As easy as herding a cat ...

Coffee cup firmly grasped in hand, I march determinedly out to our wild patches of forest.  I know they must be here ... looking, looking ... looking ...  

In a previously abundant area, I brush a tall green fern out of the way to expose their naked blue flesh.  

Ha HA - success!  They thought they could hide from me, but I am on to their sneakiness.  

Ahhh forest blueberry time.  It only lasts a couple of weeks in July.  We've got several good patches throughout our woods, and I seldom miss the opportunity to spend many bug-bite-filled hours to gather these tiny explosions of organic blueberriness.  

Even Kolbe can't keep himself away from their bluey blue goodness ...

Ummmm well maybe I exaggerated about Kolbe's enthusiasm.  He had to be dragged there, literally ...

But in the end, it's worth it.

 

Our freezer is happily containing the freshness of these tiny powerhouses of flavor for those special mornings filled with gluten-free blueberry pancakes, scones, etc ...

Speaking of, here's a recipe:

Gluten-free Blueberry Scones

Pre-heat the oven to 400°.

Combine the following in a large bowl:

• 2 C. gluten-free flour mix
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. (aluminum-free) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. (Himalayan or Real) salt
• 2 T. sugar 

Transfer a few tablespoons of the above dry mixture into a small bowl.  Add:

• 1 C. blueberries

Toss to coat - set aside.

To the large bowl with the dry mixture, add:

• 5 T. butter, diced & chilled

Cut in until pea-sized.  (Hint: don't over-work scones, as this would create lovely blueberry doorstops.)

Then add:

• 1 C. milk (coconut or almond milk works fine, as well)
• the blueberries tossed with some of the dry mixture (above)

Stir until dough comes together.  

Turn onto parchment.  Gently shape into a round 1/2"-1" thick patty.  

Cut into 8 sections and separate each by a couple of inches.  If desired, lightly brush with milk and even sugar (I don't do either of these and they're just fine).

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the bottom edges are a nice golden brown.

Enjoy!  

p.s. Eating them with honey butter adds some rich, naughty sweetness.

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Mmmmmmeal replacement bars: Cacao Coffee Bar

On the go and haven't eaten?  If you have some homemade meal replacement bars on hand, no problem!  

This was my first attempt and, if I must say, they're pretty darn good.  Paying $3-4 for each one (I love you ProBar, but dang) is not feasible at this point in time.  Answer?  The Cacao Coffee Bar.

You can easily make variations of this bar using the same concept, but with other seeds, nuts and even some dried fruit.  Let me know if you develop one of your own that is tasty!  

Supplies needed: 


Food processor
8x8 or 9x9 pan


Put all dry ingredients in processor and pulse until you reach the desired texture (e.g. fine ground, small nibblets, whatever you like):


1/2 C. organic raw almonds
1/2 C. raw sunflower seeds
1/2 C. raw pepitas
1/2 C. golden flax seed
1/4 C. quinoa flakes
1/4 C. organic fair-trade coffee beans
1 C. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C. raw cacao nibs (or cocoa powder)


Add wet ingredients and pulse until fully incorporated: 


1 C. raw cashew butter (or raw cashews^)
6 Medjool dates, pitted
1/4-1/2 C. maple syrup
1 T. honey
2 T. virgin coconut oil (vco)
1 C. ground almonds / almond flour


Dump it into the pan, smash it down as hard as you can. Cover. Put in fridge. Cut. Eat. Ta da!

Snack away!

Moona's Munchies - Bucket O' Goodness

Directions: 

Dump good healthy stuff into a clean ice cream pail and shake it all up.

(More specifically:

• Fill 1/3 of the bucket with unsweetened coconut chips.

• Add whatever nuts and seeds you like and/or currently have on-hand.  

I don't really care for the flavor of raw nuts and seeds on their own, so I put both raw and toasted nuts and seeds of each kind in the mix.  It usually is something like this: pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts - whatever strikes my fancy.  This should make the level of the munchie bucket 1/2 - 2/3 full.  

• Then drop in some dried fruits, making your bucket's level 2/3 - 3/4.  

I regularly use organic raisins; then dice some dried mango, papaya and apricots (unsulfurized).  Dried cranberries or cherries would add some nice zing.

• Cover and shake until you just can't shake anymore.  

• If there's room, add more coconut chips* until the bucket is full.   Cover and shake until mixed thoroughly.  

*Note: Other additions which are tasty, but not necessarily ideal (grains = sugar), would be organic corn flakes or puffed brown rice cereal.  Sometimes I really have some insistent chocolate cravings.  So on those days, I add a handful of fair-traded organic chocolate chips to the bucket.  Bad Moona!)

That's it!  Put in your cabinet.  Any time you are hungry and want a snack, open that bucket and make a better Small Choice than you otherwise would have.  It's a good idea to put some mix in a snack-sized bowl.  A full Bucket O' Goodness on your lap as you're watching a movie would probably not be prudent.