Blueberries

One of my favorite summer superfoods is the blueberry. We've been eating quite a few of these this week, since our trip to Indigo Farms last weekend. This farm is known locally for it's blueberry fields, and there are days that you can go pick your own. We haven't done that yet, but it would be a fun adventure! They also have a produce market, with some great prices, and what seemed to be a flower market, though we didn't go to that side of it.

Before I go on, let me point out that I have NO education in nutrition, other than what my nutritionist has taught me and what I've learned myself online. We all know you can't believe everything you read on the internet, but I believe the links I'm going to post here are reliable. Just remember - I'm no expert!

On WebMD, I found an article regarding Superfoods that was the basis for the list I previously posted. This is what they say about blueberries:

Blueberries -- Antioxidant Superfood

Packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, these berries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory.

I'm not sure what a phytoflavinoid is, and couldn't seem to find a good definition online anywhere. So I kept looking for more articles on blueberries that had words that meant something to me. I found a great article here. It sets out all the health benefits of blueberries, their nutritional information and even a history of blueberries. I found it interesting that they weren't marketed as a food until 1916! This site also has a link to some recipes, though I haven't checked them out yet.

Here's a recipe I featured earlier in my blog, but only with a link:

















Banana Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups flour, all-purpose sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Butter
2/3 cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 cup Bananas mashed
1 cup Blueberries


Directions
60 minutes Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 50 minutes
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and banana alternately in three parts. Gently stir in blueberries.
Turn into oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Turn out of pan to cool.
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And finally, though it actually has nothing to do with food, here's a video preview of a new book by one of my favorite authors.

Blueberry Girl, by Neil Gaiman

Foods that are Super!

One of the things I'm learning more about these days is superfoods. Wikipedia defines Superfood as "a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that some may believe confers health benefits as a result". Different websites have slightly different lists of what are considered superfoods, and I'll let you research that yourself, but here is the list I've put together:

• apples
• avacado
• beans
  
• blueberries
• broccoli
• brown rice
• butternut squash
• cinnamon
• dark chocolate
• extra virgin olive oil
• garlic
• honey
• kiwi
• oats
• onions
• oranges
• pomegranate
• pumpkin
• wild salmon
• soy
  
• spinach
• sweet potatoes
• tea
• tomatoes
• turkey breast
• walnuts
• yogurt

Wow, that's a long list. Yesterday, I printed it and put it right on the fridge, so I can always be aware of what I need to be eating a little of as much as possible. I've been eating some of these foods right along, without realizing the great benefits of the foods. The other morning I made a breakfast of pomegranate blueberry yogurt with oats mixed in, and a glass of pomegranate blueberry juice to go with it. This was before I even knew that all four were on the list!



This is one of my lunches I had during the week. It was more of that yummy Earthgrains bread with some cucumber (from the garden!), mayo and turkey and a side of apple and grapes. It was delicious!


Today, I had LOTS of superfoods on my menu! After a breakfast of my now typical microwaved eggs and toast, I made a lunch of brown rice, with some steamed veggies, including broccoli, and mixed in some cheese and some homemade salsa, which of course, was made with tomatoes. After lunch I had a couple of pieces of dark chocolate, which normally I would consider cheating but HA! It's on the list!! Tonight for dinner we made some thin steaks, stuffed with spinach, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, portobello mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and broiled in the oven for a few minutes. We had a side of some red skinned mashed potatoes, and left over spinach mix.





We pretty much hit the superfoods jackpot with that dinner!!

Tomorrow we have plans to hit the farmers market, the big Lowes Foods shopping trip, then hopefully the BEACH!! Cross your fingers for some sun!! Off to watch a movie and cuddle with the hubby! Good night!