Very merry blueberry

April 13th, 2010

Becki

Blueberries

You ought to have seen what I saw on my way

To the village, through Mortenson’s pasture to-day:

Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,

Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum

In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!

– Robert Frost

There is a lot more to that poem. A LOT more. You get the point though.

Check this out-raise your hand if you haven’t heard how good blueberries are for you. These little berries are the chocked full of antioxidants. These antioxidants neutralize free-radicals. This helps to fight cancers.

Blueberries are also high in a soluble fiber called pectin. That means that they help to lower cholesterol. On top of that, they’re a good source of vitamin A and C.

These cool blue berries have also been shown to possibly help reduce belly fat, promoting urinary tract health, improve vision, and aid in digestive process.

Here’s a little curveball for you-blueberries aren’t berries. They’re actually labeled “false berries”. It looks like a berry, but it has to do with the ovary of the flower/berry.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

These are the best pancakes that you will ever eat. Period. This particular recipe is very similar to one that we’ve used in the past. I found this one on AllRecipies.com. The one exception is replacing the sugar with Stevia (an herbal sweetener alternative). Stevia is sweeter than sugar, so you don’t need as much.

Ingredients

1-¼ cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk (you’ll probably need more to reach the right consistency)

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp Stevia

½ cup blueberries (frankly, I’d go with a full cup. After all, who doesn’t like a ton of blueberries in the blueberry pancakes?)

Directions

Sift the flour and baking soda. Beat the egg, and mix the milk, salt, and Stevia in a bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, add the blueberries, and stir to incorporate everything.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium heat. Pour the desired amount for the pancake size that you want. A quarter of a cup of mix is a good cake. Cook until the cake is bubbly, and flip. Cook until golden brown.

This recipe will make approximately 10 pancakes, or five servings. One serving is 160 calories, 2.6 grams of fat. The fat/calories would go down if you use a non-fat milk.