Beautiful Blueberries! One of my MOST favorite of all the fruit, and oh-so-good for you!
We are lucky enough to live where we can get wonderful, juicy, fresh blueberries pretty close. I have gone twice this year to pick them (at a spray-free farm) and have frozen quite a few to use all winter – they will be well loved during those cold winter months!
The best way to freeze them ~ wash & dry your blueberries, then lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet (see the picture below) and put them in the freezer. When they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe dish. It’s just as easy as that, and they won’t all stick in a big ball when you try to use them!
Being such a nutrition nerd, of course I will tell you some of my top reasons to boost blueberries:
- Antioxidant Power ~ very rich in antioxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by raising haemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood) etc. and can help boost up your immune system and prevent infections. Another BIG bonus – antioxidants will help reduce chances of heart disease, cancers, as well as many signs of agin, including wrinkles!
- Brain Power ~ After many years of research on blueberry antioxidants and their potential benefits for the nervous system and for brain health, there is exciting new evidence that blueberries can improve memory – so REMEMBER to eat your blueberries! 🙂
- A Happy, Smaller Belly ~ While roughage (fiber) in Blue Berries keep away constipation (Of course, a single piece alone will not do. You need to eat a big handful of them), the vitamins, sodium, copper, fructose and acids improve digestion, and even help reduce your muffin top.
- A Happy Bladder ~ The building of certain bacteria like b-coli along the lining of the inner walls of urinary tract is what you can blame when it comes to urinary tract infections, resulting in inflammation, burning sensation when you pee and other complications. Here, Blue Berries can be surprisingly beneficial by actually inhibiting the growth of the nasty bacteria. It also has some anti biotic properties ~ double bonus.
- Diabetic-Friendly ~ Eating blueberries can help boost insulin sensitivity – a huge bonus to diabetics. In addition to being a low-calorie, high-fiber food, there are two compounds in blueberries that may have anti-diabetic properties: anthocyanin and pterostilbene.
- Stressful Life ~ Blueberries can actually help reduce cortisol – one of your stress hormones that, when produced in excess {as with most of our society} can be harmful to your health & your weight.
Some of the Yummy Ways You Can Use Them
- Throw them on your cereal
- Freeze them & make a yummy smoothie
- Layer with plain yogurt and drizzle with honey for a delicious dessert
- Fruit salad
- Bake with them ~ I have a delicious muffin recipe below!
- Berry crisp
- Frozen to deal with those ice cream cravings ~ this works great!
And now on to the recipe!
Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Whole grain, lightly sweet, and bursting with juicy blueberries, these are the perfect breakfast muffin to brighten up any morning. Enjoy alone or crumbled on top of a bowl of hot oatmeal.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (OR 1 cup whole wheat + 3/4 cup all-purpose or spelt flour)
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract (optional, but awesome)
- 1 & 1/2 cup fresh + sweet blueberries (frozen blueberries seem to make the muffins too moist)
Cinnamon Streusel topping:
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with liners. In a small bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside.
2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (ground flax, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt). In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (oil, syrup, extracts) and add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined.
3. Stir in the fresh or frozen blueberries until just combined. Spoon into paper liners. Make cinnamon streusel topping and sprinkle over top of batter.
4. Bake in the oven at 375F for about 15-20 minutes, until golden and the top of the muffin slowly springs back when pressed. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving as the blueberries will be super hot!
Enjoy! We sure did!
*Turbinado sugar is also known as cane sugar or raw sugar and looks a little like brown sugar.
