We get excited about Valentine’s Day at our house! It’s all about the gifts and the homemade cards and of course….the food. We love to start the day off with breakfast in bed and then cook something special for dinner as a family.
Nothing says I love you better than a tasty homemade crumb cake. Especially if it comes from me. As a self-professed non-baker, if I’m getting my cake on, it’s a special occasion!
What I love about crumb cake is that it’s an anytime-of-day delight: perfect with coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, or a delicious dessert.
I created this recipe to please the two loves in my life on Valentine’s Day. First, as a thank you to my husband who always goes above and beyond for his favorite girls on Valentine’s Day. Second for Norah, who wants nothing more than to have cake for breakfast. I even get to please myself because I can secretly tinker with the recipe to make it a little healthier.
Since we’re a house of Wild Blueberry lovers, adding a cup into the mix is one of my “health it up” secret weapons. Normally with coffee cake you would add a layer of cinnamon sugar to the center of the cake, but I used frozen Wild Blueberries instead. This way each delicious bite is bursting with incredible Wild Blueberry flavor!
Of course it’s also nice to know that I’m sneaking in a serving of antioxidants, as well. With double the antioxidants as tame blueberries, Wild Blueberries offer a wide range of natural antioxidants that help protect against disease. Wild Blueberries are especially rich in anthocyanin, a flavonoid with potent antioxidant capacity. Highly concentrated in the deep-blue pigments of Wild Blueberries, anthocyanin is responsible for both color and powerful health protection potential.
This delicious Wild Blueberry Crumb Cake is low in sugar and super simple to make using healthy, whole food ingredients. I hope you’ll make it for someone you love!
A few years after my daughter was born, my husband started a tradition. Every year for Valentine’s Day he would buy us matching necklaces. Over the years my daughter and I have received some beautiful pieces. Norah and I can’t wait to open those little boxes on February 14th. It’s become a really fun tradition in our family.
In return for his loving generosity, we make him breakfast in bed. It usually includes something Norah and I can make together. French toast and pancakes are regular features, but we’ve made a few smoothies and even an omelet one year! This year we are surprising him with heart-shaped Coconut Peanut Butter Wild Blueberry Toast.
My husband is quite the Wild Blueberry connoisseur. Over the last year he has been lead taste-tester for all of my Wild Blueberry recipes. Because of this, he has become a huge Wild Blueberry fan. He eats at least a handful of them every day, whether in his protein shake before the gym, stirred into a bowl of warm oatmeal, or as a flavorful add-in to his famous protein pancakes. Frozen Wild Blueberries are perfect for adding intense, sweetly unique blueberry flavor to many a favorite dish. He loves the boost of robust Wild Blueberry flavor and I love that he gets a potent burst of nutrition!
My Coconut Peanut Butter Wild Blueberry Toast is a play on your old-school PBJ! Creamy peanut butter is mixed with frozen Wild Blueberries, shredded coconut, vanilla, and a touch of honey. I slathered this delicious nut-butter and Wild Blueberry mixture onto 4 pieces of toasted heart-shaped bread. You can use any type of bread your sweetie likes. I could not resist using a homemade loaf I found called “seduction.” Perfect for Valentine’s day, right?
The intense purple color of the nut butter mixture is just gorgeous and brightens up the plate. It’s the perfect combination of beauty and flavor! My heart-shaped toast will be a fun departure from the norm this year. Although he wasn’t able to be my taste tester for this recipe, I’m sure he will love it just the same…and so will we!
Hello and Happy February! Did you know that February is National Heart Month?
As a Registered Dietitian, I’m all about bringing awareness to heart disease and how people can prevent it. So let’s get the bad news out of the way first: heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, contributing to 1 in 4 deaths. Risk factors for heart disease are things like poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, obesity, and diabetes.
The good news? Since heart disease risk factors are mostly lifestyle related, heart disease can often be prevented by making healthier choices, like eating better and exercising.
The even better news is that our delicious little blue friends, Wild Blueberries, are a great way to do this!
As I shared in last month’s post, Wild Blueberries are a rich source of a type of phytochemicals called polyphenols, which boast a wide array of protective health benefits due to their antioxidant qualities. In fact, research has shown that including Wild Blueberries consistently in diets may help improve or prevent cardiovascular disease due to a reduction in chronic inflammation and improved lipid profiles. (Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.)
The flavonoid anthocyanin, a phytochemical found in blue-pigmented fruit, is particularly high in Wild Blueberries compared to regular blueberries. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who eat three or more weekly servings of berries may reduce their risk of heart attack by up to 33%. Another study, a recent randomized controlled trial, found that daily consumption of blueberries helped to reduce blood pressure in post-menopausal women with pre- and stage 1 hypertension (high blood pressure). This is because anthocyanins are believed to help dilate arteries, helping to counter plaque buildup. There’s good news for men too. Another study found that Wild Blueberries can improve vascular function in healthy men, even from intake of just ¾ cup a day.
Bottom line: Wild Blueberries are both delicious AND functional – there’s no reason not to eat up, especially since they are available year round in the frozen food section.
To inspire you to eat for your heart this month, here’s a fun recipe to try. I know what you’re thinking – wait, scones? I thought I was supposed to be eating healthy? Well, these are healthy! Not only are they packed with antioxidants from the Wild Blueberries, but they also boast protein from the Greek yogurt and milk, and fiber from the whole wheat pastry flour. Even better is that they have very little added sugar – only 3 tablespoons – and instead get their bright flavor and sweetness from the lemon zest and Wild Blueberries. This would make the perfect breakfast in bed on Valentine’s Day, either for your significant other, or as a treat to yourself! Good for the heart, both literally and figuratively. Enjoy!
This heart healthy breakfast also makes a great pre-workout snack – enjoy it before heading out for your workout of choice! Need some workout inspiration? Here’s one of my recent favorite workouts – you can customize it to make it as short (or long) as you like.
For more tasty and easy Wild Blueberry recipes, check out my post from last month – it includes a couple full day’s worth of breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner ideas!
Anne Mauney is a Washington, D.C. based registered dietitian and the writer behind the food and fitness blog fANNEtastic food, which she started as a way to motivate others to lead happier, healthier lives through nutrition and exercise. Anne has a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition and owns a private practice where she helps clients to lose or maintain weight, feel healthier, and improve their relationships with food. Her fitness tips and recipes have been featured in The Huffington Post, Glamour, SHAPE, Fitness Magazine, Health Magazine, The Washington Post, and Woman’s Day. Check out her blog for easy healthy recipes, health tips, and more. You can also find her on Twitter @fANNEtasticfood, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
