
At least a couple times a week my family eat blueberries for dessert.
I am usually too cheap to buy the fresh ones, plus they seem to get soft and moldy on me so quickly, so we buy them frozen.
While I am cooking dinner, I will fill a bowl with frozen blueberries and let it sit. By the time we are finished eating, they are half thawed and perfect for munching on. I bring them to the table with the rest of our meal. The first few times I did it, I made a big deal about it… like “look everyone, blueberries for dessert tonight! or “make sure you eat your food so you can have blueberries (or clementines, or frozen grapes) when you are done.” I have tried to make fruit a special thing around here by talking about it in very positive (sometimes over the top:)) ways. It works for my girls. They see fruit as a treat and a sweet ending to many of our meals. I keep frozen blueberries, strawberries and a mixed fruit bag in my freezer most of the time. When my girls ask for a snack, many times they choose to get a bowl of frozen fruit to munch on. Gotta love it! The key for us was to get all the “Little Debbie Snacks” and “Fruit Snacks and “Oreas” completely OUT of the house. When the kids see that fruit is one of the sweetest things in the house, they choose it.
Back to blueberries–
Blueberries are literally bursting with nutrients and flavor, yet very low in calories. Recently, researchers at Tufts University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals. (Antioxidants and Free Radical post coming up)
Click here for additional information on the health benefits of blueberries.
Here are some ways we eat blueberries:
- Sprinkle some on top of yogurt.
- Make homemade blueberry syrup for pancakes or ice cream. Heat them up with a bit of sugar (or rapudura or honey or maple syrup) in a pan on low-med heat. As they turn liquid-y smush them with a potato masher to break them up. Some people strain this, we don’t.
- Add them to pancake batter for blueberry pancakes
- Throw them in smoothies.
- Make muffins/breads/coffecake
- Toss them in oatmeal.
- Use fresh blueberries on cereal.
- Bake ’em in a pie.
- Dip in chocolate and refrigerate until hardened. (have not tried this one but I want to-yum!