All I have to say for this guest post is….YUMMY!!!!

Hello Faith, Fitness, and Fun Fans! I was so delighted to have the opportunity to help Tina out while she is away on vacation! I love her blog and jumped at the opportunity to be of assistance! I can't say that I feel bad for her...who doesn't love a vacation!! But I do know that when you are away, readers are still yearning for material! So here I am to help!

If you haven't checked out my site before, I encourage you to browse around The Healthy Apron and read about how My Journey in to health and fitness started! In a nutshell? I LOVE LOVE LOVE food and any challenge I can take on to make dishes healthier...I'm all about it!

The recipe I wanted to share today involves one of my favorite fruits: BLUEBERRIES! Since berry season is in full swing, I thought I would share the recipe I came up with for my Mom's birthday a couple weeks ago. Since she is battling cancer, I wanted to make her a fun dish that was still full of nutrients! Bubbly, Beneficial, Blueberry crisp was born!

I began by mixing the blueberries with a little whole wheat flour and some agave syrup.

I am a sampler, so I tasted a bunch of berries before this dish came to be. Taste test approved!! I was ready to get my hands dirty! The key to a yummy crisp topping is to get your hands deep in the gook and mesh all the goodies together! Don't be bashful; get to know your ingredients!

Mixed and ready to bake!

Fresh from the oven

This dish literally took me all of 10 minutes to throw together. The IDEAL last minute dessert! When all is said and done, I just HAD to sample...again. I can't help myself. Who bakes and doesn't sample anyway? I could NEVER work in a bakery. I scooped myself a hearty portion and dug in! Don't hold back people, this one will be gone in an instant if you don't act fast!

What's the nutritional bonus?? Blueberries have the HIGHEST antioxidant count over any other fresh fruits! That fact alone will help your body battle diseases (like cancer) by strengthening your immune system! Include a cup or so in to your daily diet and you are doing yourself wonders! Just think of the diseases you are fighting off as you dive in to this dish!! Food = Prevention, after all!!

Don't you wish you could have some??

Bubbly and Beneficial Blueberry Crisp brought to you by The Healthy Apron

Makes 6 servings

The Filling:

• 1 pint of blueberries (preferably organic)
• 1 T whole wheat flour
• 1-2 T organic Agave Nectar (I did not measure, just drizzled until the berries looked coated)

The Crisp:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (in the recipe I made for my mom, I did not use brown sugar, it's a little less sweet but delicious nonetheless, just increase the agave by a tablespoon or so!)
• 2 T Agave Nectar
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I tried 1 tsp of almond extract and 1 tsp of vanilla but the almond extract was much too over whelming!)

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry the blueberries and then sample as appropriate 🙂 Try to pick off the stems as much as you can but they won't hurt anything. Mix the blueberries, 1 T whole wheat flour, and agave in a bowl and pour in to a 9 x 5" dish.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, agave, cinnamon, and vanilla. Cut in butter with hands (or use a fork if you don't want to mess up your manicure) until crumbly.
3. Crumble the mixture over the blueberries and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Nutritional Profile: 195 calories, 4.3 g fat (2.5 g sat, 0.5 g poly, 1.3 g mono), 43 g carbohydrate, 4.2 g Fiber, 2.6 g protein

*not too shabby...for a dessert!!!

Question from Tina…What is your favorite summer dessert?

Tags: guest post