Hello friends! I hope this blog post finds you in good spirits.
Springtime is in full swing. Actually, here in sunny Florida, it feels more like summer is in full swing. Temperatures have been in the high 80s, and even the low 90s at times. Why is this year flying by so fast? I'm not ready for the sweltering heat yet. It's funny, I've lived in Florida my entire life and I'm still not used to the summers here. Our seasons are hot, hotter and the fiery pits of hell. Seems like we're nearing the latter season. Ugh.
Anyway, there is a positive to this time of year. It's blueberry season! I love blueberries. They're so yummy and so good for your health. Every year my mother and I go blueberry picking at a local berry farm. This past Saturday was our annual outing, and the weather could not have been more perfect! We arrived first thing in the morning, before many people were out there picking, and before the heat set in. It was lovely.
Springtime is in full swing. Actually, here in sunny Florida, it feels more like summer is in full swing. Temperatures have been in the high 80s, and even the low 90s at times. Why is this year flying by so fast? I'm not ready for the sweltering heat yet. It's funny, I've lived in Florida my entire life and I'm still not used to the summers here. Our seasons are hot, hotter and the fiery pits of hell. Seems like we're nearing the latter season. Ugh.
Anyway, there is a positive to this time of year. It's blueberry season! I love blueberries. They're so yummy and so good for your health. Every year my mother and I go blueberry picking at a local berry farm. This past Saturday was our annual outing, and the weather could not have been more perfect! We arrived first thing in the morning, before many people were out there picking, and before the heat set in. It was lovely.
This was one of the best crops we'd seen in a long time. Last year we spent hours walking up and down each row of blueberry bushes looking for just a few ripe berries. This year each of us only had to pick one row to fill a bucket. I've never seen so many ripe berries!
An added bonus to finding so many berries so quickly is we were only there about an hour before we had full buckets and were ready to leave. Big ups for getting the heck out of there before the temperatures rose and I had to sweat!
When we arrived home I immediately started thinking of what recipes I could make with blueberries. We had about six pounds of berries, giving me so many options. First thing I made? This blueberry chia jam. Delicious and easy, and has so many other uses. We had a cookout later in the evening and my dad used a little of the jam as a rub for the salmon. Amazing! You should definitely give it a try!
For dessert, I made a blueberry and lavender clafoutis. I had never made a clafoutis before. I lightened it up a little by replacing the whole milk with unsweetened almond milk, the sugar with stevia and the flour with oat flour. The results were divine. A very light and subtle flavor. Now that I've discovered clafoutis I will absolutely make it again, and likely experiment with other fruits.
Even after making all of these things I still had quite a lot of blueberries left. So...overnight oats it is! Come on, did you really think I'd miss the opportunity to use these blueberries for a new oats recipe? This is me we're talking about.
Blueberry muffin overnight oats! Bam! Enjoy!
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~ Ingredients ~
½ c. rolled oats
½ c. unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
1 tsp. chia seed (optional)
1 tsp. flax seed (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. butter extract
⅛ tsp. almond extract
½ tsp. butter extract
⅛ tsp. almond extract
½ tsp. stevia
Fresh blueberries
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~ Directions ~
Combine all ingredients in a mason jar or other sealed container. Let set in the refrigerator overnight, or at least for a few hours before enjoying.
Oats will keep in a sealed container for several days, so you are OK to prepare the beginning of the week for your weekday breakfasts. I always prepare 5 days worth of overnight oats on Sunday afternoon so I have a quick grab-and-go breakfast for the busy weekdays.
Oats will keep in a sealed container for several days, so you are OK to prepare the beginning of the week for your weekday breakfasts. I always prepare 5 days worth of overnight oats on Sunday afternoon so I have a quick grab-and-go breakfast for the busy weekdays.