My Kitchen is a Science Lab!

Over the past few years, I have gotten more and more interested in where ours foods come from, what is in our foods, and what the definition of "healthy" really is.  I still love me some chicken nuggets and Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, dont get me wrong... it just amazes me how much CRAP is in the food we eat.  I've joined a few email groups about healthy eating/living, and one of the things I kept hearing about over and over and over again was Kefir.  I found some at the grocery store one day and thought it would be a great thing for Noah to have in the mornings in leu of yogurt... you see, its drinkable.  Drinkable = sippy cup.  Sippy cup = independence.  Independence = Happy Noah.  So, I tried it out.  And Noah LOVED it.

This is where the picture I thought I had of Noah loving his Kefir goes... I guess I need to get on that?

I remembered our Sunday School teacher's wife, Lisa, mentioning that she used to make her own Kefir years ago.  So, I asked her about it... which led to her giving me some "grains"... which led to this:

Kefir grains about to be dropped into a glass of milk

Yep, that's the start of Kefir.  On my kitchen counter.  All it takes are some kefir grains (which arent grains at all... they look more like cottage cheese curds), milk, and a glass container.  It took about a week for the grains to "get used to" the milk I use, which means it took about a week for it to get to the point where I really liked it.  But now I think it's, well, sorta amazing.  It is creamy, slighlty sour, and has a bit of a zing... almost like it is carbonated.  I sweeten it with a little bit of Stevia and drink a cup every morning.  I have also made kefir cheese, kefir pancakes, and a chocolate kefir smoothie.  All of them: DELISH. 

The health benefits are pretty rockin', too.  It is significantly easier to digest than milk, and even easier to digest than yogurt because of it's smaller grain size.  It's full of benefitial bacteria and probiotics that are great for your digestive system.  It is loaded with B vitamins.  It is a great source of magnesium, phosphorous, and calcium.  It's been linked to helping those with ADHD, sleep disorders, and depression because of its tranquilizing effecct on the nervous system.  Many report that it is cured them of intestinal problems and stomach issues, along with curing reoccuring ulcers.  The list goes on...

Draining the kefir into a bowl after it is finished.  The grains are used to make a new batch.

So yeah, as weird as it sounds, I'm hooked.  Feel free to come over to my science lab kitchen and try a glass!

xoxo,
~The Grant Gang