Sneaky Fiber (or Adding More Fiber to Your Family's Diet on the Downlow)

My sweet hubby & DD have delicate *ahem* systems. I hate that. I have a stomach of steel (and not of the "six pack" kind unfortunately). I can eat and eat and eat some more (and usually do /-: ). I keep urging them (mostly my DD-she's a teen. Hubby is, well...a grown man...I try not to "mama" him too much) to have more fiber, eat more fruit, veggies & HEALTHY stuff. Not give up the goodies altogether, just find a bit more balance (that girl has been known to subsist on Cocoa Puffs for a few days running -*no hate mail please-I normally refuse to by sugary cereals but one day, she got me. And on another day, she fluttered her eyelashes at her daddy when they were at the grocery store together.). Anyway, since that doesn't seem to be happening, I decided to take on a super secret covert mission: sneaking fiber into food.

I know, it's not a new concept to most Mama's. Sneaking good stuff into recipes. But with the fiber situation, I've found a super easy way to do it (besides making fiber rich recipes): Metamucil Clear & Natural. I've been trying to make more of our sweet treats rather than buying the convenient premade kind and soooo I just add teaspoonful or so to my cookie doughs, quick breads and cakes. I also add it to main dishes like soups & casseroles and bread doughs and...oh, just about anything that the powdery stuff can be added to & get lost in the mix.

Don't worry, I'm not overdosing my family on fiber~heaven forbid~that could backfire on me (no pun intended). Just giving them a little boost in the right direction. Although, from my research, there is no official rda of fiber but "official guidelines" advise 20-25 grams per day for men and women. And yes, I know it's best to get your fiber from natural sources like beans, fruit & veggies which we all have access to around here on a regular basis.

The benefits of getting enough fiber in your daily diet are many, a few of which are:
*helping in weight loss endeavors
*helping to keep us feeling full
*lowering blood cholesterol levels
*preventing constipation (be sure to drink plenty of water!)
What's not to like?

Do you have any special ways or recipes you use to boost your and your family's daily fiber intake?