mixed berry protein smoothie

I've been making variations of this smoothie for quite some time, but I never really measured out ingredients or thought about how much protein it actually packs. Without counting the fruit, we're talking almost 15 grams of protein per serving! I was pretty impressed!

It's really delicious, and quite thick too. I prefer to use frozen fruit over fresh because it adds bulk and makes the smoothie super cold without having to add ice. Perfect for these hot January days. (Which P.S.- I am NOT happy about.)
Adding more fruit on the top is optional, but I use a few frozen berries to garnish and then I end up stirring them in. They slightly thaw as you're slurping this baby down, so once you reach them they are basically the perfect texture; still cold & slightly icy :))

I also like to sprinkle a bit of ground flaxseed on top, because, well, why not? It's a good source of omega 3's, packs some protein, and contains fiber. I'm obsessed with it! I add ground flaxseed to oatmeal, baked goods, smoothies, yogurt, granola, etc. For reference, I get the organic ground flaxseed by Bob's Red Mill :)

click on photo to enlarge

skinny & mini blackberry-pear crumbles

If you love fruit crumbles, but rarely indulge because of the high calorie content of butter and sugar, then I undoubtedly feel your pain. I decided that I shouldn't deprive myself of a dessert that has a warm, sweet, refreshing filling with a toasted oat topping, and neither should you. Oats are such a healthy grain, and crumbles don't have to be bad for you. Fruit contains natural sugar, so I didn't feel the need to add heaping amounts of granulated white sugar, as per regular crumbles. A little honey, lemon juice, your favorite paired fruit, and rolled oats can make your mouth just as happy.

Light, refreshing, and fruity are just a few reasons for making this a go-to dessert throughout the summer days. During a season where bathing suits become the norm, skinny and mini sounds entirely appealing.

Yield: 6 (mini) servings

Ingredients:

Filling

• 2 ripe pears, cored and diced. I used Bartlett pears, but I'm sure you could use Bosc.
• ~1 cup of blackberries, rinsed
• 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (~1/2 a lemon) 
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon of honey (or Sucanat sugar)
• 1/2 tablespoon raw agave*

*Note: If you don't have agave, it's not necessary to go out and buy it just for 1/2 tablespoon. You can substitute all honey. I used both because agave is slightly sweeter than honey, but I don't think it will make too big of a difference if you sub it out. You can also use Sucanat sugar in place of the honey, agave, or both. I explained here why I like to use Sucanat where applicable.

Oat Topping

• 1 tablespoon of whole wheat pastry flour (optional, but adds texture)
• 2/3 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
• drizzle of honey over each crumble

Note: For 6 regular ramekins or a medium-sized baking dish, my guess would be to double the recipe. I have only made this in my mini ramekins though, so I'm not 100% positive. For this recipe, it's more of a "if you like a lot of pear, then decrease the amount of blackberries" kind of thing, and vice-versa. Lastly, if you still only want to make 6 small servings, but do not have mini ramekins, then just use a small baking dish. For all of these instances, as long as you choose something that will hold all of the ingredients, then you will be fine :).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse blackberries, set side.

Peal the pears, slice them in half, and scoop out the core. Dice them into about 1/2 inch cubes. You don't want the pears to be too big for the mini ramekins.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine diced pears, blackberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, and agave (Sucanat if substituting.) Toss together until everything is evenly coated. Place filling into ramekins.

In a small mixing bowl, toss oats, flour, and salt together. Sprinkle over ramekins. Drizzle the oat topping with honey.

Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake them in the oven for 35 minutes. The crumbles should be bubbling and the oats should be slightly browned when they are ready. Serve warm, or place left-overs in the fridge and warm them up later in the microwave.

I hope you enjoy these skinny and mini crumbles as much as I did! If you try them with different kinds of fruit, leave a comment and let us know how they turn out :)

summer thoughts + very berry whole wheat muffins

It's not possible to be the best at everything. That's understandable. It is possible, however, to take what you're good at, take what drives you forward, and work hard at it to do the best that you are capable of. To me, it doesn't matter if it doesn't come easily or if I make mistakes. Actually, I enjoy mistakes. The lesson at hand ends up sticking with me more than if I had nailed it on the first try. What does matter to me, though, is that I'm doing something I love. Something that makes me want to be the best. Something that gives me that push to always want to keep going and excel. So, don't worry if you're not the Albert Einstein of your particular passion. The more important thing to realize is that you've found that passion, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your personal best.

Usually I'm not one to write things like that (it just floats around in my head,) but I thought it'd be nice to share it with anyone who is kind of feeling like I am. When you set a goal, you will accomplish it if you really want to. You won't give up, you wont circumvent it, and as said earlier, you will do what it takes to get there.

My triple berry whole wheat muffins are sort of an example of this, although on a much smaller scale. It took me one night and three tries to achieve the results that I wanted, but after that first (& semi-failed attempt,) I still persevered. Because of that, my third attempt yielded the best whole wheat berry muffins I have ever tasted!

I am applying this thought process to all aspects in my life that I am passionate about. I want to bring out the best in myself and what I do. Hopefully this summer will grant me the time to achieve such things!

Okay, now that I'm done with my motivational speech (which I hope kinda/sorta motivated you in some way), let's get to talking about these aforementioned muffins!

I went to the market this past weekend and bought some fantastic (with some being organic & local) items that I will be using in upcoming recipes (get excited!!) Fresh berries, hazelnuts, almonds, whole wheat pastry flour, millet, whole grain quinoa, and a few other things too. The berries were calling out to me, similar to "Buy me! Bake with me!" How could I not listen to them? The raspberries were plump and showcased their beautiful, deep red color. The blueberries looked like they were on steroids (in a very good way), and the blackberries just seemed like a good match to mix in. I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. I love muffins, especially blueberry muffins. And while a warm blueberry or chocolate chip muffin from Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks can be quite delicious, there is no denying that they are full of calories, fat, and sugar. I wanted to create a muffin that I wouldn't feel too guilty about eating in the morning... and maybe again in the afternoon.... and again at night. Did I really just admit that? Don't be too quick to judge, though! Once you try these you will understand the constant cravings!

P.S.- I'm just kidding. Do you really think I'd eat THREE muffins in one day? Of course I wouldn't... I only ate two ;)

Very Berry Whole Wheat Muffins:

These triple berry whole wheat muffins are moist, soft, delicately sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. With berries that are literally bursting when you bite into them, and ingredients that don't require you to work out twice as long- how could you go wrong?

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sifted whole wheat pastry flour (or 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup all purpose flour)
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of organic Sucanat sugar*
• 1 cup of fat-free dairy milk (you can probably use almond or soy milk, though I haven't tried it)
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ~1/3 of a cup of raspberries
• ~1/3 of a cup of blackberries (sliced in half)
• ~1/3 of a cup of blueberries + another small handful (I looove blueberries!)
• A little bit of rolled old fashioned oats to sprinkle on top (optional)

The berries can be substituted out with just your favorite berry or more/less of the others.

*Note: Organic Sucanat is the least refined dry sweetener that I've found. It still retains some of it's natural molasses flavor and also retains nutrients as well, unlike refined white sugar. This is my first time using it, but I already LOVE it! The flavor is awesome, too. I bought it in bulk at the local market here (I think it's cheaper), but if you can't find it in any stores, you can purchase it online. I understand that some of you may be apprehensive to buy something that is relatively expensive and you haven't tried before. The good thing about Sucanat is that you can substitute 1:1 with other sugars. Therefore you can use brown sugar or regular, refined white sugar in replace of it.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line your muffin tin with baking cups. Rinse berries, pat dry, slice blackberries in half, and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, sift ~2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour. (You will be using the sifted flour to measure out your exact 2 cups.)

Now that you have sifted your flour, measure out exactly 2 cups of the flour and place it in a medium/large mixing bowl. Remember that baking is an exact science, so you want to be sure to level off your measuring cups.

Sift your baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl containing your flour. Add the Sucanat (or other sweetener of your choice). Mix together well. These are your dry ingredients.

In another mixing bowl, add milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Whisk together until the wet ingredients are homogenous.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add your berries and fold them in with a rubber spatula.

Using an ice cream scooper, scoop batter into lined muffin tins. Sprinkle oats on top if desired. Bake for ~15-20 minutes. Mine took 17 minutes.

For best results, it is important to let them cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. This is for a couple of reasons. First, if you bite into them right away, you will most likely burn your mouth on the hot berries. Second, the muffins will be very, very soft and will fall apart. When I take mine out of the oven, I don't place them directly on the stove top because as I'm sure you know, the stove is warm as well. Place the muffin tin on a trivet or cooling rack, instead.

Do you SEE that oozing berry right there??! So freaking yummy!!

*****

I wouldn't even think about buying berry muffins anymore, because to me, these are perfect!! And to make today even more exciting, my Cuisinart ice cream/frozen yogurt/sorbet maker arrived! I am going to have way too much fun with it. If you know me well, you know that I am basically obsessed with frozen yogurt. Expect some delicious frozen treats coming your way soon :).

As I must get off the computer now to do other things (like sleep), I leave you with this:

What are you most excited about this summer? And more importantly, what are your favorite kinds of muffins?

*****