Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Blueberry Chia Jam

With a little trepidation, I'm going to try chia seeds again.  If you recall, the last time I indulged in Chia Pudding, I was swooning, but not in a good way. (Earlier Chia experience)   I still don't know if my vertigo was chia-related, so I'm proceeding with caution.  At this moment, blueberry chia jam is bubbling on the stove. I made a teeny-tiny portion...only half of this recipe, just to see if it affects me the way the pudding did, and to see if my husband will like it.  Mark loves jam, so I'll let him eat the "lion's share."  I just want to try it again.

3 c. blueberries
1/4 chia seeds
1/4 c. agave nectar
1/4-1/2 c. apple juice to thin jam while simmering
2 teaspoon of vanilla

I used frozen blueberries.  I've noticed that the berries at Sam's Club are nice and small, while the ones at WalMart are very large.  I prefer the ones from Sam's.  I thawed my berries in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Then I mixed the berries and agave nectar in a saucepan over low/medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the chia seeds to thicken, simmering for 15 more minutes.  As the jam thickens, I added a small amount of apple juice to keep the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Add the vanilla after removing the saucepan from the stove.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Is it the best jam on the planet?  Okay, no.  Is it fruity and sweet?  Yep!  My husband loves jam and is trying not to eat so much of it, but this, he could eat without guilt. He liked it enough to have extra bread after dinner to slather it all over another slice!   If I were to tweak it, I would possibly add a little Stevia, just a little, to move the sweetness level up toward that of a jam.


The possibilities are endless...flavor some plain Greek yogurt, add to a bowl of oatmeal, top your whole grain pancakes, garnish a dish of ice cream... I also plan to try this with other berries.  The nice thing about blueberries is that the chia seeds blend in with the color perfectly. Mmm... A jam chock-full of antioxidants, omega-3s, and fiber...without tons of sugar and preservatives?  Mission accomplished.

"Will It Go Round in Circles?" The Spiral Slicer Sure Does!

Kitchen gadgets are not really my thing.  I don't like clutter-y kitchen counters, and I don't like to clog up my kitchen cupboards with little appliances that are not going to see a lot of use.  That being said, I totally fell for the concept of being able to make noodles out of vegetables.  As soon as I knew what to look for on Amazon, I ordered it.

This handy, dandy contraption is a called a spiral slicer.  It comes with three blades that allow three types of noodles to be made:  spaghetti, linguini, and ribbons.  It sells for about $33, plus shipping.  We've been trying to incorporate more vegetables and complex carbohydrates in our diet.  This has been a fun way to do it.

It will slice any firm fruit or vegetable.  This summer I want to try some of the cucumber salads with a noodle instead of the traditional slices.  It cut an apple into spaghetti  beautifully. My idea for a dessert wasn't that great, but I still want to experiment with that.  For folks who aren't worried about carbs, the potato noodles would be great fried, in soups or casseroles.

The spiral slicer is very lightweight.  I pack it in the car when visiting our big kids because they're all interested in trying new gadgets AND eating healthy.  It's traveled to the southern end of Utah to Dylan's, and all the way to Colorado to Sierra's.  Sierra had so much fun with it, she ordered one for herself!

Pros:  Low-carb eating with favorite pasta dishes is do-able. It is easy to use, and pretty easy to clean.  It requires no electricity to run.  Kids enjoy using it; our adult kids AND our young granddaughter.

Cons:  It's not something I use every week, so I feel a little guilty about the space I've devoted to storing it.  The blades are extremely sharp.  I've lost a little skin using it, but I figure it just ups the protein in the dish. (KIDDING!!!)

Our fifth grade granddaughter had fun helping me in the kitchen.

Bon appétit!

Snickerdoodle Muffins (healthified by me!)

Snickerdoodle Muffins just sounded too good to be true.  The original recipe had 285 calories per muffin, 3 g. protein, 1/2 g. fiber, 33 g. carb, 19 g. sugar and 10 g. fat.  Sure, they'd be yummy, but could my body afford to eat them?

Enter the HEALTHIFIER.  Here's MY recipe with nutritional info to follow:

HEALTHY Snickerdoodle Muffins
Cream together:
1 Best Life Baking Stick (Bob Green's Best Life brand of healthier margarine)
1 1/2 c. Stevia
Add:
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
Then add 1 3/4 c. Chobani plain nonfat yogurt to wet mixture.
In separate bowl, stir together and then add to wet mixture:
3/4 t. each of baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and cinnamon
1 c. flour (I use "best for bread" type)
1 1/3 c. oat flour (oats processed in blender) Make cinnamon sugar mixture w/ 1/4 c. sugar and 1 T. cinnamon. Sprinkle greased muffin tins with cinnamon sugar, add a scoop of batter and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar.  I made mine in 12 muffin cups and one small loaf pan to equal 16 servings.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 350.

Nutritional info: 156 calories, 6 g. protein, 2 g. fiber, 20 g. carbs, 7 g. sugar, 5 g. fat.