10 Ways to Add Flaxseed to your Holiday Meal

November 22, 2022

Ready or not, the holidays are here! Whether it’s your turn to host all of the extended family or if you’ve decided to forgo a traditional holiday meal for a simpler option, there’s a good chance food will be an important part of your planning this season.

holiday gingerbread man cut out leaning against other gingerbread men

If you’re like us, you can’t wait to indulge in your holiday favorites! But if you can also slip in some extra nutrition without affecting the flavor, why not?! You better believe our tables are subtly filled with flaxseed, because it’s just that versatile! If you too enjoy your familiar flavors with an extra boost of fiber, omega 3s, protein, and vitamins, then you’re in the right place!

It seems that so many commercials and posts focus on lowering stress for the holidays. There is a lot demanding your attention! From recitals, school parties, and championship games, to corporate gatherings, Secret Santa exchanges and Friendsgiving meals — there’s always something on the calendar.

Half filled loaded baked potatoes on a cutting board

Luckily for you, each of our recipes are crafted by an equally overwhelmed-and-trying-their-best human who doesn’t have time for fancy ingredients, lots of hands-on time in the kitchen, and show-stopping presentations. We make our recipes so they can be easily adapted to suit what you have on hand and to fit your ideal flavor profile.

With this in mind, we wrangled up some of our favorite recipes of the season that can help get you through any holiday meal — whether spontaneous or meticulously planned. Grab a notepad to keep track of your favorites as we present 10 ways to add flaxseed to your holiday table!

Milled Flaxseed on a spoon sprinkling over a white bowl with Cereal

1. Boost Your Breakfast

Whether you opt for a midday meal or wait to chow down when the sun goes down, breakfast is still equally as important as any other day! You don’t need to compensate by skipping breakfast. Do yourself and your body a favor by starting your holiday with flavorful and filling oats, waffles, or cereal. You need fuel to spend time with family, chase kiddos around, or lift that hefty turkey up and out of the oven!

Recipes to try:

homemade flaxseed crackers pictured with rosemary on platter

2. Add to Appetizers

Speaking of breakfast — if you have a long day ahead of you, you need to keep your energy up! Or maybe you have a crowd of hungry relatives you’d like to keep out of your way in the kitchen. Either way, we have recipes we love to keep in our back pocket for such a time as this.

You can whip up some roasted garlic hummus or candied nuts for your guests to snack on throughout the day while the big meal bakes away.

Recipes to try:

a beautiful creamy green salad dressing pictured in a small white bowl with a spoon, with green herbs, lemon, garlic cloves, and Manitoba Smooth Whole MIlled flaxseed pictured around the bowl

3. Drizzle Into Salad Dressing

Some families commit to casseroles all the way, but sometimes we appreciate even just a small sampling of a fresh salad to break up all of that creaminess! You can quickly throw together our Holiday Salad for a taste of the season, or mix up a classic like Ranch for pre-feast veggie dipping.

Recipes to try:

dinner rolls cut open with butter on a white square plate with a knife

4. Bread For Everyone

What a cherry is to a sundae is what a roll is to a holiday meal full of goodness. Just when you think there’s no more room on your plate, there’s always a place to plop a roll on top and call your plate ready. Whether you prefer cornbread, biscuits, or classic rolls — we have easy recipes to serve as your entree’s perfect compliment.

Recipes to try:

holiday side dish small square white bowl with scoop of red cranberry sauce

5. Stir into Sauces

Our flaxseed is whole milled to powdery perfection, so it disappears seamlessly into a variety of sauces, dips, and spreads.

Flaxseed serves as a wonderful thickener, so it’s the perfect addition to a sauce that may have gotten a little thinner than you would like. Add it to gravy, cranberry sauce, or ketchup for the kiddos!

Recipes to try:

6. Serve Up with Sides

While turkey may be the most iconic holiday food, we know that a lot of us are really most excited about the sides. Whether it’s cheesy potatoes or crunchy asparagus, count us in on any side that is anything fresh, creamy, or crunchy.

Remember how we said that our flaxseed is fine — we really mean it. You could easily add a couple of Tablespoons of flaxseed to your creamy casserole and have it blend right in!

Recipes to try:

rectangular cookie dunked into chocolate sauce in a clear bowl

7. Dollop In DessertS

Chances are, you might be stuffed from the main course, but use this natural pause to talk through what you are thankful for along with some of your favorite memories of the year. By the time you make it around the table, you will be ready for dessert.

You can go more classic with an Apple Crumble or embrace the flavors of the season with Peppermint Sugar Cookies. If you’re looking to impress, whip up a batch of homemade chocolate sauce and serve it with dippers like cookies or fresh fruit!

Recipes to try:

granola on a sheet pan with a spoon

8. Satisfy with Snacks

Even if you had breakfast and a filling holiday meal, it’s natural to feel hungry a couple hours later. If you’re not ready for another meal, turn to our trusty snacks to keep the hanger at bay until dinner time!

Recipes to try:

two slices of cran orange bread on a wooden tray with the rest of the loaf on a cooling rack behind

9. Quick Prep With Bread

What’s a wonderful way to capture the flavors of the season? Quick bread, of course! These loaves or muffins come together in a snap and are sure to satisfy even the most ravenous of snackers. You can make these recipes your own by adding extra spices, mix ins, or a sweet glaze!

Recipes to try:

Sandwich sliced in half to reveal bacon, lettuce, and tomato on inside

10. Level Up Leftovers

There are those of us that live for the big meal and those of us that can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers! If you enjoy eating the same meal over and over for the next week — be our guest! We like keeping some flaxseed pesto mayo on hand to liven up leftover turkey sandwiches. Or, we use leftover sweet potatoes to make Sweet Potato Pancakes. We also love to dip leftover turkey in homemade honey mustard.Yum!

Recipes to try:

Which recipe are you looking to add to your holiday meal? Tag us @manitobamilling so we can see your beautiful tables!