[newleaf123]

I think the title says it all. What do I do with my flax seed?

I've seen the suggestion of adding it to my oatmeal. What else can I do with this?

And what do you consider to be the benefits of adding this to your diet?

[stillclock]

very gently toast a handful and put them on your salad!

isolde

[nelie]

You can use it as an egg replacer (with water) in recipes. You can sprinkle it on your salad, oatmeal or whatever.

The benefits are really the type of fat (and the bit of fiber) that they have.

[stillclock]

add them to muffins!

whirrrrrrr them up in a smoothy!

mix them into trail mix!

if you bake bread, coat the top of the loaf with them!

isolde, likes flax seeds

[MBN]

I also mix it into my nonfat yogurt. Gives it a bit of nutty taste and texture. The benefit to me is a bit of healthy fat and protein without being high carb.

[newleaf123]

Thanks for all the ideas -- I can incorporate those. We already frequently throw sunflower seeds on our salads, this can be a good alternative. All the other ideas are great, too.

Do you also grind yours? I read that ground gets digested while whole pass through. I figure I can throw a quarter cup into my mini-Cuisinart to chop them up, and then use them that way, too. Any downside to that, like will the oil separate from the seed and make it into a paste, rather than just ground up?

[skinnywish]

nope, it grinds very nicely! can add it to all your baking when it's ground up as well!

[Ija]

They really need to be ground, otherwise they'll pass right through you fully intact... I really like using flax meal to make breads and muffins, and like everyone else I sprinkle a spoonful onto my cereal and yogurt. I also like to make my own peanut butter and flax granola bars! Natural PB, flax meal, vanilla, maple syrup, oats and a little Kashi GoLean Crunch

[Thighs Be Gone]

I put into homemade waffles, pancakes, muffins, oatmeal, p butter, everything. It is a good source of Omega 3's. Yes, you have to grind them or they aren't digested by your body--or should I say utilized.

[newleaf123]

For people who grind them themselves, how do you do that? I found that my mini-Cuisinart did not do a very good job. The seeds seemed too light so they just whirred around up high instead of getting chopped much. Since I didn't want to make too many dishes to clean up, I didn't pull out my regular-sized Cuisinart or my blender, but I do have both of those tools at my disposal.

Instead I finished the job by breaking out my mortar and pestle, which I can't even remember the last time I ever used it! It did a reasonable job, where I have a fair amount of stuff outside the seed shell, and also some small bits of shell, too. I figure that's a good compromise between digestibility and fiber.

I have a burr grinder but use it for my coffee, so unless I want coffee-flavored flax seed, I think that's out...

Any grinding hints out there you care to share?

[SnowboundChick]

I bought a coffee grinder just for this purpose, we don't drink coffee but it works for the seeds.

I put it in everything I bake either ground or whole, spinkle it on oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, meatloaf. It's pretty versatile.

[nelie]

I bought a coffee grinder to grind my spices and it works for flax seeds too. (I don't drink coffee)

[Ruthxxx]

It does not keep well - can get rancid - so keep it in the fridge or freezer if you have a lot.

[Nell68]

Originally Posted by Ruthxxx

It does not keep well - can get rancid - so keep it in the fridge or freezer if you have a lot.

thanks for advice ... :-)