blueberry recipes Archives - Page 2 of 4

Shake Up Your Smoothie Routine with 14 New Smoothie Recipes

Right now, the Wild Blueberry Barrens of Maine and Eastern Canada are simply bursting with gazillions of purple-and-blue, anthocyanin-rich, scrumptious Wild Blueberries. These little wonders are fulfilling their biological destiny—ripening to perfection over thousands of acres of remote, wide-open barrens—just as they have been doing for over 10,000 years in only one special place on earth. It’s a marvel to behold, and to taste.

What better way to celebrate the splendor of this unique annual phenomenon than to travel North in August, rake Wild Blueberries for yourself, and engage in a creative competition to test your smoothie-making prowess.

Recently, we did just that. A group of 14 exceptional bloggers, writers, and journalists from around the United States, joined us on a 3-day exploration of the Wild Blueberry Barrens of Maine. A highlight of the trip was a spirited smoothie making competition that brought out a playful competitive spirit and some serious creative genius. If you’ve managed to fall into something of a smoothie rut, have a look at these interesting ingredients. Just a couple new ingredients can really spice up your smoothie and bring in a host of new vitamins and minerals that your body might be craving.

Over 40 Great Ingredients

In all, our competitors had over 40 ingredients to work with. The only rule was that each smoothie must include Frozen Wild Blueberries, picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen to lock in their nutrition. Here’s the list.

How many of these ingredients are in your go-to smoothie “pantry”?

Frozen Wild Blueberries	Lemon	Spinach
Bananas	Lime	Protein Powder
Strawberries	Almond Milk	Maple Syrup
Pineapple	Low-fat Milk	Honey
Watermelon	Coconut Water	Medjool Dates
Dragonfruit	Yogurt	Cacoa Powder
Avocado	Cream Cheese	Vanilla Extract
Hemp Seeds	Walnuts	Cardamom
Chia Seeds	Cinnamon	Turmeric
Almond Butter	Fresh Mint	Matcha Powder
Coconut Butter	Fresh Basil	Graham Crackers

The smoothies were judged for taste, texture, and visual presentation by Wild Blueberry nutrition advisor Kit Broihier, MS, MD, LD, and Bar Harbor Inn Executive Chef Louis Kefir. Two first place winners were selected, and the prize was a 900 Pro Series NutriBullet.

14 NEW Inspiring & Healthy Smoothies

Explore the list of out-of-this-world recipes created by our entire team of writers. Each has its own unique character, flavor, and appearance, so try them out (and check out the cool names):

Summer 2016 Wild Your Smoothie Contest.

The Winners!

Drum roll, please. After careful consideration by our two judges, the following two smoothies were selected as contest winners. Spice Market Smoothie by Regina Ragone, Food, Director at Family Circle, was selected for its exceptional taste and the use of cardamom, which adds serious interest and uniqueness. The Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothie by Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine, was selected for its fresh flavor, beautiful color, and overall appeal.

557_ReginaBtB — Spice Market Smoothie by Regina Ragone, Food, Director at Family Circle

557_MarnieBtB — Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothie by Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine

Bottom Line

Making great smoothies is a healthy way to get a tasty and easy on- the-go meal. Sometimes, we get into a smoothie routine that needs to be shaken up a bit. Try adding some new ingredients now and then. Variety will spice up your life and add new vitamins and minerals too. Who doesn’t want to feel healthy, happy, and spicy?

Make Dad Smile with this Delicious Protein-Packed Father’s Day Breakfast Smoothie

Father’s Day at our house is usually met with fun and fanfare. I think Norah looks forward to both Father’s Day and Mother’s Day more than her own birthday! She typically has her gift ready and card made weeks in advance, in full anticipation of the big day.

On the morning of each big day, she is the first to wake up and is always eager to whip up a delicious breakfast extravaganza, with a little help of course. This Father’s Day she’s excited to be able to make breakfast all by herself, because this year her Dad is getting his favorite breakfast smoothie.

My husband normally enjoys a more decadent Father’s Day breakfast. In fact, he adores nothing more than a decadent high-carb breakfast – croissant French toast or fluffy pancakes drizzled with way too much maple syrup are his holiday go-tos. But this year he’s been on a bit of a health kick. There hasn’t been much of anything decadent or sweet on his menu for a while, as he’s been in full training mode for the last two months. The occasional splurge here and there happens, but for the most part he’s been living lean.

His routine of late is to wake up, drink a protein smoothie, and then hit the gym. If you’ve ever lived with someone who’s in training mode of any kind, it can be stressful when you ask them to veer off-plan. Since we don’t want a stressed-out dad on Father’s Day, we are sticking to the plan.

Norah will be thrilled to deliver to him his favorite Wild Blueberry smoothie. This recipe is a blueberry triple threat. His smoothies always start with a heaping cup of frozen Wild Blueberries. He loves the intense Wild Blueberry taste and looks forward to his morning dose of antioxidants. To his frozen Wild Blueberries he adds vanilla flavored Greek yogurt for a creamy effect and blueberry flavored ground flax seed for a dose of fiber and healthy fats.

Of course he also adds a scoop or two of protein powder, but not before a few drops of vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon for natural sweetness, and a frozen banana are mixed in.

This protein smoothie is the perfect pre-workout breakfast or post-workout recovery meal. It’s low in sugar, big on delicious Wild Blueberry flavor, and a healthy, nutrient-dense way to start the morning. Especially if it’s delivered to you in bed…with a big hug and a home-made card.

7 Tips for Packing the Perfect Lunch Box from Registered Dietician Liz Weiss

It’s back-to-school season and that means packing lunches, again! For many parents, packing the lunchbox can send the heart into nervous palpitations. But for registered dietitian Liz Weiss, it’s an art form. After reading her lunchbox ideas, your anxiety will magically transform into inspiration.

Liz is an award-winning broadcast journalist, cookbook author, and radio show host who started Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen, a leading blog for parents in search of better ways to feed their family a super-nutritious diet. She’s also the co-author of two great books: No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms and The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time and she recently released a mobile recipe app called, Meal Makeovers. You can read more about Liz at http://mealmakeovermoms.com/ and you can download the Meal Makeover app here.

Here’s some of the wisdom Liz shared with us about packing lunches.

How do you get inspired with packing a good lunchbox?
To get inspired I think about color, flavor, nutrition, and seasonality. I really like to include all of the senses – smell, sight, touch, and taste when thinking about the lunch box.
What has worked for you in the past?
I have found that it’s really helpful to include my kids in the process. I do this by simply asking them: “What do you want for lunch?” The last thing we want –or I want as a dietitian – is to throw away food or for a child to not eat something because it’s not appealing. Plus, if they don’t eat what you packed for lunch they are getting no nutritional benefit. One of the most important ways to get children excited is to present the food in a kid-appealing way. For example if you’re going to slice up apples, put a little lemon on them so they don’t turn brown. Put grapes in a small container. Think about how you package your food. Use small containers and put a little utensil in there. Make it cute and playful. That’s why Bento Box Lunches are so appealing. Kids like to play, so it pays off to think about finger foods –something easy to pick up and bite into. Most young kids are either missing teeth or they have braces – and it’s important to be mindful and make sure they are physically able to eat the food you pack. For example, I would never send young kids to school with whole pieces of fruit like apples.
How important is it to be organized?
It’s very important. As moms we really relish our sleep. If you can get 5-10 extra minutes of sleep in the morning, wouldn’t you want that? Pack shelf-stable milk boxes in the fridge before going to bed. That way it will be cold in the morning and will help keep your kid’s lunch cold. If you’re packing sandwiches, wash and dry the lettuce leaves the night before, and have them in a bag ready to go. Cut up your veggies the night before – have bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers ready with a small container of dip. Recently, I sent my son to school with pasta salad. I boiled the whole wheat pasta the night before and it was ready to go in the morning.
Can you provide a few simple ideas for recipes?
There are lots of lunchbox recipes on my website. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Yogurt, granola and fruit cup— morning snack time at school is a perfect time to integrate some healthy options. I like to pack a small container of yogurt and pour some frozen wild blueberries over the top. Then I add a second container of granola to sprinkle on the top.

Pasta salad—I’m all about whole grains, so I start with a whole-wheat rotini. Then I add all-natural deli ham, feta cheese, diced bell peppers, zucchini ribbons, corn on the cob (leftover from last night’s dinner), and some Italian dressing. This is simple and delicious.

Kebabs — These are a favorite. I use cheese cubes, leftover chicken or deli meats like turkey or chicken. Then I add grapes, melon cubes or berries in between.

Chicken salad — Here’s an easy one. I use cubed chicken mixed with plain Greek yogurt, some low-fat mayonnaise. Then I add nuts, dicedgrapes or apples, or diced avocado.

Quesadillas – These are a hit for lunch and offer a nice change of scenery from the standard lunch. I heat the tortilla and then I add beans, veggies, cheese, and BBQ sauce and wrap these hot in foil.

What are some common lunchbox mistakes?
Packing too much food is a common mistake. Kids have about 20 minutes to eat so I encourage parents to pack the right amount of food for their child and prepare it in bite-sized pieces. Be sure to observe what comes back in the lunch box – this can be very telling. A lot of parents tend to focus on refined carbs because they are easy– they will pack a bagel with cream cheese, a juice box, and a bag of chips. The challenge when packing a bagel/juice box/bag of chips is that it lacks color and nutrition, so focus on a rainbow of colors instead!
What is the trick to keeping it healthy?
Make sure you have fresh fruit and a veggie in your lunch box. Some parents consider juice to be a fruit serving, but it’s best to think about fresh, frozen, or dried fruit as a true serving. Don’t forget about snacks. I view snacks as a mini-meal. Snack time is an opportunity to weave in ingredients that are missing in the diet. If they are not getting veggies or fruit in the morning, make sure they’re an option as a snack. One of my favorite snacks is my Mini Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins.

7. What are some of the worst lunch boxes you’ve seen?

I’ve seen a morning snack of Hawaiian punch and chips. I’ve also seen Gatorade and chocolate chip cookies. These “snacks” bring calories and sugar to the diet, but not much more. Remember that kids are small, and it doesn’t take much to fill their stomachs – so every bite should be packed with nutrition – think nutrient rich and the colors of the rainbow. Every time you pack that lunchbox ask yourself: “What is this ingredient doing for my child?”

What are favorite things to pack for your kids’ lunches? What’s the worst lunch box you’ve ever seen?

Green Days: National Salad Month Goes Blue!

Salads just aren’t what the used to be, and that’s a good thing. In fact, May is a month dedicated to salads – it’s National Salad Month, a perfect time to take a close look at your big bowl of greens and make sure it represents this brave new world. Today, the best salads are enlivened with colors and tastes that give them a whole new dimension. What was once just a way to get a serving or two is now an integral part of contemporary cuisine.

You know the advantages: salads are filling, fibrous and interesting to eat, and they incorporate a variety of veggies and fruits with such ease that it makes it almost impossible not to eat from the rainbow. And now, something sweet and delicious has become a new salad staple, as much so as a leaf of romaine or a slice of tomato. That something is wild blueberries. They turn up the volume on taste, turn sides into the main event, and provide superior nutrition at the same time.

Using wild is the key: the smaller size of wild blueberries means more berries in every bite for more taste and concentrated antioxidant power (twice the antioxidant capacity of cultivated blueberries). Nature also provided wild blueberries with a unique and delicious variety of sweet and tangy tastes that the larger cultivated berries simply can’t match, a real advantage when it comes to salads. They are the choice of chefs and home cooks for their versatility and ease of use as an ingredient in any recipe, especially those that start with a bed of greens. (They also make an incomparable vinaigrette. Keep a carafe in the fridge and serve it up on the fly.)

Ready to see what wild blues can do to take your greens from boring to bodacious? May provides the perfect opportunity for a long overdue journey into a new world of salad. Start tossing!

Wild Picks For Salad Month (or Anytime)

These recipes take salad to the height of taste and creativity, and thanks to frozen, every single one is seasonless – even those that call for fresh. Today’s wild blueberries are frozen within 24 hours of harvest at the peak of taste and nutritional goodness and available in the frozen fruit section of supermarkets across the country year round, making them as nutritious and delicious as those just picked – simply thaw and serve.

Wildly Simple

Plating Up, the culinary blog of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine may call this salad recipe The Blues for its combination of wild blueberries and blue cheese, but it provides nothing but happiness – it’s a perfect example of the superb pairings that can come from wild.
Gwenyth Paltrow isn’t just an actress, she’s a foodie of the first order, and in her newsletter goop she points out some of the best in the art of eating, among other things. This Blueberry Salad uses ricotta and cucumber and small, tasty wild blues to achieve minimalist salad perfection.

Blue Twist on the Traditional

You’ll know this Waldorf Salad with Wild Blueberries salad by its celery, lettuce, apples, and walnuts, but its sweet variation is anything but traditional. Wild blues update this simple salad and make it sensational.
Caesar Salad with Wild Blueberries is classic, not common. This salad change-up creates the perfect flavor profile with its superfruit enhancement.

Salad Sensations

The Portland Press Herald pulled out all the stops when they highlighted some mouth-watering wild blue recipes from auspicious origins in Tried True and Blue this past month. It includes a blueberry salad from Five Fifty-Five that combines blueberry gastrique, granola crumble, and Champagne-blueberry vinaigrette – a superb salad experience!
Warm Asian Beef Salad with Wild Blueberries gives an Eastern twist to greens and puts so-called side dishes to shame.

Indulge In More Blue! WildBlueberries.com has plenty of ideas for using frozen fresh wild blueberries in salads, desserts, drinks and more.

February 12th: Perfect Day for Pancakes

From Buttermilk to Berry, Pancakes are a Seasonal Tradition

Any day is a good day to celebrate the pancake, but February 12 is an especially good time to partake in its warm, cakey goodness. That’s because the 12th is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, the last day before the beginning of Lent. Because Lent marks a period of abstaining – often from indulgences that include eggs, sugars and fats – tradition dictates that this Tuesday is the day to use those items from the cupboard before it commences. In other words, it’s an ideal day for a towering plate of wonderful pancakes – whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

There is particular reverence for this edible golden disc in the UK and Ireland, where the day is marked by pancake races and other pancake-themed festivities. Here in the US and Canada, the day is a perfect excuse to take advantage of the pancake’s many coveted characteristics. It is the perfect foil for the native wild blueberry, for example, and an excellent way to fold in sweet taste and powerful antioxidant properties to this enjoyable dish.

In addition to adding nutritious berries, you can always increase the health quotient of your cake even during your period of abstinence by using whole wheat flour, apple sauce as a substitute for sugar, and using soy milk, like these healthy pancake recipes from Health.com do. So fire up the skillet and create the perfect pancake. It’s simple: measure ingredients carefully, don’t overbeat (to avoid a tough cake), warm the skillet until water dances on the surface, and stick to a single flip – waiting until the batter bubbles. And, choose a mouth-watering recipe that takes full advantage of a day when the pancake reigns.

The Blueberry Pancake: Delicious Twist on Tradition
Pancakes happily abide their share of fruits, veggies, and chocolate chips, but there’s no denying it’s the blueberry pancake that stands the test of time and taste. With the convenience of frozen and the powerful nutrition of the smaller, more flavorful wild blueberry that provides more berries per serving (the key to a superb pancake), it’s simply the ideal pairing.

But even pancake purists like to sweeten the pot. There’s so much more you can do to raise the stakes, as these new classics from the WildBlueberries.com recipe chest attest:

Buckwheat Pancakes with Wild Blueberry Apple Compote – A mouth-watering twist on the traditional wild blueberry pancake, where decadent meets nutritious berry goodness. Even more delightful with a dab of yogurt or sour cream.
Buckwheat Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce – This ingenious use of blue gets the nod from Color Code author Dr. Daniel Nadeau and mingles two fruit favorites.
New! Viennese Pancakes with Wild Blueberries – This entry as a top pancake contender has two cups of frozen wild blueberries and balances health and taste like a champ. It also delights as a dessert with a dollop of vanilla ice cream!

Need more pancake ideas for Shrove Tuesday? Revisit our Passion for the Pancake post for more palatable ideas for Pancake Day, or dig into delicious with Fabio Viviani’s Perfect Savory Pancakes which feature ricotta cheese and smoked paprika.

Pancakes: A Valentine’s Day Essential
Thinking about breakfast in bed for a loved one this Valentine’s Day? If you are truly set on opening your heart, only pancakes will do. Keri Glassman, author of the Slim Calm Sexy Diet, suggests showing some love with heart-shaped, whole-wheat pancakes with a berry yogurt topper and dark chocolate-covered strawberries. The perfect edible love letter!

There’s Something About Vinaigrette

Wild Blueberries Kick Up Greens & More

There’s something about vinaigrette – specifically, blueberry vinaigrette – that sends many recipe seekers to Wild About Health. In fact, there are as many of us searching for this twist on vinaigrette as there are searching for pie or cobbler.

It seems blueberry vinaigrette has come out of hiding. It’s been discovered by discriminating cooks for its unexpectedness and its perfect balance of sharpness and subtlety that perks up any dish. It’s lively, light, and flavorful, and creates an ideal flavor profile for proteins and vegetables that goes beyond oil and vinegar. It also provides the perfect opportunity to add something unique to a meal with a knowing nod to a wild, regional food.

While “blueberry vinaigrette” may be the shorthand, it’s the “wild” that makes this vinaigrette shine. Wild provides the intense flavor, and it’s unsurpassed when it comes to health. Wild is also the chef’s choice when it comes to any recipe. (Go ahead and compare wild vs. cultivated and see.)

Vinaigrette Unleashed

Need more reasons to love vinaigrette? You got it. There’s no end to vinaigrette’s versatility when you add the flavor of wild blueberry – it whips the drab out of a dish faster than your can answer the question, “What’s that exquisite flavor?” Here are a few ideas to put this taste accomplice to work:

Dress your greens. For salads, wild blueberry vinaigrette adds natural flavor and zing.
Use it as marinade. Think fish and chicken. Keep it brief for fish – 15-30 minutes, so the acidity does not “cook” the fish.
Use it on vegetables – add wild blueberry vinaigrette while cooking, or toss veggies in a small amount before serving for a subtle wild blue flavor.
Dip your bread. Dipping crusty bread in EVOO is a popular table activity – using wild blueberry vinaigrette is a great alternative. Provide a bit for your focaccia in a selection of shallow dishes.
Drizzle it – over a chicken or turkey sandwich for is slimmer, superior alternative to fattier condiments, and as the perfect complement to this protein, courtesy of that wild blue flavor.

Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette

Need the ultimate recipe? Look no further. Easy assembly and storage means you can take any meal from snoozy to snazzy with this Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette recipe from WildBlueberries.com. See below.

Need More Salad?

For something new, try this Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Wild Mushroom and Blueberry Vinaigrette. Don’t just stop at the mushrooms when it comes to wild – choose wild for the blueberries, too. (Go ahead and get them frozen, they’re as delicious and nutritious as fresh.)

Or, toss together these palate-pleasing salad options for a new twist on greens that will prove more than just an entrée sidekick:

Wild Blueberries with Roquefort, Celery and Cumberland Sauce

Savory Salad with Goat Cheese and Wild Blueberry Sauce

Rainbow Superfood Salad with Wild Blueberry and Balsamic

Purple Potatoes, “The Newsroom” & Plenty of Wild, Healthy Blues: Our Top Ten Posts of 2012

What posts had the biggest impact on our readers this year? The top ten posts of 2012 included everything from purple potatoes to HBO’s “The Newsroom”. We’re pleased to have been a part of sharing health and nutrition research, news, information, fun stories and recipes with you during the past twelve months. We’re looking forward to much more to come in 2013. Here’s to a healthy, wild, well new year!

1. Dig In: Purple Potatoes Have Vibrant Health Benefits
Health benefits from a colorful vegetable caught our readers’ attention this year – so much so, it was the top viewed post of 2012. Hat’s off to the unique power of purple!

2. Five Very Unexpected Benefits of Eating Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are healthy, sure – but they also help with depression, provide benefits for smokers who want to quit, and improve your love life.

3. Wild Blueberry Favorites – Your Top 5 Recipes
What are wild blues best at? Here’s the definitive list straight from those who know – our readers!

4. Pterostilbene: Big Promise for an Amazing Antioxidant
As research into the benefits of blueberries continues, one compound is showing a unique anti-cancer potential.

5. Fresh Maine Blueberries: A Summer Tradition
Those berries on your plate are more than just delicious – they are also a wild summer tradition.

6. Wild Blueberry Research You Should Know About
This new research into cancer, bowel health, heart health and weight made waves this year.

7. LATEST NEWS: Victory for the Frozen Message
When Dr. Oz spoke out about frozen, the message spanned the globe – and the cover of TIME.

8. Blueberries May Preserve Brain Health: How A New Study Affects You
You wanted to know more about good news for an important part of preserving the brain as we age.

9. Want a Little Belly? Try a Little Blueberry
Resolving to battle belly bulge? Arm yourself with phyto-rich foods.

10. Diabetes, Wild & “The Newsroom”
Your love for all three inched this post into the top 10 this year, and helped get this diabetes story the press it deserves.

Enjoying these top posts from 2012? Subscribe to have weekly headlines from Wild About Health sent right to your inbox all year long, or send us a story you’d like to see on Wild About Health on 2013!

Guest Post: The Urban Mrs.

Fusing Food, Fun, & Wild Blueberries

This week, we’re happy to introduce you to Linda Tambunan, the force behind TheUrbanMrs.com, a blog about cooking simple, healthy dishes. The blog’s tagline, “Eat. Play. Love – Daringly Delicious” fits her perspective perfectly. It’s a place where Fridays usually have the adjective “Fun” and “Muffin Mondays” are a weekly occurrence. Her approach to cooking says it all: “to explore new flavors and leave the dishes unwashed.”

The self-proclaimed food enthusiast draws her inspiration from her upbringing in Asia spent hanging around her mother’s kitchen, and more recently from her own culinary experimentation in her San Francisco kitchen, thousands of miles from her childhood home. Her edible exploits, revealed in engaging narrative and visual documentation, are often interpretations of Asian-influenced dishes infused with West Coast style.

Many of Linda’s recipes reveal a love of fusion at their core, like this Turkey Empana and Chimichurri Sauce, a solution for Thanksgiving leftovers, these sweetly health-conscious Gluten-free Apple Cider Doughnuts, and the surprisingly appetizing Spam Pasta Salad, where two worlds collide deliciously. This week, she shares a recipe perfectly suited to Wild About Health. For these Wild Blueberry Cupcakes with Coffee Frosting, she says, “I rely heavily on the sweetness and colors of blueberry, hence this recipe is not as sweet as a regular cupcake,” and adds, “this is one of our family favorites”.

(Coffee Frosting Recipe is courtesy of AllRecipes.com.)

Wild Blueberries Complete a Colorful Table

5 Super Sides for the Fall Season

Wild blueberries have surged in popularity in dishes, sauces, and sides and as substitutes for traditional ingredients in classic recipes. Intense nutrition? Sure – but they also have an exceptional taste that pairs with proteins and shines in sweets.

When plating that’s pleasing to the eye is a central concern, wild blues provide a pop of color. Of course, wild blueberries are a seasonless go-to ingredient in pies, but fall gatherings are a perfect time to think outside the crust. If your goal is nutrition, flavor, and appearance in equal measure, side dishes that feature wild blueberries can turn a hum-drum nosh into a spectacular repast.

As part of your quest for wildly delicious sides, remember that frozen suits almost every recipe just as well as fresh – the substitution is one to one. Keep frozen wild blueberries frozen for cooking – no need to thaw – and make sure your blues are wild for maximum flavor, nutrition, and fruit-to-bite ratio (thanks to their smaller size). You can also substitute wild blueberries for cranberries in many holiday recipes, or swap half the cranberries for wild blueberries for a sweet and tart combination.

Ready for a fabulous feast? Here are five wild blueberry sides that will put your table on trend. (Careful, they might steal the show.)

1. Blueberry-Cranberry Sauce: A Neo-Classic

While wild blueberries outperform them when it comes to measuring both antioxidant capacity and cellular antioxidant activity, cranberries pack their own health punch. Together, these two vibrant berries score big in taste and nutrition. The zing of cranberry complemented by the unique sweet-savory flavor of wild blues is the perfect twist on an essential holiday side dish.

This Cranberry Sauce recipe readily suggests blueberry and pecan additions to the classic compote. The Examiner has a cran-blueberry take on this beloved side, and Allrecipes.com offers up a ramekin-ready take on Blue Cranberry Sauce.

2. Stuffing with Wild Blueberries: Sweet Surprise

Stuffing that includes wild blues? You bet. A touch-of-tart filling for a succulent bird provides a pop of color and the element of surprise. It’s on every foodie’s fall table this season. Consider what berries and currants do for a savory stuffing, and you’ll know why wild blueberries will work wonders in your own classic recipe – use 1 cup to 1 pound as a fruit-to-bread guideline.

If cornbread stuffing is a favorite, this Blueberry Cornbread Stuffing, originally from our own WildBlueberries.com, is a festive twist on the traditional. Cookingnook.com recommends fruit (wild blues, for example) to take this Best Turkey Stuffing to the next level, and Martha Stewart’s stuffing recipes, like Cornbread & Pumpkin Challah Stuffing and Bread Stuffing with Sage, encourage embellishments such as dried blueberries.

3. Wild Blueberry Stuffed Squash: A Visual Feast

This new table tradition is trending. Why? Because squash and sweet blues make a superb pair, and a halved acorn or butternut filled to the brim with berries is stunning to serve to guests. Acorn Squash Stuffed with Blueberries from Epicurious.com is right on the nose – you’ll find many recipes that riff off of this foundation. Others use rice or quinoa to stuff, and encourage berry additions.

4. Wild Blueberry (Turkey) Sauce: The Perfect Profile

It’s as if wild blueberries were made to pair with turkey. Entrees like turkey, chicken, duck and lamb achieve a sweet flavor balance with wild blues. Unlike the stand-alone sauce above, these sauces are meant for pouring, drizzling, and highlighting the main attraction, and their variations harmonize exquisitely.

Lay claim to this Wild Blueberry Grape Sauce, for instance, if you are looking for a colorful drizzle to liven up your platter. EatingWell.com uses thyme to complete the flavor profile on this Turkey with Blueberry Pan Sauce, and Wild Blueberry Chutney does similar work as a festive topping, be it breast, leg, or wing (or turkey sandwiches).

5. Wild Blueberry Bread: Beat the Beige

Bread completes any homemade meal, and with a scattering of sweet blue berries, it can do double duty by beating a holiday meal’s beige blues. With so many options, it would be a shame to miss the opportunity for some wild baking this season.

Raise the roof with this Quinoa Blueberry, Cheddar, & Caraway Rye Cornbread from Yummly, try Paula Deen’s Sweet Blueberry Cornbread, or this Blueberry Zucchini Bread, either for meals or morning afters. Taste of Home keeps the flavor refreshing with Blueberry Orange Bread, or take a left turn and go for Blueberry Bread Pudding from Food & Wine. Enjoy!

Want More Blue? Learn Why Wild Blueberries Should be Part of Your Thanksgiving, and get your 10 Most Popular Questions About Cooking with Frozen Wild Blueberries answered at FAQ Blue.

Want a Daily Dose of Blue? Pin Your Passion!

Inspired to increase your wild blueberry intake? You’re not alone. More and more of us are putting our yen for this colorful, delicious, powerfully healthy superfruit where our mouth is. Eating more wild blueberries means you’re replacing empty calorie foods with nutrient-rich ones, eating something you love, and, most likely, cooking more at home. And that’s good for your weight, your health, and your well being.

Luckily, there’s a place that satisfies a desire for everything blue and provides a new wild blueberry recipe every day to help maintain enthusiasm for your daily dose – it’s our Pinterest page – a place where those who love wild blueberries come together to share their passion.

Our “WildBlueberries!” page provides lively, colorful boards with themes like Wild Blueberry Cocktails and Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes. The Wild Blueberry Videos board contains a wealth of visual delights, facts about wild blues, and one-on-ones with chefs that use them in their recipes. Where else could you find a fabulous Fruit Pizza, a French Toast Sandwich and this Forbidden Rice Pudding with Blueberries in one place? And, because our Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes board provides a brand new wild blueberry recipe every day, it will inspire and assist you in your quest to get your daily dose of blue.

A Community of Blue

If getting a daily dose of blue sounds easy, that’s because it is. Many people already incorporate a half cup or more of wild blueberries into their diet each day. While some insist on a daily smoothie, others enjoy finding new and original ways to incorporate their favorite blue fruit into salads, sandwiches, entrées and desserts. In fact, if you are someone who is always seeking out new ideas to make meals exciting, you may reap health benefits. Those who eat a varied diet, include a diversity of fruits and vegetables, and eat widely across the color spectrum are often healthier. A colorful diet that incorporates a rainbow of colors provided by nature is an excellent basis for getting needed nutrients. Eating a daily dose of wild blueberries fits the bill perfectly, especially because of their year-round availability in the frozen aisle.

Get on Board

Ready to show your love for wild blueberries?

First, log in to your Pinterest account and visit our page. There’s lots of things to do there:

Follow us. Follow a favorite board, like Wild Blueberry Cocktails, the Wild About Health board, recipe board, video board – or all of them!
Get a link. Re-pin something anytime during the month of October from any of our boards and we’ll post a link to your Pinterest board on Facebook and Twitter.
Have your recipe featured on Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes. Choose a favorite wild blueberry recipe – something you found surfing the web, or something from your own website or blog. Then, post the URL to your recipe in the comment section here. We might choose it to be one of our Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes and share it with all our followers!

Indulging your passion with a pin is a fun way to learn about health and get inspired to create new dishes and share them. You’ll see how easy it is to start eating more wild blues – you may even want to do it every day.

Interested in incorporating a daily dose of blue in your diet? Ease into your regimen with ½ cup twice a week. Eating anthocyanin-rich fruits just twice a week, particularly wild blueberries, has been shown to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. Then, move to ½ cup every day as a way to attain the recommended goal of two cups of fruit per day. Getting two cups of fruit per day means you have an ally in the battle to stay healthy and age well. It will help you maintain weight and may help protect you against diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

Need something else to sweeten the pie? Dishes that include wild blueberries satisfy cravings for the sweet and delicious – and that helps maintain a healthy diet 365 days a year. Happy pinning!