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?

Hi Readers of Faith, Fitness and Fun. My name is Lee and I have a little blog over at www.inmytummy.com. Thanks for letting me do a guest post, Tina. (You’re welcome! And thanks for writing one for me!)

1. Give a brief description of your blog.

My blog is basically my diary that I share with the internet. I guess I like spilling my guts to random strangers? Healthy living is very important to me and that’s reflected in my blog, so you will see a lot of posts about exercise and healthy food. Sometimes I get it in me to take pictures of what I eat, but not all the time. Mostly I blab about whatever’s on my mind – healthy living related or not. Lately, you will read a lot about the P90X workout program, buying my first house and getting married. And maybe I’ll share some recipes or pictures of my dog. Sometimes my posts are funny (at least I try to make them so) and other times they’re more serious.

2. What does blogging do for you? Why do you enjoy it?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve kept a journal of some sort. About six years ago, I was active on a fitness-related message board and one of the forums was comprised entirely of members’ journals. I realized that I liked sharing my journal with other people and hearing their input. After a while, I drifted away from the message board. I was at a job where I couldn’t post a lot and I felt very out of the loop. So I decided to blog instead. Like I said before, I like spilling my guts to strangers.

3. What is your favorite food? Nutritional value does not matter, so choose anything!

Hummus! I started eating hummus in high school way before it was popular. (I feel like this gives me street cred in the hummus department. I was in high school in the mid 90’s, by the way.) I am very picky about my hummus though. Sabra and Hannah brands are the way to go. (Hannah is the one they sell at Costco.) Athenos – bleh.

4. What is your favorite type of workout? Why do you love it?

I guess I’d have to say running although it’s more of a love/hate relationship. I really like racing. I like to sign up for a race several months in the future, pick a training plan and trust that if I follow it, I’ll do well in the race. I like the expos and the numbers and knowing what PR and fartlek and tempo and all those fancy running terms mean. I like discussing running with other people. But sometimes I don’t actually like to go for a run. Although, I do it and I always feel 100% better afterward. I also like snowboarding, but living in Georgia kind of makes that a little difficult.

5. What is a current goal you are working towards?

Does getting through buying a house and planning a wedding (within 30 days of one another) count? I think by the time this posts, I’ll have the house thing finished.

6. What is something important that you have overcome, are working towards overcoming, or hope to overcome one day?

I think I’m finally mostly comfortable in my own skin. I’m still working on not feeling guilty for eating certain foods or thinking that I’m going to gain weight if I eat some fries or chips every now and again.

7. What is your favorite inspirational quote?

This is from a song, but I’ve always liked it.

“I will go in this way and find my own way out. – #41 by Dave Matthews Band. I actually had a DMB #41 sticker on my car several years ago but too many people thought it was a Nascar sticker so I took it off. Hmph.

8. What are some things on your "Bucket List"?

• Run another marathon
• Travel, especially to Europe
• Have a job where I actually feel challenged and satisfied with the work I’m doing
• Grow some of my own vegetables in a garden

9. What is something you know now that you wish you knew 5-10 years ago?

Don’t settle. If I think I can do better, I can. That can be applied to many aspects of my life.

10. Name one crazy, random fact about you.

I played rugby in college. My postion was called second row which meant that I had to put my head between two people’s thighs during the scrum. That’s not as dirty as it sounds. Google it.

11. If you won the lottery, what would be your first big purchase?

Can I pay off my house? Maybe a new car. Henry Honda Civic (he must be called by his full name at all times) is a 2001. This is a totally boring answer, I know.

12. List 5 of your favorite things.

1. My fiancé (or maybe husband depending on when this posts) – Jason

2. My dog Murphy

3. My friends and family

4. the internet

5. Hummus

Question from Tina…What is YOUR favorite food? Nutritious or otherwise?