Oh the joys! Blueberry Smoothie

Sometimes you just need to stop, breathe and delight in the little things. Like berries that are dark blue

which become a vibrant purple when blended:

For heavens sakes. Too pretty for this earth! I have never actually made a smoothie JUST of blueberries and “millk” so I have only ever seen this beautiful colour on TV  on my Google Images search results. Thankfully, Spanish blueberries are on £1 a punnet in several supermarkets, and frankly I shall be treating myself to a purple drink this week. 

I signed up to a blog a while ago- it is called “The Vegan Chickpea” and naturally I simply had no choice but to subscribe, with a splendid name like that. Her latest post consists of a blueberry smoothie which consists of  BLUEBERRIES (1 cup of frozen berries) BANANA (1/2 cup frozen slices) ALMOND MILK (1 cup?) and a heaping (or “heaped” if you are British) tablespoon of peanut butter. Still not sure about the peanut butter and blueberries, but  I think I will try bananas and blueberries out. A little perplexed that her purple is so different:

(Hello over-sized photo?! I cannot get it smaller.)

Perhaps it is the lighting. In any case, it looks beautiful. 

Make yourself a smoothie today. Go on!

 

PS Cooking blueberries destroys their anthocyanins  (a type of antioxidant) To quote wikipedia: “On a molecular level, berry anthocyanins were shown to turn off genes involved with tumor proliferation, inflammation and angiogenesis” (yes, I had to look that last one up too)  I am so in awe of plant-foods. The love affair deepens.

 

Worshipping at the Alter of Chia seeds (continued)

Busy busy busy. But “never” too busy for some brief plant-food homage, which today is directed at my dear friends the ickle chia seeds, which I posted about a few posts ago.

People who sell Chia tend to wax lyrical about how much energy it will give you. I generally distrust claims that the consumption one food in particular will keep you energised all day long (and so should you!)- physical energy is a combination of many things: what you eat and drink (plenty of unprocessed (and raw) Green Food and water), and what you don’t eat and drink (Beige Food and Beige drinks), exercise, clean air, sufficient sleep, managing stress levels and so on. However, that said, it IS an amazing plant-food, and is PACKED with soluble AND insoluble fibre, so eating them regularly does help to prevent diverticulitis (resulting from years of  constipation)  They also have a spectacular array of Green goodness which I am in too much of a hurry to document.

Because this is a brief worship, and I have already told you how to consume these seeds  raw in drinks and cereals, I am pointing you to a link about BAKING with your Chia gel. It can be used in baking to half the amount of fat you use, and I see on this web-page I am sending you to that there is a free cook-book- hurrah!

So without further ado, if you wish to bake with your chia seeds, Folllow this link to My Chia Seeds website

 

Amen.

Happy Monday, it’s another random list of 10 things…….

For want  of a recipe, thoughtful muse, or link to an interesting article by someone who knows more than me, here is a brief list of 10 random items, vaguely connected to eating well, leaves, and my love thereof.

1. I have been blogging for over a year now. I missed my “birthday”, which I suppose I  am happy about, as I was clearly busy with other more important things. But thanks for reading y’all.  🙂

2. Today I had views from the UK ,Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, Peru, Italy, Kenya, Jordan.Yesterday it was read in the UK, USA, Australia, Finland and Canada. The amazing internet!! I was quite astonished.

3.I am addicted to Cosy Almond Oats, and love having alomnd extract in my kitchen. By the way fresh almonds are extremely rich in Magnesium. When there is enough magnesium around, veins and arteries breathe a sigh of relief and relax, improving the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients around the body.

4. We did a cute thing with the watermelon on fathers Day- each plate had a beautiful round, thick slice, with a heart cut out of the centre, and a smaller water melon heart in the hole. I am always delighted at the beauty of a watermelon, the green, the red, and the black seeds. Because nature intended fruit to have seeds. Fruit was never meant to be impotent, for want of a better word.  🙂

5. The fam had spaghetti bolognese the other day. They all love it. I have to say, I hardly ever do them red meat, and they don’t seem to miss it, but here is why: Just washing up the dishes afterwards makes me heave!! Seriously, I try to make the blog more of an appreciation of good wholesome foods than demonizing less than great foods, but I have to say it- every time I see hardened animal fat, and I see my scourer after the pan is washed up, I just realise why I don’t want that stuff building up inside my/our arteries and around my/our organs. I had chickpeas. That is all.

6.If I was in Spain right now, I would be eating fresh local figs, massive (local) picota cherries, local peaches such as I never see in this country for flavour and size, gorgeous local watermelon…….I am glad I live in Wales, even in the rain….but sad that when we go to Spain (September) we will have missed the best of the harvest.

7. Ellie came into the kitchen. “Got any frozen grapes?” (Me: No, shall I buy some, and freeze them?)  “Yes please. Got any frozen cherries?”  (Me: A few….)  “Frozen blueberries?” (Me: sorry, not right now) “mmmm….what about some frozen raspberries, thawed under the tap, yes please!”…..pause….but my favourite thing of all is…(rummages…..I have my back to her….)

……frozen DRIPS!

Me: Frozen what?

Ellie: Frozen drips.

(repeat question/answer 2 more times) When I finally look she is breaking off miniscule frozen drips from the bottom of the freezer drawer and crunching happily away. ……  Sigh….what to do with this girl?!  😀  *Hurriedly makes shopping list*

8.  Pick your own season has begun!

9. It’s about to rain again.  Shame I didn’t plant anything this year….again……..

10. Due to complicated circumstances, our bees did not join us this year (frankly, fortunately, as I doubt they would have been able to even get out with all this rain and freezing weather)  In the absence of quality unpasteurised honey, we are still enjoying our substantial haul of of £1 organic maple syrups. I will be beyond sad when it ends and doubt I will ever be capable of paying for full priced syrup again….

 

That makes ten.

Have a great week!

 

Express Post: Cosy Almond Oats

Quantities for 1 adult. Half portions for children.

• 1 cup jumbo organic oats 
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• a few dates and dried apricots, chopped
• 1.5-2  teaspoons almond extract (this is what gives it the kick)
• 1 cup of boiling water, poured over all of the above

Leave to sit for 1-2 minutes. Add a small chopped banana, a droozle of honey or syrup, and if you’re strange like me, some chia gel from the fridge.

Because when it is “Midsummer” and freezing outside with driving wind and rain, and your kids have eaten all the cherry-and-berry spelt pancakes, you need something cosy for breakfast!

DELICIOUS.