I love blueberries. More accurately, I love the flavor of blueberries. I recently discovered this smurf-like pattern when I realized how much blueberries are a part of my life. The bonus of this affinity is the nutritional and health benefits of this tiny fruit. They are high in Vitamin C and low in fat. And, of 60 different fruits analyzed by Tufts University, they came out as the number one fruit to provide antioxidants.
How do I get my regular doses of blueberry? Well, I won't count the random Blueberry Pop-Tarts I consume, although those are scrumptious. One of my favorite drinks at Starbucks is a Berry Blossom White Tea Misto. My friend, Liz, stumbled upon this treat while we were at Starbucks one night and now I'm a believer too. A Tea Misto is merely a tea brewed with half water and half steamed milk. I tried it with another favorite herbal tea - Wild Sweet Orange - but, it curdled the milk. Milk and citric acid don't mix. On this night, Liz tried this new tea flavor and my Misto suggestion and became enthralled with the taste. She said, "It takes like a liquid blueberry muffin!" And, it really does. A venti-sized cup is not only less calories than a venti-sized anything else at Starbucks, it's also cheaper. I can walk out of there with a Venti Berry Blossom Tea Misto for under $3. That's less than a dollar per word of the description.
My other blueberry passion is a little gem I found at my gym's cafe. Many times when I go to the gym in the early morning hours, I stop off at the cafe there for a muffin to go or other delicacy for breakfast. They have a vast array of smoothies in all flavors, so I decided to try a few to see if any of them suited my fancy. They have all the fruity flavors you can imagine, and even a Peanut Butter flavor, but my taste buds crave the one called "Blueberry Crunch." This smoothie had me at the first sip. It includes blueberries, milk, sugar-free almond flavoring, maybe a banana, and the secret ingredient....granola! I literally crave these things. I think if I ever get pregnant, this is what I'd want all the time. It makes an early morning workout worth it.
I could go on and on....blueberry yogurt is my favorite flavor.....but I don't want to appear to be too obsessed. I definitely found my thrill on blueberry hill.
3 comments:
Oh, Rose Petal...I wish I'd known about this a year ago or so...blueberries grow wild all around this area, and I could've made you some jam/preserves/syrup/other and shipped it to you! I had a neighbor who made 55 pints of blueberry syrup. (No kidding!)
You can also find red raspberries up here...so I've been making preserves and jam since we got here.
I don't know that I'll do it much after we move since I'd have to BUY all the fruit. That was indeed one big perk to living here: free fruit for the harvesting. You just had to be careful about "critters."
(For example, we abandoned one area we were picking in because we detected the scent of a skunk. They are also rampant around here.)
Mmmm...I love blueberries, too! I like them fresh with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Yum!
Blueberries are scrumptious!! Thanks for the great tips on how to consume them. = )
Post a Comment