Best Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Blueberry Power Muffins with Almond Streusel

Here is a great recipe for “power” muffins from Cooking Light magazine. The muffin are loaded with B vitamins from whole wheat flour, calcium from milk and yogurt, antioxidants from the blueberries, and heart-friendly monounsaturated fat from almonds and canola oil. You can freeze the muffins for up to a month, then thaw them at room temperature, or microwave each muffin at High 15 to 20 seconds. I tested the recipe using greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt and the muffins came out great, very tender and tasty. When I made the recipe it actually made almost 60 mini-muffins so I had to make additional streusel topping.

Muffins:

1 and ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups vanilla low-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt which is a bit thicker than regular yogurt)
½ cup 2% reduced-fat milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 and ½ cup fresh blueberries (I used frozen and did not defrost them)
Cooking spray

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Foods to Help Lower My Cholesterol

People eating roughly 25 ounces of chickpeas per week for four weeks – that’s a little more than 3 ounces a day – saw their total cholesterol and Bad LDL decrease and Good HDL levels increase.

Insulin levels also improved, and people in the study lost a small amount of weight without dieting or exercise.

Chickpeas have more than 5 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein per half cup. You can eat hummus which is a chickpea dip. Hummus is good on crackers, pita, or vegetables. You can toss chickpeas in a salad, soup or pasta dish. Chickpeas are low in carbohydrates also. You can buy fried chickpeas in a market that carries Middle Eastern Food and snack on them like you would chips or pretzels.

Vitamins for Better Skin

If you want to lower your cholesterol and look younger – make a salad with chickpeas, spinach, broccoli, zucchini,corn, and green and orange bell peppers. According to Dr. Oz this mixture will help your skin maintain its elastic quality. These vegetables contain high levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and carotenoids. Women who took these supplements had improved elasticity and better hydration in their skin.

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Antioxidant Treats

Dr. Oz just posted an article talking about the benefits of cranberries. Though we think of them of as a holiday treat Dr. Oz says for the following reasons we should eat them all year round:

They’re high in antioxidants -
Cranberries have more of these disease-fighters than do apples, red grapes, strawberries, oranges, bananas, pears, grapefruit, pineapples and peaches. Cranberries all contain resveratrol, the heart protector in red wine, which is now being tested against breast, skin, prostate and liver cancer.

Cranberries are heart healthy –

Cranberries have antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and anticlotting agents, a combo that helps prevent fats and cholesterol from sticking to artery walls and seems to lower bad LDL cholesterol and boost good HDL cholesterol.

Cranberries help protect your teeth -

Compounds in cranberry juice appear to reduce decay-causing mouth bacteria and dissolve clusters of unhealthy germs. Just be sure to buy sugar-free juice or rinse well with water afterward. Do the same with any sweetened drink.

Cranberries help prevent ulcers and soothe upset tummies -

Scientists suspect that the berries keep ulcer-causing H. pylori bugs from hanging around the stomach and flush other harmful bacteria out of your digestive system.

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Healthy Herbs

Just found in Parade Magazine a list of healthy herbs. If you can incorporate these herbs into your weekly menus you will be doing a lot toward preventing some of today’s common illness such as diabetes, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Parsley – Parsley is a good source of vitamin C, iron and flavonoids, which the American Institute for Cancer Research says may help protect cells from cancer. Fresh parsley can be added to salads and fresh or dried parsley is a good addition to chicken and fish dishes. Chimichurri sauce used on beef uses a whole cup of fresh parsley.

Turmeric – The University of Arizona College of Medicine says curcumin, the active ingredient in this Indian spice, helps prevent joint inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Ruthers University researchers say turmeric may also slow the spread of prostate cancer. Turmeric is typically used in Indian dishes.

Sage – A University of Georgia study suggests that sage can prevent tissue damage caused by hgih blood sugar and may even offer protection against cardiovascular disease. Sage is great on chicken and turkey dishes.

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Health Benefits of Green Tea

Weight Loss – Five cups of green tea every day could help you shed twice as much weight – most of it around your stomach, according to a Journal of Nutrition study. Researchers also found that people who had sports drinks with green tea for 12 weeks lowered their levels of triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart disease.
Catechins (the antioxidants in the tea) are thought to boost energy and enhance fat-burning.

Prevent Cancer – Studies have shown that people in green-tea consuming countries-mainly Japan and China-have very low rates of cancer.

Prevent Colds and Flu -A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition looked at the effect of green tea on health during the flu season. The study followed 118 healthy adults for three months during flu season; the participants took a capsule twice per day.

The green tea group when compared with the placebo group experienced 32.1% fewer cold and flu symptoms. The green tea group reported 22.9% fewer illnesses which lasted two or more days. Other studies have also shown that gargling with green tea can aid in the prevention of cold and flu.

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Grapes Prevent Hardening of the Arteries

I was always told to avoid grapes in my diet. Nutritionists routinely warned people off of grapes because of their high sugar content. Then it was discovered that red grapes were very high in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are defined as flavonoid pigments found in many varieties of vegetables and fruits. They’re a good source of antioxidants. You probably heard about anthocyanins in relation to the Acai Berry.

Anyway I just saw a blurb in our paper (in the Dr. Mehmet Oz section) that says eating grapes can help prevent clogged arteries. A study showed that just three hours after eating the equivalent of 1 and 1/4 cups of grapes, people had better blood flow through their arteries than did people who drank a sugar solution. Blood-flow benefits were even better after three weeks of daily grape-eating.

Grapes have only 75 calories in a 1 and 1/4 cup serving.

Grapes may even help protect your blood vessels from fatty meals – something that normally does immediate damage. Early research suggests that grapes may help protect your blood pressure from salty foods too.

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