Showing posts with label B. Show all posts
Showing posts with label B. Show all posts

B is for BLUEBERRIES

Yesterday, Zach and I went to the Farmers Market for the first time this year.  Gee, it was a lot bigger and busier than last summer!  We found lots of yummy veggies (lettuce, carrots, turnips) and some potted plants/herbs (mint, basil, marigolds), but our best purchase was a quart of blueberries that we got for $3!  Yes, THREE DOLLARS!  Normally, they are sold $7 a quart ($4 for a pint), but these were the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, so the blueberry man sold them for super cheap and told us not to tell anyone we paid money for them.  That means, of course, that I must tell the world.  ;)  Since they were the "smooshy" berries, we have to use them up super fast, but they are perfect for baked goods and ice cream.  Onto today's recipe!


Blueberry Muffins
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line muffin tin with paper cups and set aside.
-In a medium bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Make a well in the center of the mixture and set aside.
-In smaller bowl, crack one egg and beat.  Add 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup cooking oil and combine wet ingredients.
-Add to flour mixture and stir until just moistened.  Don't stir for too long!
-Spoon batter into muffin cups.  (I found that two heaping spoons, if using a larger spoon, filled them 2/3 full, which is what you want.)
-Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar atop each muffin, if desired.  Using two tablespoons of butter, slice each in half and then each half into thirds.  Top each muffin with a dab of butter.
-Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
-Cook muffin tin on a wire rack for five minutes before serving.

I am not much of a muffin person, but I loved these!  And my husby did, too--he ate FOUR!

B is for BERRIES

Well...I'm back and ready to conquer Crohn's one vegetable (and fruit) at a time!  I had my surgery on the 24th, was discharged on the 30th, celebrated my 27th birthday the following day, and have been recovering ever since.  Last Friday, I got my staples out and was cleared to drive (and pick up our kitties :).  I will try to go back to work this week but may need a little extra time at home; thankfully, I can work from here.  My surgeon says my body is healing up nicely, my colon and small intestine look great, and I am stronger than a lot of his male patients.  *haha*  He is partners with the official surgeon for the Arkansas Razorbacks, so I wonder if that means I'm stronger than those Hogs?!  ;)

Anyway, here I am with a quick little recipe to quick off my return--Quadruple Berry Smoothies!  We have breakfast for dinner quite a bit around here, and this smoothie is an item that has become popular on the Pharr menu.  For one, it provides some healthy foods, including milk, yogurt, and fruit (raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries with strawberries and additional berries from the yogurt).  Secondly, it purees the berries, so that they may be easier for me to digest as well as pick out some of the seeds that can be problem-causing.  Finally, berries specifically are low in calories, possess loads of antioxidants that fight cancer, may be anti-inflammatory, and offer lots of your daily needed vitamins and minerals.  Best of all, they taste AMAZING!  So mix together a smoothie tomorrow morning or tonight.  :)

Quadruple Berry Smoothie
1 1/2 cups yogurt (I used 3 individual-serving-sized containers of Activia, 2 in blueberry and 1 in strawberry.)
1/2 cup milk (I saved one of the containers and measured my milk using it since it is four ounces.)
2+ cups of frozen mixed berries (We buy the Triple Berries from Sam's Club.)

Pour yogurt and milk into blender.  Slowly pulse/blend/smoothie fruit into dairy mixture until well combined.  Pour into chilled glasses--we used our Simpsons ones--and serve with a festive straw and enjoy.  :)