Remember my pretty blueberries from last week’s menu post? I’m finally sharing the recipe for what I used them in! It’s a family recipe, complete with a newspaper clipping from the 80s. Total awesomeness.

The recipe is for whole wheat blueberry muffins. They are soooo good and completely addictive, which isn’t too terrible since the muffins use all whole wheat flour and are filled with healthy blueberries. (Sugar? What sugar?)

It may be a family recipe, but it’s not actually from my family. A few years ago my friend Anna had made some delicious blueberry muffins, of which I ate an embarrassing amount. I started gushing about the muffins and she told me how her mom had a won a contest with the recipe when Anna was a kid. Their family even ended up getting their photo in the local newspaper with a short article about her mom and the recipe. Anna is awesome and of course had a scan of the article and happily shared it with me, knowing full well I would publish her adorable 7-year-old face on my blog. I am such a sucker for recipes from old newspapers or handwritten on recipe cards. They just make me happy, especially when they are as delicious as this one.

So, we all owe Anna’s mom Pamela Worthen a great big thank you for this recipe. Thank you, Pamela!

(>> Find out more…)

A month or so ago, a company reached out to see if I could attend a fun event in Los Angeles, where I would have the chance to meet and interview Alison Sweeney. Because of the move I couldn’t go to the event. And then, the very day of that event, I received an email from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council to see if I would like to interview (you guessed it) Alison Sweeney! For real, the gods want us to be besties. Hopefully Alison gets the memo, too!

Our family loves blueberries, especially Miss Cate, so I was more than happy to work with the Blueberry Council and ask Alison a few questions! July is National Blueberry Month. (I think we should all eat lots of muffins to celebrate.) The council and Alison Sweeney are spreading the word about how dynamic blueberries are and how they can add energy and flavor to our daily routine. To find out more about these Little Blue Dynamos, click here to visit their website!

As I was poking around the blueberry website myself, I came across a recipe for a Blueberry Breakfast Salad. I was intrigued by the idea of getting greens into our breakfast routine and clicked through. The recipe for the salad dressing caught my eye and I knew I had to give it a try. People, this dressing is SO GOOD. The salad was good, too – I loved the sweet crunch of granola mixed in. However, the dressing is the real find here. It is surprisingly savory, with just a hint of sweetness from the blueberries. Nate and I had several salads this week! (See recipe below!)

Back to my new best friend Alison. Here is our interview!

Jane: What is your favorite savory dish that uses blueberries?

Alison: Hands down – Blueberry Turkey Burgers! My kids love the tangy blueberry surprise, such a burst of flavor in the burger. Plus, you feel very “Master Chef” preparing them – blueberries are the secret ingredient!

Jane: How do you fit in exercise as a busy, working mom? (I know that question seems so cliché, but I really am so curious what your techniques are!)

Alison: You must make it a priority to take care of yourself. Put your workouts on the calendar to ensure you make time to work out. Sometimes I’ll have time for a quick run, other times I’ll be able to take a spin or yoga class. If I can’t work out, I make sure I adjust my nutrition accordingly.

Jane: Kids will be kids…how do make sure they eat their healthy foods? (Again, sort of cliché, but would love your insight!)

Alison: Getting my kids involved in the kitchen is really important to me because eating habits form at a young age. One of our favorite hot-summer-day activities is making smoothies. Not only are they nutritious, they’re also easy and fun. Here’s a quick and easy blueberry smoothie recipe we love.

Here are a few more tips from Alison about kid-friendly recipes (something I am always thinking about!):

Now, for real, go eat some muffins and put this recipe in your recipe box!

Blueberry Breakfast Salad

 

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From the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Side Dish, Salad

Ingredients

• Mixed, torn salad greens: 2 pounds
• Blueberry Vinaigrette: Recipe follows
• Fresh blueberries: 4 cups
• Fresh orange sections or canned mandarin oranges, drained: 4 cups
• Granola : 2 cups

Instructions

1. Toss salad greens with 1½ cups of the Blueberry Vinaigrette. Divide the dressed greens among eight large plates. Arrange ½ cup orange sections and ½ cup blueberries on top of each salad. Sprinkle each salad with ¼ cup granola. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and serve immediately.

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Blueberry Vinaigrette

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until mixture is smooth. Chill at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Makes 2 cups.

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