SPONSORED POST: I’ve partnered with Milk & Eggs, an amazing farm direct grocery delivery service, to bring you guys some delicious, super seasonal, and always healthy recipes a few times a month. I’m so excited to share some of my favorite dishes and health food products with you!
Berries are my favorite part of spring and summer. They’re everywhere, they’re delicious, and they are loaded with amazing health benefits. One of my favorite summertime treats is opening up my grocery delivery box to find tons of fresh, organic berries that I get to enjoy all week long.
We all know (hopefully) that berries are loaded with antioxidants, which make them an amazing anti-aging and anti-cancer food, but perhaps we could use a little reminder about why these colorful little treats are so great? Behold:
8 Awesome Health Benefits of Berries:
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High in polyphenols which aid in weight loss, beautify skin, and fight and prevent cancer
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Though all berries are super high in antioxidants, blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food out there, making them amazing for slowing the signs of aging
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Anti-inflammatory, decreasing risk of heart disease, diabetes, and pretty much any other disease you can think of
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Boost memory, focus and brain health, due to high levels of gallic acid
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Awesome for your gut — blueberries regulate gut biome with their high levels of fiber and prebiotic effect, while blackberries can protect against stomach ulcers
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Reduce impact of sun damage due to high levels of resveratrol
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Boost immunity, especially strawberries, due to high levels of vitamin C
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Treat gout and arthritis, particularly cherries and strawberries
Pretty convincing reasons to eat more delicious berries, right?
Another one is that they are just so frickin yummy and naturally sweet, so you’ll be curbing sugar cravings and reducing the amount of refined sugar in your diet (and that of your kids!). Berries are truly nature’s candy.
Every week, I have beautiful organic blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries delivered to my door from Milk & Eggs (alongside all our other organic produce and pantry staples). When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add some organic cherries to the mix (but cherries are generally a little more pricey, so I keep them to a few times a month or for a special recipe). My usual weekly Organic Farm Sampler Box comes with strawberries, so I’m covered on that front. Now this is a lot of berries, yes, but between serving a different berry with every one of my daughter’s meals, and using them in my morning smoothies, I have just enough left over to use in some yummy recipes.
Obviously, nothing beats just eating berries whole and fresh, just as they are, but I wanted to share 3 of my favorite other ways to use them up in our weekly meals. I’ve got yummy Raspberry Coconut Overnight Oats, a delicious and light dinner salad featuring beautiful blackberries, and a quick and easy Grain-Free Cherry Crisp for dessert. All are perfect ways to showcase this summer superfood!
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- 1/2 cup organic old fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk*
- 1/3 cup coconut yogurt*
- 1 tbsp chia seeds,
- 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
- 2 tsp organic maple syrup
- 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup organic raspberries
Ingredients
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- Whisk together all ingredients (aside from the raspberries) in a Bell jar.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, top with raspberries and some extra shredded coconut. Enjoy!
* Coconut milk yields a thicker oatmeal, whereas using almond milk will make it come out a little runnier.
* I used coconut yogurt to make the recipe vegan, but feel free to use organic greek yogurt if you prefer it!
| Servings |
servings
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- 6 cups organic spinach
- 1 bulb fennel thinly sliced
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 1 cup organic blackberries
- 2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds or more, if you like!
- 2 tbsp raw organic apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tsp raw organic honey
- Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- Combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
- Toss with dressing. Enjoy!
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servings
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- 10 oz fresh organic cherries pitted and halved
- 1 tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 1/4 tsp cardamom*
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup dried coconut chopped
- 2 tbsp organic maple syrup
- 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil softened
Ingredients
For the filling:
For the topping:
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- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Grease a 6" cast iron pan or small baking dish with coconut oil.
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling, and add to the pan.
- In the same bowl, combine all the ingredients for the topping, and mix together until it's all nice and moist. Spoon over the filling.
- Place on a baking sheet (to catch bubbling juices) and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the cherries are bubbling.
- Cool slightly and enjoy!
*If you're a crisp purist, you can use cinnamon instead of cardamom, but I think the latter makes this dessert more summery and seasonal!
September 26, 2017
These all look great! I really want to like overnight oats and every recipe I come across looks great, but I have yet to become a fan. However, I still may have to give this one a try 😉
My go-tos for berries tend to be plain or in a smoothie, as well. I really like a classic strawberry and banana combo personally, or a full berry blend. On the not so healthy side, strawberry shortcakes with a mint whip cream I do at least once every season!
Do you find yourself using everything when you get the sample box? I’ve considered using CSAs, but am always worried I won’t know what to do with everything (despite having a very full Pinterest board full of recipe ideas, lol!).
September 26, 2017
Thanks for your message, Lisa! Smoothies are of course an awesome way to rock berries, as is just eating them as they are! Overnight oats aren’t for everyone, and it’s no big if it’s just not your thing. You can even throw some oats into your smoothie to up the fiber!
As for the CSA, I’m not going to lie, some weeks, we have way too much celery or beets, or some random weird vegetable. I’ve found it really helpful to be a part of a CSA that sends recipes along with each week’s box. Otherwise, I just end up googling (or looking on Pinterest) for [insert weird veggie here] recipes and tend to find great ways to use them up. Soups are a big one. I once used a whole thing of celery that was starting to go bad on a big batch of celery soup, which was DELICIOUS.
So generally, it’s still worth it, but you’ve gotta be a little adventurous with trying new foods and recipes!
Best of luck!!
Natasha
November 15, 2017
Hi Natasha,
All are looks delicious! I can not stop it anymore.. I just made it right now.
February 1, 2018
All are looks delicious!! Thanks 🙂