Berry Boost Smoothie

Don't you just love a good smoothie? Thick & creamy with the bright flavor of berries? Yum!

Sometimes I get carried away with smoothies & add all kinds of stuff, but these are pretty plain & simple. The berries & banana add plenty of sweetness, so there's no need for added sugar. The chia seeds add healthy omega-3 fats, plus protein. They also make it super thick. I think it's much better with them added, but if you don't have any on hand, you can substitute ground flax seeds, or omit.

I love the super subtle coconut flavor the coconut milk adds, but any milk will work. Usually I would use almond milk, but I made a batch of coconut milk this weekend (recipe here, it's super simple!) & wanted to try it out.

Adding a handful of greens is just a nutritional bonus. You can't taste them, but you get all of the nutrient goodness. Too easy! 

As far as smoothies go, these are on the lighter side - no protein powders or nut butters - so they could be a light breakfast or a nice afternoon snack. Either way, they're delicious!

Enjoy!

Berry Boost Smoothie

Serves 2

1 bag of frozen mixed berries (12 oz.)

1 frozen banana

2 T chia seeds

2-3 c refrigerated coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1 handful of kale (or spinach)

Combine all ingredients, starting with 2 cups of milk, in a high speed blender and blend. Add more milk if needed, blending until smooth.

If you don't own a high speed blender, see my tips on blending the greens first here.



Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day!

Don't let the blah colors of the picture fool you. I'm not very good at taking pictures of crisp... It just looks kinda mushy & brown. But trust me - it was delicious!!

If you read my garden post, you might remember that I'm growing rhubarb & strawberries. Both have taken off & are ready to be eaten in abundance! I'm especially excited about the strawberries. Last year, I didn't do much with them because we were so busy eating them by themselves. I have a few recipes that I'd like to try this year, but I'm starting with the usuals - crisp & shortcake.

It was SO hot over the weekend, so I tried to keep this light. The flavor of rhubarb is so often overpowered by sugar, but I wanted to showcase it's tart flavor here. The strawberries add sweetness, but not a lot.

We topped ours with a version of banana soft serve. I make this a lot, but this time I tried freezing a big batch of it & we were able to scoop it out like hard ice cream. The sweetness & cold from the bananas complimented the crisp really well. I'm sure a vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt would be good as well.

Summer is officially here. Woohoo! 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Serves 6

For filling:
6-7 stalks of rhubarb, chopped
1 qt. strawberries, quartered
2 T honey
1/4 c white whole wheat flour

For topping:
1 c old-fashioned oats
3 T honey
2 T coconut oil, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 8"x10" baking pan (or similar size) with cooking spray. Combine filling ingredients and add to baking pan. In a small bowl, use a fork to blend the topping ingredients until combined. Topping should be sticky. Spread evenly over filling. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top. Enjoy warm!

Blueberry Oat Super Smoothie

For our 3 year anniversary, my parents gave us a VitaMix. Since then, we started the tradition of having a green smoothie every Sunday morning before church. I usually stick to the same general mix, but when I come across a tasty looking smoothie recipe online, I can't resist trying it out.

I don't often have all of the right ingredients, so I can't say that I've ever recreated any recipe exactly, but many have come close. This particular smoothie inspiration came from the Whole Foods recipe site. I added spinach for extra nutrients & changed up a few other ingredients for things we had on hand.

It's very dark because of the blueberries & spinach together, but don't let that fool you. It's delicious!

This one drink is loaded with antioxidants from the blueberries, omega-3 fatty acids from the flax, and vitamins & minerals from the other ingredients. It's a super smoothie, guaranteed to fuel you through a busy morning. Drink & enjoy!

Blueberry Oat Super Smoothie

Adapted from Whole Foods

Serves 2

1/2 c orange juice

1 c coconut milk (refrigerated, not canned)
2/3 c frozen blueberries
1/2 c old-fashioned oats
1 T flax seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small frozen banana

1 large handful spinach

If using a high speed blender:

Add all ingredients to the blender, process, and enjoy!

If using a regular blender: 

Add spinach, flax seeds, milk, and orange juice to blender. Process until mixture looks smooth, and then process for another 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour and enjoy!

Note: Smoothie will keep in an airtight container overnight in the refrigerator but may have a thinner consistency than when fresh.



Blueberry Lime Margaritas

Let's throw some antioxidants into some tequila and call it a day, shall we?

My work here is done then. Enjoy.

Oh, you wanted further instruction? Fine then...

Get a lot of blueberries, a couple limes, some tequila, a handful of ice, and some agave nectar. Mix. Drink.

My goal for this drink was to use simple, fresh ingredients and to make it as easy as possible to recreate. I thought about using my juicer so there wouldn't be any seeds/skins, but that's a lot of clean-up for a drink I think I'm going to make many more of. Plus not everyone has a juicer & the seeds/skins are full of nutrients.

When I started making it, my original post-it note ideas needed to be tweaked. I wanted it to be frozen, so I cut back on the lime juice. It tasted a little too much like a smoothie, so I added another ounce of tequila so no one would mistake it for breakfast. Although if you skip the tequila or sub lime juice for it, it would make a great smoothie!

I also considered using honey, but then realized that agave nectar would rock in this. It's made from the same plant as tequila, so they're a match made in nature! If you don't have any on hand, though, feel free to substitute honey or maple syrup. Either would work just fine.

Take a few pictures. And a few sips.

Refill your glass. Have some dinner.

And then do yoga.  I'm 3 days in and haven't skipped a beat. 1/7 of the way done! I have a feeling I'll keep going. Love the stretching!

Blueberry Lime Margaritas

Makes 2 large or 4 small drinks

1 cup fresh organic blueberries*

juice of 1 large or 2 small limes

zest of 1 lime

8-10 ice cubes

4 oz. tequila

2 T agave nectar (or more to taste)

sea salt

Puree blueberries in blender or food processor. Add lime juice, 1 tsp. lime zest, ice cubes, tequila and agave nectar. Blend until no ice chunks remain. Put pitcher in freezer for about 15 minutes or until it starts to get slushy. While it is chilling, rim glasses with sea salt mixed with the remaining lime zest. Remove pitcher from freezer and give it another whirl to remix. Pour into margartia glasses and garnish with blueberries and a slice of lime. Enjoy!

*You could probably substitute frozen blueberries here, but it's blueberry season!

Note: Omit the tequila for a great smoothie!

Blueberry Lime Margaritas

Blueberry & Applesauce Cookies

Remember when I told you I had a lot of blueberries? And that I made these? I couldn't stop myself from making them again and sharing my variations. 

I healthified them and veganized them and don't worry, they're still delicious. Moist and cake-like with bursts of juicy berry. Anytime snacks...all the time snacks. Picnic food. Breakfast food. Perfection.

 

Before you rush off to your kitchen to make these, I have a plea. I know you're out there! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. Tell me what you like, don't like, want me to change, want me to talk about, questions you might have, thoughts on completely unrelated topics, anything! It would be fun to hear your contributions.

Blueberry & Applesauce Cookies

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

4 T coconut oil, melted

1/3 c applesauce

3/4 c light brown sugar

1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water)

1 tsp vanilla

1 c white whole wheat flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 T cinnamon

splash of almond milk, as needed

1 c fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375. Mix flax egg and set aside to gel. Using an electric mixer, beat coconut oil, applesauce and sugar until smooth. Add flax egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined. Slowly add flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until well blended. If dough seems dry, add in a splash of milk (I used it the first time I made these but didn't need any the second time).  Gently fold in blueberries with a spatula. Spoon on cookie tray into 1" cookies. Dough will only spread slightly while baking. Bake for 12 minutes or until set. Remove from tray and cool on cooling rack. Cookies will be moist, so store in a loosely covered container (not completely airtight).

Blueberry & Applesauce Cookies

Berry Picking

There's nothing better than eating a freshly picked juicy berry, still warm from the sun.

Nothing.

It bursts in your mouth when you bite down and has the perfect amount of sweetness and warmth.

It doesn't matter if they're blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or huckleberries, I love every one.

Except I love blueberries the most.

Fresh berries are one of the top reasons why I love nature. I can't imagine a world where I can only get berries from the grocery store. They just aren't as good! The blueberries always have a tough skin and they aren't properly juicy. I know I'm spoiled because of the countless berry bushes at our family cabin, but truly. If you're buying berries, buy them from a farmer, or go to a u-pick. You'll never turn back.

Plus, when I pick my own, I feel less stingy with my blueberries (they were free, after all!) and therefore I can sacrifice some to make delicious goodies.

Like these Brown Sugar Blueberry Cookies. And Betty Crocker's Blueberry Buckle with a few changes, like using coconut oil. Yum.

If I can stop eating them by the handful, I might have some left for Blue-barb Crisp.

Brownie Flag Pizza

In honor of our country and in celebration of my first holiday that I didn't have to beg to be off work, I made a brownie flag pizza.

Happy 4th of July!

Plenty of cocoa powder, both regular and jet black.

What's not to love? 

Sweetened with sucanat. 

I'm trying to convince myself that using a natural sweetener makes up for the gobs of marshmallow fluff in the topping. Everything in life needs balance, right? :-)

A blank brownie slate. It was just begging for something more.

Mmmmmm...I think marshmallows are one of my guilty pleasures. I made a standard fruit dip with a jar of fluff and cream cheese. It was all over the place. Fluff is a fickle topping in that it goes everywhere and sticks to everything.

Not much else creates a perfect white background like fluff. 

Add berries for more balance and plenty of beauty. Patriotism in the form of sugar.

Brownie Flag Pizza

Inspired by How Sweet It Is 
Yield: 20-24 brownies

1/3 c melted butter

2/3 c applesauce

2 c sucanat

2 tsp vanilla

2 flax eggs (2 T ground flax + 4 T water) 

2 eggs (or 4 eggs if not using flax eggs)

1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

2/3 c cocoa powder

4 T jet black cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Fluff Fruit Dip (see below)

4-6 large organic strawberries, sliced

12-15 blueberries, depending on size

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix flax eggs and set aside to gel for 5 minutes. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Blend butter, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Add flax eggs & regular eggs. Beat well with a spoon. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to wet mixture until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake for 30 min. or until a toothpick inserted in pan comes out clean. Remove from pan by carefully picking up the edges of the parchment paper. Cool on a wire rack. Once cool, remove from parchment paper and place on large plate. Spread with Fluff Fruit Dip (see below) and decorate with berries to create and American flag.

Fluff Fruit Dip

Adapted from Cooks.com

This will make way more than you need, so feel free to only make 1/4 of recipe. I made the whole thing so we will have leftovers for future dipping fun.

16 oz. container marshmallow fluff

8 oz. block 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add marshmallow fluff slowly, mixing in between addition. Mix until no lumps remain. Refrigerate until needed.

Brownie Flag Pizza

Blueberry Syrup

Maybe you already realized, but I love breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day. I always wake up hungry and ready to eat. I try to make a filling breakfast because it has to last me a long time. Most days, I eat breakfast at 6:15am, so I try to have it keep me full until at least 11. Long before all the hype about how healthy it is to eat breakfast, I ate it out of hunger and love for the foods.

Anytime the Bup and I have a morning off together (which happens maybe once a month, making it even more exciting), I make a cooked breakfast. It's usually pancake, but sometimes I do waffles. French toast is low on the list, but it does sneak in occasionally, especially if I just baked a really good bread.

The last time I made breakfast I made buckwheat pancakes, which are pretty standard for us, so I dressed them up with blueberry syrup. The blueberries are from my parents' cabin in northern PA, so they're organic (not certified, but I know it's the case) and flavorful. We always end up with a ton and I froze some this year to make sure we'd be able to have them during the winter. I'm stingy with them, though. This was a splurge! I know the fresh season is coming in a few short months so we can finish our frozen ones without worrying.

Making blueberry syrup is so simple. Add blueberries, add zest, add sugar, cook.

Then pour over pancakes and enjoy.

I burnt my tongue licking the spoon. It was worth it.

Blueberry Syrup

Serves 2

1 cup blueberries, frozen

1 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste

1/4 cup cane sugar or honey

Pour blueberries in a small pot. Heat on low until blueberries soften. Add zest and sugar/honey. Stir occasionally until mixture becomes slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Blueberry

Strawberry Stacks!

On Friday, I bought some gorgeous juicy strawberries at the farm market. On Saturday, I found a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Stacked Pancakes. On Monday, I made them. Coincidence? I don't think so!

See how yummy they look?

The pancakes got those little bubble that mean they're going to be scrumptious. Recipes say that the bubbles mean it's time to flip your pancakes. I guess that's true, too... :-)

I made mine in two batches of four so that while the second batch was cooking, I could stack the first four.

All in a pool of Vermont pure maple syrup... The Bup's stack looked so good that I had to put maple syrup on half of my stack. When I poured the strawberry banana soft serve onto mine, it all gushed out and drowned my stack (see 1st picture above). Still yummy though! 

This breakfast was so good that it made the sun shine! Just kidding, but it was a sunny morning. I even hung my sheets & towels outside to dry!

Added bonus: this breakfast kept me full for 5 hours. Unheard of!

Stacked Strawberry Pancakes
Adapted lightly from Oh She Glows who adapted from Bon Appetit Spiced Coconut Pancakes.Makes 2 stacks or 8 4" pancakes

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch sea salt
3/4 cup unsweetend almond milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
3/4 cup water
1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned & sliced
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter, per pancake, onto the skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface (see the scrumptious-ness? time to flip!).

After the first batch is done (I did 4 at a time), layer pancakes with strawberry slices. Finish with second batch of pancakes. Top with any extra strawberry slices, maple syrup, and/or strawberry banana soft serve.

To make strawberry banana soft serve: Place a frozen banana and 3 strawberries into a food processor. If necessary, thin with almond milk or orange juice.