Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free Blueberry Muffins

Well the hubs and I returned from our Maine getaway on Friday - and while I'm dying to write all about it, I just absolutely need to start off with a recipe I made this morning with some of the super fresh, hand-picked Maine blueberries we brought back!!

First off, we need to talk about the blueberries: it's kind of been a life dream to go berry picking.. it's a long story. But once I found out that we were going to be in Maine during peak blueberry season, it became a necessity for me to find a pick-your-own farm somewhere in our travels (bonus: it's one of the few fruits/berries Scot will actually eat). My handy Coastal Maine travel book that I picked up the day before we left mentioned one in particular, that just so happened to be about halfway between two of our destinations. It didn't have a website - just some vague information that they are usually open daily in August, weather-permitting. A quick call the morning we wanted to go let me know they were indeed open, so off we went to Staples Homestead.

What ensued was pure chaos. All of the FOUR GPS's we had with us were navigating us to a dead end road with an off-roading option leading forward into lord knows where. We tried to be adventurous and keep going, but once the underbrush was literally banging on the underside of the car and the flies outside were swarming like in those terrible horror movies, we made a 27 point turn and had no option but to turn around.

Not one to be deterred by mere nature getting in the way (I mean seriously.. this place had to exist), I used my trusty map skills (thank god I grew up in a time where people actually knew how to read maps) and rerouted us a different way, one where it looked like a road actually went. Once we started seeing "Blueberry" signs, we knew we were in the clear. However, note to self: write complaint to Google maps. I still don't understand what it was trying to make us do. Probably get killed.

And thus our blueberry-picking experience was complete. All told, I think we ended up saving a buck by picking them ourselves. But the memories? Priceless!

But enough about blueberry fields and almost dying.. onto the recipe! While these little berries of antioxidant bliss are perfectly sweet and yummy on their own, nothing can really beat the taste of a warm blueberry muffin with some coffee and OJ out on the deck. Amiright?!



A little searching and adapting this morning gave me a super delicious "free" recipe that not only tastes good, but is good for you. The best kind!!

*recipe adapted from Cave Girl in the City

Just a quick note.. feel free to mix things up a bit!! I used almond extract since that was all I had, but vanilla would taste wonderful with this recipe.

For the sweet aspect, I opted for super local honey, but maple syrup or brown rice syrup would work just as well. While any of these options do still contain some fructose, it's still always better to use a naturally occurring kind vs processed white sugar (hence the "sugar-free" notation). The body absorbs the sugar from these sources much slower, thus preventing that infamous sugar-crash.

I also added about 1/4 cup of crushed flax seed to the recipe, which didn't seem to mess things up too much.. gotta love the fiber!!

Now excuse me while I go have a second third muffin and some iced coffee.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I always try and be different and do these "themed" posts a different day than everyone else, and I really just have to stop that. Popular and catchy themes are popular and catchy for a reason. So here goes.

1. My new hair!

Yes.. I cut it. Again. I'm pretty sure I completely change my style almost every time I go in.. and despite my assumption that my stylist may want to kill me at some point, I actually think she loves me more for it. Keeps her on her toes! All I know is that I am so, so happy to have it short again.

2. Goûter Tonics

Goûter (goo-tay) is a super local DC company that makes some fabulous alkaline water tonics. I actually did a 3-day cleanse of 6 tonics a day back in January, and I'm happy to say that I still love pretty much all of their products. It definitely helps that they keep coming out with new ones, like this months Refresh (featuring watermelon, mint, and chia seeds) and Salted Melon (featured cantaloupe, mint, himalayan salt, and chia seeds). Their business plan is also kind of interesting- they don't have a website (just a Facebook page), and mostly rely on bringing and selling their products to local yoga/Pilates studios and some local organic markets. Hey, I'm all for supporting local!!

3. Teeccino

Speaking of yummy drinks.. I'm also back on a Teecino (tea-CHEE-no) kick. Basically, it's all the satisfaction of having coffee.. but without the coffee (and caffeine and acidity). Now of course it's not exactly the same, but it's a pretty darn good replacement that comes in some pretty yummy flavors. I just tried the Dandelion Caramel Nut yesterday (organic carob, organic chicory, organic dandelion, dates, almonds, natural caramel nut flavor, organic figs), and it's a good variance from my usual French Roast option (organic carob, organic barley, organic chicory, organic ramon nuts, natural coffee flavor).

So while I'm definitely a tea nut (you should SEE my collection), I do find myself opting for this a couple times a week instead (although it's technically a tea as well). Especially when I randomly start craving coffee at 3pm but refuse to down that much caffeine. (Another side effect of getting older.. caffeine sensitively. WTF.)

4. TheSavory.com

This website has my pure, undying love right now. It's your standard Food/Drink/Recipe site.. but better. Just the amount of fun, interesting articles they have on wine alone has me hooked. Go check it out. Especially my new fave article: "3 Great Cocktails to Get you Loaded Whilst Juicing."

5. Planning our trip to Maine!

via

While planning a week-long trip on a super tight budget and having no idea about the area you're going to is kind of tough.. it's also incredibly exciting. Scot and I have started to realize that, in our almost 7 years together, we have really haven't ever gone away/on a vacation that was just the two of us, and just for us. We are always either staying with friends or family and basing our time away around that - even our honeymoon (aka Friendymoon) to Mexico was done with friends. Of course a lot of this has had to do with finances - we just don't have the dough to go on some of the vacations that our friends and family can.

Our solution was to finally take a week off this summer and do a road trip/bed and breakfast tour of Maine's coast. Scot's parents agreed to come down for a week to watch the animals - so we don't need to pay for a sitter or kennel - and the plan is to just sort of hop around Maine's highlights like Portland, the beaches, Midcoast, and Acadia. I'm still looking for someplace to stay in the Midcoast area.. so if you have suggestions of places to go and things to see, I'm all ears!!

(Also.. lobster. I CANNOT WAIT for all the lobster.)

What are you loving this week?