Sneaking Kefir In

Kefir Eaters!

I have professional eaters at my house. I seriously wonder at the sheer volume of calories they consume in a day's time. And I am thankful that they are pretty open, right now, to healthy foods. I'm making the most of my opportunity and just wanted to provide a list of sneaky ways to include kefir into a weekly menu routine. My adventurous husband is super supportive of my, well, creative food prep, but he does not like the taste of straight kefir like the boys and I do. Andrea can't handle it either, so here is what we do....


1. Kefir smoothies - easy enough, add bananas, tons of greens, strawberries, kefir, coconut milk, flax oil and tons of other yummy stuff, blend until smooth and drink.

2. Salad dressings - this one is my husband's favorite - kefir, horseradish, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, fresh squeezed lemon, and Parmesan cheese, stir and serve. No measurements, just to taste.

3. Soaked grains - a tablespoon of kefir to a large sauce pan of grains, steel cut oats, amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, anything that would be for breakfast cereal.

4. Soaked flour - a tablespoon of kefir for tortillas and pizza dough

5. Pancakes, waffles, rice cakes,- any recipe that calls for buttermilk or even regular milk I try to use kefir

6. kefir cottage cheese - if left a little longer, the kefir will turn to cheese, strain and serve with fresh fruit (a touch of honey for sensitive tongues)

7. homemade yogurt - I use kefir, strawberries, pine nuts, squeezed lemons to make a blender yogurt - my sensitive taste buds in the house love it!

I credit a lot of my running stamina to the addition of healthy foods, and kefir is a big addition, to our diet. We are able to fight colds better. I even went on a long 10 miler on Sunday after having a yucky cold. I felt great, when a year ago I could not have even attempted that. It was a big stretch for me to culture kefir as I am not good at keeping anything going long term (house plants die quick) but this was so easy even I could manage it. Any one need kefir grains? I'm happy to help you get started!