "Wheat Germ. Eat it."
VK "Wheat Germ??!"
Me "Not like real germs. It's special sprinkles. Eat it."
VK "I don't think I like that."
Me "Did you try it? I didn't think so. Eat it."
VK "Hey, this is really good!"

There you go. I omitted terms like "healthy" "good for you" "make you strong" etc. However you choose to word it, I think adding these two guys to your diet is a simple, inexpensive good nutritional move.