Monthly Archives: July 2020

The Health Benefits Of Blueberries

by fruit, gluten free

Nutrient Dense and Delicious

When it comes to clean eating and nutrient dense food choices, blueberries are at the top of the list. They’re a really good source of fiber, manganese, vitamins C, K, and a great source of antioxidants. Berries have been shown to be beneficial for cardiovascular health, supporting beneficial blood pressure levels, and to help improve insulin sensitivity. There is also evidence that eating blueberries can be supportive for cognitive health.

Another very important health benefit of eating blueberries is their high levels of pterostilbene and resveratrol. These are referred to as stilbenoids and this class of phytonutrient has been shown to be chemoprotective as well as to have tumor suppressant properties. In other words, these compounds may help lower your risk for getting cancer.

And, last but certainly not least, blueberries are also a low glycemic fruit. So not only are they tasty and nutrient dense, they have a lot of reasons to make them a healthy choice to add to your diet. Like many summer fruits, they do freeze well. This means you can buy them fresh in season (which is also less expensive) and freeze them to enjoy later.

Dirty Dozen Warning

Blueberries areoften found on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list. This list highlights the 12 fruits and vegetables that are most likely to retain high levels of pesticide residue. Chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic, neurotoxins, suspected hormone disruptors, and other toxins that are potential developmental or reproductive hazards. Some of the pesticides used are also known to be bad for honey bees.

These toxic pesticides cannot simply be washed off. The only way to avoid them is to buy produce that is grown without using them. Fortunately the rules of organic farming prohibit the use of these pesticides. So in order to avoid this type of chemical contamination it is recommended that you purchase Dirty Dozen produce items as organic rather than conventional.

One additional benefit of buying organic blueberries is that studies have shown those that are organically grown are higher in antioxidants and flavonoids. Another reason that organic is the healthier choice.

Recipes

Although they’re certainly delicious by the handful or sprinkled onto a salad or a dessert, blueberries can be added to a number of recipes. Here are two of my favorites to get you started.

Blueberry Flax Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie bowls are a wonderful way to eat a smoothie. Rather than sucking it through a straw, you can add some crunchy, tasty bits to the top and eat it with a spoon. It’s also a great alternative to ice cream. Adding a coconut oil and the handful of spinach bumps up the nutrition just a bit. This recipe makes two servings, one for you and one to share.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • small handful of organic baby spinach
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 2 teaspoon ground flax
  • 1 teaspoon bee pollen
  • Toppings:

    2 tampons cacao nibs

    1 teaspoon goji berries

    1 teaspoon coconut flakes, uncultured and unsweetened

    1 teaspoon hemp seeds

    few blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients into a high-power blender and blend on high until thoroughly combined. If needed add a little more coconut milk, or water, to continue blending.
  • Pour the mixture into two bowls and sprinkle with toppings.

Gluten Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

Coffee cake is a tasty afternoon snack. Perfect when visiting with a friend or as part of an afternoon snack. Not too sweet, this recipe is also a wonderful addition to a Sunday brunch board. For a refreshing twist add lemon zest instead of cinnamon for the topping.
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Equipment

  • Preheat oven to 350 F
grease and flour a 9 x 9 baking pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup buckwheat flour


  • 1 cup gluten-free oat flour (if needed you can blend old fashioned oats in the blender to make a flour from them)


  • 1 cup evaporated cane juice crystals

  • 
1 teaspoon baking powder


  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt


  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda


  • 1 cup blueberries


  • 4 tablespoons butter, cold


  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

  • 
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

  • 
1 large egg


  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • topping:

    1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/2 cup evaporated cane juice crystals

    1/4 cup chopped walnuts

    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Mix together all of the dried ingredients

  • Shred butter into flour mixture using the large side of a box grater

  • Mix butter into the flour mixture with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs

  • Add blueberries and toss well to coat
  • 
In a separate bowl mix together yogurt, almond milk, egg, and extract, blend well

  • Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and quickly blend together, do not over mix the batter
  • 
In a separate bowl mix together topping ingredients

  • Spread topping evenly on the coffee cake
  • 
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top of the coffee cake springs back lightly when tapped

  • Remove from oven and cool
  • 
Serve warm or room temperature

Don’t forget to check out more tasty blueberry recipes below
July national blueberry month
Blueberry Mojito Mocktail

[expand title="Sources"]

Kosuru R, Rai U, Prakash S, et al. Promising therapeutic potential of pterostilbene and its mechanistic insight based on preclinical evidence. European Journal of Pharmacology, Volume 789, 15 October 2016, pages 229-243.
Krikorian R, Shidler MD, Nash TA et al. Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults. J Agric Food Chem. 2010 April 14; 58(7): 3996-4000. 2010.
Kursvietiene L, Staneviciene I, Mongirdiene A, et al. Multiplicity of effects and health benefits of resveratrol. Medicina, Volume 52, Issue 3, 2016, pages 148-155.
Mayumi, D, et al. Effects of blueberry and cranberry consumption on type 2 diabetes glycemic control: A systematic review, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 13 Feb 2018. 59:11, 1816-1828
Miller, K, et al. Bioactive Compounds of Strawberry and Blueberry and Their Potential Health Effects Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview. Nutrients 2019, 11(7), 1510.
USDA Food Data Central - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/786762/nutrients
Wang, SY, et al. Fruit Quality, Antioxidant Capacity, and Flavonoid Content of Organically and Conventionally Grown Blueberries. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 14, 5788–5794. Publication Date:July 1, 2008.
What’s On My Food - http://whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=BB
Wood, E, et al. Blueberries and cardiovascular disease prevention.

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Turn Your To-Do List Into A Ta-Da List

by habits, personal care, , ,

I’m a fan of using a bullet journal. It really helps me to stay on track, keep thoughts organized, and is a flexible planner for how my brain works.

One thing I have in my journal is a Ta-Da List — a rolling list of what I did/completed each day. It’s not a To-Do list. It only gets written after things are done. And there are a couple of reasons why.

1. It allows me to see where my time went and, if needed, to adjust my schedule.

For example, at one point I saw that I was getting a lot of unscheduled phone calls (when I have phone calls or meetings I log them plus the amount of time I spent on the call). I then shifted to make Tuesday and Thursday morning phone call times and started telling everyone.

I also set a mental limit on how long I would be on the phone for unexpected phone calls. Letting the caller know that “I’m at work and only have 15 min”. It really helped. Like many in this group, often those who have my phone number seem to think, even though they know I’m self-employed, that I’m always available.

2. I also evaluate other tasks to see if there is a way to improve or make them more efficient.

If there are certain tasks that are repetitive can I automate them? Are there things that I am doing that might be better to assign to a team member? Are there hints I do that I just shouldn’t be doing at all m

3. I can see how long certain tasks actually take.

I use the Pomodoro method to notate how many units each task took. I tend to suffer from what I call time suck disorder. I don’t always realize how long things are going to take. Time management and time flow awareness are one of the difficulties faced by people with ADD. It can get in the way of productivity and a balanced focus. So it’s challenging when I plan for something that doesn’t happen in the time frame I’ve allotted. My Ta-Da list reminds me of what I did get accomplished and has helped me learn to shift my time thinking.

4. I get the satisfaction of getting things done and seeing them in the list.

All too often, when I was doing only a traditional To-Do list, I would be discouraged. Yes, I got things done, but the number of unchecked boxes was overwhelming. Now, borrowing from Brendan Burchard’s High-Performance Planner (which I still use every day also) I track the three most important things that have to be done for the day. This means no. Ore endless to-do lists. It forces me to focus on what HAS to be done. The rest of it is being aware of what I’m doing.

In my opinion, using a Ta-Da List has made my life much more streamlined, easier to pivot where needed, and less stressful.

Who in this group also uses a bujo?

Blueberry Mojito Mocktail Recipe

by breakfast, drinks, fruit, summer

There's something really refreshing about a cool crisp summer drink. Especially one that highlights the fabulous flavor of blueberries. At this point in my life, I choose to no longer drink alcohol (not that I ever drank that much to begin with). It turns out lots of people feel the same way I do and are choosing to eschew the alcohol.

But while more people are drinking less, there aren't that many delicious choices for us. So I came up with this fruity, sparkling mocktail recipe. I think it's perfect that it uses blueberries because July happens to be National Blueberry Month. If you really want to mix things up you can substitute raspberries or white peaches for the fruit and make a red, white, and blue mocktail bar to share with the family.

Blueberry Mojito Mocktail

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Servings -9

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz Kevita brand Lime Mojito Coconut sparkling drink

  • 3 Tablespoons simple syrup (recipe below)
  • 3-4 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 heaping tablespoon fresh fruit (dice the peaches if using)
  • Crushed ice

Instructions
 

  • Place fresh fruit in the bottom of a tall glass
  • Add crushed ice
  • Mix together Kevita and simple syrup and pour over ice
  • Garnish with mint leaves
    Enjoy!

Fruit Syrup

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fruit (blueberries, raspberries, or diced white peaches), mashed
  • 1 cup organic cane juice crystals
  • 1 cup water

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in a small saucepan
  • Bring to a boil
  • Reduce to medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved
  • Let cool to at least room temperature before using

Delicious in more than just beverages, blueberries are a fabulous, healthy fruit. Learn more about them here plus grab a great muffin recipe.

July Is National Blueberry Month

by fruit, summer, ,

Blueberry season is here! And there is nothing more fabulous than having fresh blueberries to eat.  They’re so wonderful that they even have an entire month devoted to them; July is National Blueberry Month.

Just by themselves, blueberries are a wonderful snack.  In a fruit salad, they are amazingly tasty.  Baked into a myriad of treats such as muffins, cobblers and pies they are indescribably delicious.

Blueberry Basics

Blueberries are native to North America and related to cranberries, another distinctive North American fruit.  They are high in antioxidants; anthocyanin which is beneficial for collagen especially as it relates to capillary and vascular support, and ellagic acid which is helpful in protecting against cancer.  Blueberries are also rich in vitamin C, manganese and are a good source of fiber.  Studies show them to be effective in helping to protect against Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), colon cancer, and ovarian cancer.

Organic or conventional?

Domestic, conventionally grown blueberries have been found to have over 40 different pesticide residues. Some of these pesticides are known or potential cancer-causing agents, others are suspected to be hormone disruptors or neurotoxins. Unfortunately, a number of them are also toxic to honeybees (required to pollinate the blueberries, go figure). This means that when buying blueberries it’s important to choose organic over conventional.

Some years the pesticide level is high enough that blueberries are a part of the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen [https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php] list. Other years they aren’t in the top twelve. However, even if they’re not on the top twelve list, they’re still close to it. Buying organic means that you do not have the high levels of pesticides often found in conventional produce.

If you’re fortunate enough live near a pick-your-own, organic/sustainable/regenerative agriculture blueberry farm it can be the work of a morning to pick several pounds. Blueberries freeze quite well; that one day of hot sweaty work can yield a year-long bounty of delicious treats.

How to eat blueberries

“By the handful fresh out of mama’s picking bucket.”

Sun-ripened, fresh off the bush blueberries are bursting with flavor and definitely hard to pass up. When my children were little and we used to go blueberry picking I used to joke that it was a good thing I was a fast picker. With three little girls who all LOVED blueberries, their picking efforts often meant serving as tasters to make sure what was going into mama’s bucket passed inspection.

This is one of the first recipes I make each year after going blueberry picking (once my family is done plundering the basket). These muffins make a great snack and always go quickly in my house. They're moist, super tasty, and, if you’re trying to make them last, they do freeze well.

Best Blueberry Muffins

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup gluten-free oatmeal1 cup gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup organic whole milk
  • 1/4 cup organic sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons melted organic coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey (use raw and local)
  • 1 cup blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 F
  • Grease muffin tin
  • In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients
  • Add milk, sour cream, coconut oil, and honey, blending well
  • Fold in blueberries
  • Divide mixture into muffin tins
  • Bake 15 minutes or until done

For another delicious blueberry recipe check out these mojitos.