Kefir, Flaxseed, Health Food, Oh My!

I guess you could say I'm on somewhat of a health kick. It started with an intriguing conversation with my dermatologist, of all people, who is extremely dedicated to an organic diet. She peaked my interest and I jump-started my new diet with a subscription to the weekly produce box from Green Grocer in Chicago. While I don't always find a way to use everything in the produce box, I have made a goal to make at least two dinners with the ingredients. This has led to experiments with rhubarb, asparagus, kale, mushrooms and more. Even if I don't love the meals I make, it's great to be exposed to new fruits and veggies and learn how to incorporate them into my diet.

In the past few weeks, I have also had various conversations with friends and co-workers about healthy eating. Everyone seems to be interested in farmers markets and there are a lot of new health food trends, so it's been great to hear what others are eating!

I won't bore you with all of the new foods and drinks I'm trying...but I'll highlight a few :)

The first new item in my fridge is Kefir, which is a probiotic and basically a yogurt smoothie. I had read good things about it and found it at Trader Joe's, so I thought I'd give it a try. I love yogurt, so it's no surprise that TJ's Strawberry Kefir tasted great. It's somewhat filling and contains lots of vitamins and good bacteria that aid digestion, improve your immune system and curb cravings. I haven't cut yogurt out of my diet, but I do eat less of it now that I'm drinking Kefir. And, Kefir is perfect for smoothies...which leads me to my next new ingredient: flaxseed.

I discovered a recipe for homemade granola bars from the GOOP newsletter and the one ingredient I wasn't familiar with was flaxseed. I bought a bag of it and made some delicious granola, but I forgot to refrigerate the seeds and realized they were probably not so good after a few weeks. I also had a conversation with a friend about flaxseeds in smoothies...so I thought I'd give it another try. Since I was considering including flaxseed in my morning cereal and smoothies, I opted for the ground flaxseed meal, which is a little less crunchy and easier on the stomach. There are tons of nutritional advantages to flaxseed, including Omega-3 which is "good fat," antioxidants and fiber.

Last night,  I made a smoothie with Kefir, a banana, a cup of strawberries and a spoonful of flaxseed meal. It tasted great and was the perfect after dinner snack (OK, I'll admit, I had part of a "cake shake" from Portillo's earlier in the day...so I was forced to skip a real dessert!!).

Hopefully adding these new foods to my diet will lead to a healthier summer, but I guess the true test will come at the end of the summer when I normally get my "summer cold!"

Are you eating anything new? Have any healthy recipes to share? I'd love to hear from you!