Jelly Jars + Rice Cake with Apricot & Flax & Banana Recipe

I love Bonne Maman preserves ... not just because they're delicious but because I love the beautiful jelly jars that they come in, where "Bonne Maman" is embossed on the glass. They are wide-mouthed, sturdy, and easy to clean ...

... and perfect to use as drinking jars or storage jars long after the preserves are gone. My favorite of their assortment is the Apricot Preserves. Mmmm ... so good.


One of the jars is where I store my flax seeds. Do you know about them? These seeds are teeny tiny but packed with so many nutrients including Omega-3s, all the B vitamins and fiber.

But to gain the benefits of the nutrients, you need to grind them up. Here's what they look like after about 10 seconds in a coffee grinder. About 3 Tablespoons is what I try to incorporate into my diet every day to get all the nutrients. Flax comes in this goden color and also a darker color. I get mine from Mother's Market, in their bulk food aisle.

A few things to remember if you're gonna add flax into your diet:

• Don't grind too much at a time. It'll go bad. Just grind a bit at a time. If you grind more than you can use in one meal, seal it in a container and put it in your refridgerator. A week's worth is good.
• The non-ground seeds don't need to be refridgerated but I do like to keep it in a cool, dry place.
• Don't over-do it. It's got lots of fiber. About 3Tablespoons a day is good. Drink extra water to help it digest.
• It'll fill you up. In my experience, the feeling of full gets even more so when ground flax is added so keep that in mind. You may not need as much food to feel full when you use flax in your diet. (That's a good thing!)

It doesn't have a taste, really. It's sort of a non-event. I just love it because it's a natural way to enhance the nutritional value in what I eat ... in smoothies, yogurt, soups ...
... and my favorite thing these days ...

I spread a bit of cashew butter (you could use peanut butter or almond butter but I highly recommend cashew butter) onto a brown rice rice cake, followed by a spoonful of Apricot prserves, and then sprinkled with ground flax seeds ...

then topped with sliced bananas.

Coupled with a glass of skim milk in a cute little jelly jar and you have the perfect breakfast or lunch or post-workout snack.

Happy Bento. :)

Comments

[Gail Ellspermann]

Do you have any of the tiny ones? I get them from room service sometimes. They are a good example of the effectiveness of simple, clean design.

[Ellen]

Yum! I just bought one of these for the jar, lol
It is a Cinnamon Apple blend~

Oooh, this looks really good!