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Grow Your Own Blueberries and Reap Their Amazing Health Benefits

March 8, 2020 by Busy Moms Helper Team Leave a Comment

Raise your hand if you hate blueberries…yeah, we didn’t expect many hands up. Blueberries are tasty, blueberries are healthy, and they offer a multitude of benefits for our health. Rich in essential vitamins and minerals, they should be a major part of your daily diet. However, just like with all berries and fruit in general, those bought in stores aren’t exactly ideal.

Good news – you can easily grow blueberries at home! It’s quite simple actually and you don’t need to be a botanist to do it. Before we tell you how, let’s check some of their benefits.

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, but low on calories, blueberries are the heavyweight champ among berries. The antioxidants can prevent free radical damage to your cells, while they also reduce the risk of heart disease and boost the function of your brain.

Full of fiber and vitamin C, they are great for your digestion and immune system. You’ll also get a nice portion of vitamin K in a cup of blueberries with reduced DNA damage as a plus. In short, these berries are amazing and should be on your menu every day. Once you learn how to grow them at home, you’ll enjoy the benefits of this tasty fruit every day.

How to Grow Your Own Blueberries

To grow your own blueberries, you’ll need to pick the right spot. First and foremost, these berries need a lot of space. They also love sunlight, so make sure you grow them in a sunny area. Planting is done during spring – you’ll have berries ready to pick in July and August.

When it comes to mulch, you can use pine bark, grass clippings or rind mulch. About 2-4 inches should be fine.

Prune the big bushes to strengthen the branches. It goes without mention that dry bits should be removed. Bloodmeal and cottonseed work best for blueberries. Stick to these recommendations and you’ll have a batch ready in no time.

Healthy Blueberry Chia Breakfast Pudding

August 30, 2019 by Stephanie Kirkos 2 Comments

Hello, and Happy Friday! This is Stephanie from Steph in Thyme, and today I’m sharing a recipe for a healthy – yet protein packed – breakfast. Bursting with blueberries, this Blueberry Chia Breakfast Pudding is thick and hearty, yet light and refreshing for a summer morning.

If you’ve never experienced chia pudding before, I have the weekend activity for you. Chia Seeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet, packed with fiber, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids. While chia seeds are flavorless, it’s the texture that takes some getting used to. These teeny tiny little seeds expand and swell when placed in liquid, soaking up to twelve times their dry weight. They transform into little gel-like globules, which makes consumption a bit of a slippery endeavor.

I’ll admit, chia pudding took some getting used to because of its flubber-like consistency. Now that I’ve accepted how chia pudding feels on my tongue, I can’t get enough. I’ve made a Papaya Coconut Chia Pudding and eaten it for both breakfast and dessert on the same day. This version embraces summer blueberries, ripe and plump, for a colorful and healthy start to the day.

The pudding itself is very easy and quick to put together. Simply purée almond milk, blueberries, and agave in a blender and combine with a quarter cup of chia seeds – a little bit goes a long way! You can chill the chia pudding overnight and eat it first thing in the morning, or allow it to chill the day of for 2 to 4 hours. If you don’t want to use almond milk, you can use cashew milk, soy milk, or coconut milk instead.

Once the chia pudding has chilled and thickened, divide it into bowls and top with your favorite granola and additional blueberries. While thick, the pudding is also light and refreshing – the perfect way to start the day in summer.

I would love to hear from you. Are you a chia pudding fan? What’s your favorite way to prepare it? If you try chia pudding for the first time, let me know what you think!

Blueberry Chia Breakfast Pudding l Steph in Thyme for Busy Mom's Helper

Print Recipe

Healthy Blueberry Chia Breakfast Pudding

Prep Time10 mins

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup + 1/2 cup ripe blueberries, divided
1 tbsp agave or other natural sweetener
1/4 cup chia seeds
Favorite granola or dry cereal for garnish

Instructions

In a blender, combine almond milk, 3/4 cup blueberries, and agave. Blend until smooth.
Pour the contents of the blender into a medium bowl. Add the chia seeds and stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally to break up any chia clumps that may have formed. Pudding is ready when it has thickened, the chia seeds softened.
Divide the pudding into 2 bowls, for larger servings, or 4 bowls, for smaller servings. Top with additional 1/2 cup blueberries and granola, if desired. Serve immediately.

Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza

June 28, 2019 by Stephanie Kirkos

Hello, and Happy Summer! This is Stephanie from Steph in Thyme, and today I’m sharing a festive 4th of July recipe that you can bake and assemble with your kids, or bring along to a BBQ. This Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza slices and serves like a savory pizza for a creative twist on a picnic dessert. (originally shared June 2015)

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of gluten-free products in grocery stores. Every time I go to the store, I encounter a new product. My newest gluten-free find is a Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix by Pillsbury. I stumbled upon it in the baking aisle, intermingled with non-gluten-free baking mixes. Gluten-free funfetti?? What a pleasant surprise!

With 4th of July around the corner, I picked up a few boxes to create a treat fitting for the day (2 boxes for $4, I couldn’t resist). But the patriotic treat couldn’t be just simple sugar cookies – it had to be a fun, crowd-pleasing dessert people would reach across the picnic table for.

This sugar cookie pizza is really just one giant sugar cookie, but it’s fun to think of it as a large pizza, a simple crust ready for you to decorate with toppings. And what toppings are more festive for the 4th of July than bright red strawberries, deep blue blueberries, and a creamy white whipped cream?

To save time slicing the strawberries, I recommend using an egg slicer. It slices the strawberries evenly at one time to make pizza prep faster and efficient.

Keeping with the theme “fun and different,” I whipped up a dairy-free whipped cream made from chilled coconut milk instead of traditional whipped cream. This coconut whipped cream is silky smooth and simply divine, subtly flavored with coconut and a dash of almond extract.

In addition to serving as the “sauce” on this pizza, it’s also delicious dolloped over a bowl of fresh fruit or ice cream.

I arranged the blueberries and strawberries in a flower-like pattern, placing a large handful of fresh, ripe blueberries in the center then arranging the strawberries in a double-layer until I reached the edge of the sugar cookie crust, outlining the fringe of the whipped cream with more fresh blueberries.

You can serve the sugar cookie pizza immediately after you decorate it, but I found it easier to slice after it chilled in the fridge for an hour. The whipped cream sets and the fruit doesn’t move around as much when you’re slicing it like a pizza – because it’s just way more fun to eat it that way.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie 4th of July Pizza l Steph in Thyme for Busy Mom's Helper

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time17 mins

Servings: 8 -10 slices

Ingredients

17.5 oz box Pillsbury's Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix
1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
2 tbsp water
13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk (from the can, not the carton), chilled in the fridge for 24 hours
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp gluten-free almond extract
2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
2 cups ripe blueberries

Instructions

To prepare the cookie:

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Spray a 12 " pizza stone, pizza pan, or baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, egg, and baking mix. Beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until combined. Add the water, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix for another minute until a soft dough forms.
Roughly shape the dough into a large ball with your hands and place on the center of your pizza stone, pan, or baking sheet. With wet hands or a damp rolling pin, gently roll out the dough into a circle about 10" in diameter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.
Remove cookie from the oven and let cool completely. (I left the cookie on the pizza stone and served it right on the stone). With a sharp knife, gently glide it between the cookie and pan, separating any areas that may have stuck.

To prepare the coconut whipped cream:

Chill a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes. Take the chilled canned of coconut milk and flip it upside down, opening it from the bottom. Pour off the liquid, either setting aside for smoothies or discarding.
Remove the cold bowl from the freezer and scoop the solidified coconut milk into the bowl. Beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and almond extract, beat for additional minute until well combined.

To assemble the cookie pizza:

Spoon the coconut whipped cream over the cooled sugar cookie crust, spreading in an even layer over the cookie.
Trace the outline of the outer edge of the coconut whipped cream with a single line of blueberries. Add a handful of blueberries to the center of the pizza. Arrange the strawberries around the blueberries in a circle, adding another layer of strawberries on top, if desired. Continue adding an alternating ring of strawberries and blueberries until you reach the outer ring of blueberries.
Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for an hour (ideal). Slice the pizza into 8 to 10 slices with a sharp knife or pizza slicer.

Notes

You can use your favorite gluten-free sugar cookie baking mix in place of Pillsbury, adjusting the butter/water content if the mix isn't a comparable size.
If making the coconut whipped cream ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container. Remove from fridge and allow to warm up to a chill temperature - not cold or room temperature. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy again.
Depending on how you decorate the pizza, you can use more or less fresh fruit.

Presidents Day Dessert

February 15, 2016 by Chellie Schmitz

This Presidents Day Dessert is easy, healthy, and scrumptious!

Presidents Day Dessert

Celebrate Presidents day with an easy and healthy dessert! What?! Celebrate Presidents day? Who does that? Well, the government does for one. Often, government employees are off, and if you’re kids are as excited about getting the mail as mine, they’ll tell you there’s no mail that day. Technically, it is a National holiday. Many schools are closed that day.

3 Reasons to celebrate

But why celebrate? Whether your kids are home with you, or in school during the day, life is filled with teachable moments. As far as schooling goes, we homeschool, AND we public school. I never thought I’d be doing both, but that’s another topic. When we wrestled with what was best for each child, my heart didn’t want to send them away all day. But, what I realized is just because they’re not with me all day doesn’t mean I’m not involved in their lives. So we make the most of each moment we have. And we love learning! So why not learn about Presidents day?

When my kids were younger, and I was trying to make it through Michigan winters (cold, gray, dreary, mundane, did I mention cold?), I would look for opportunities to celebrate, which would make those dreary days more exciting. For example, we celebrated ground hogs day for a couple of years. My now older children, still ask me “what are we doing for groundhogs day?”

Lastly, it’s an excuse to eat dessert!! Haha! But you can feel good about this presidents day dessert, because it’s good for you. Greek yogurt, anti-oxidant berries, and no sugar added makes this the perfect treat. So let’s recap:

Celebrate Presidents Day because~

It’s a teachable moment
It makes an ordinary day extraordinary
It’s a good excuse for dessert

Not sure what to say about Presidents Day? Here’s some resources made for kids:

A brief overview on how it started
A little more in depth history
Activity pages
Crafts
Coloring pages and crafts

Parfaits are super easy to make! All you do is choose your ingredients and layer them in a jar or dish of your choice. In the recipe I’ve put approximate measurements to make 1 parfait. You really just want to layer the yogurt and the fruit, so when you’re making this, just do what looks best to you. It could vary depending on the size jar or dish you are using. In our family, the kids love getting their own jar to eat out of. I don’t know why, but they think that is awesome. You can make these up ahead of time and store them in the fridge. This would also make a great breakfast or snack!

Happy Presidents Day! Go make today extraordinary!

Print Recipe

Presidents Day Dessert

Ingredients

1 6 oz container coconut yogurt
2 Tbs fresh blueberries plus more for garnish
1 Tbs fresh raspberries plus more for garnish
1 tsp unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

Start with a layer (about a tablespoon or 2) of yogurt on the bottom of a mason jar or other serving container.
Place 1 Tbs blueberries on top.
Layer more yogurt.
Place 1 Tbs raspberries.
Layer more yogurt.
Place 1 tbs blueberries on top.
Finish with a dollop of yogurt, fresh berries and a sprinkle of coconut.
Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Looking for more easy recipes? Try these:

Mango Parfaits
mango_yogurt_parfait-7

Breakfast Banana Split
healthy_banana_split-3breakfastpin

Triple Berry Smoothie
triple_berry_spinach_smoothiepin-2

Delicious Blueberry Snack Cake

August 18, 2015 by Angela Paris

This blueberry snack cake is easy to whip up and makes a tasty afterschool treat! Blueberries have proven benefits for eye health and cognitive abilities, so your kiddos will be able to get their homework done in a flash.

Here in New England, we’re in the thick of blueberry season. I love pick blueberries because it’s just so darn easy! The kids love it, too, for the same reason. It’s a fun summer activity we can do as a family. The key to having a really great time, though, is going early in the morning before it gets too hot out. Since the picking is so easy, we usually end up with tons of blueberries. They freeze really well, so I have blueberries on hand for several months to come.

<blueberry picking image>

Side Note: To freeze fresh blueberries, gently wash and dry the berries. When the berries are completely dry, spread them out in a single layer on a large sheet pan. Freeze for about 3 hours, then transfer the berries into an airtight bag. You keep them in the freezer for 3-6 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before using.

Blueberries are a wholesome snack full of antioxidants. Plus they’re a good source of vitamins K, C and Fiber. So if you can’t get your kids to eat them plain, try them in this cake. The health benefits of the blueberry more than make up for the cake, in my opinion!

Print Recipe

Blueberry Snack Cake

Servings: 12 pieces

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pint blueberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Lightly cover an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt together.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and zest on medium high until light, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as you go.
In another bowl, mix buttermilk and vanilla. Beat a third of flour mixture into butter mixture until nearly combined, then beat in half of buttermilk mixture. Repeat, ending with last third of flour mixture; beat until just combined. Stir in lemon juice.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and sprinkle blueberries on top, pressing down lightly. The blueberries will sink slightly as the cake cooks.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

You can serve this cake just as it is, or for a real treat, with a dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream. That’s Mr. Juggling Act’s favorite way to eat it. My mother-in-law loves a piece of this blueberry snack cake with a cup of tea. However you enjoy it, it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family.

Get the recipe for my whipped cream by clicking the image below: