Sunday, 17 May 2015

BRUISED AND IN NEED OF BLUEBERRIES

Healing Blueberry Muffins

Time taken: An hour max.
Ingredients: 200g all-purpose wholewheat flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, a pinch of salt, 25g rolled oats, 3 eggs, 75g brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 175g plain yoghurt, 75g coconut oil, & 200g frozen blueberries.

Hi readers,
So, that’s another week gone by. Another week of 2015. Of Spring. Of May. Of our existence. How are you?? How has your week been? Think back to Monday morning, think to now, is life any better? Any worse? Much different? Reflect! Think back on your week and I wonder what you’ve got up to.
For me, this week has been one hell of a week. Definitely! The end of Third Year isn’t an easy nut to crack! This is the week that I’ve launched revision about the Earth’s polar environments. The week that I made it through a Spanish speaking exam without crying. The week that me and some of the geography girls presented to a roomful of people about ice streams in the Antarctic Peninsula. The week that I wrote 3 essays about representations of Africa. In about as many days. It’s been… productive to say the least.
Also, this has been the week that I met up with my friend from Montreal!! Who I haven’t seen in SO LONG. This is one of my fun-loving first year uni flatmates, who moved back to Canada in 2013… and isn’t 2013 so long ago?? It’s forever ago! So this lovely girly made the trip back to Europe this week to catch up with all the friends that she made in her year abroad. Such a big trip for her and we were all so glad to see her! Catching up on 2 years missed is so weird… and also it was like she never left!
My new life goal? Is to get to Canada to pay her a visit. Never forget to appreciate each and every friend you have, wherever they may be in the world. Been meaning to send someone a message or write them a letter? I sayyyy DO IT. Seize the day! Feel the love.
Readers, also (brace yourself for EVEN MORE wisdom)… plan all the trips in the world but try not to trip over yourself. This has been the week that I tripped over. Jogging for the bus to work in Friday morning, I hit the ground. Quite hard. Ripped my tights, bloodied both knees, grazed one hand and one elbow, damaged my baby my iPod, and also spectacularly my new iPhone on my tenth day of owning it. Shit hit the fan, readers. Shit hit the fan.
I think when you’re at your pinnacle of tiredness and stress, and suddenly you find yourself lying on a pavement feeling your pulse in your ruined knees, a small part of you gives in. It does. Well, it did for me. I made it to work for medical treatment (I’m fine). Made it through the day. Through a big meeting. And then, with little left to give in life, retired to a sunny patch of grass with Woody. Met Floss and MissMuddle for cocktails, food, beers, comedy club.
I’m recovered (more or less) and am taking life a little easier. Yesterday, I finally got to have a drink at The Botanist. It did not disappoint. Pressed an owl print at an art open night. Lost this. Learned some stuff about octopuses. Today, I got to go over to my family friends’ house for a lovely lunch. Sat in their conservatory and listened to birdsong. Helped to build a Rice Krispie volcano for a school project. I couldn’t go empty handed so I baked some blueberry muffins to take along. Really healthy ones. Shared these with the flatmates and spread some happiness. Had one myself.
As is QUITE EVIDENT I’ve lost the will with revision. Tuesday’s exam could be a sorry affair. But there’s still tomorrow to turn it around with revision!! And you never know. :) Miracles do happen! How do you feel about the week ahead, readers? Good? Bad? Ugly? Cheer up! One thing I DEFINITELY prescribe to improve even the trickiest of Mondays? A batch of Healing Blueberry Muffins. I promise, these babies will make you feel good outside and in. They’re feelgood-factor-assured. Goodness is guaranteed. Happiness lies just one bake away. Need these in your life?
Here’s how you bake up some smashingly Healing Blueberry Muffins, in just ten easy steps:
1. Heat your oven to 180˚C.
2. Line a muffin tray with 12 muffin cases.
3. In a mixing bowl, measure out your flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Then, add your oats, eggs and sugar.
5. Scoop your coconut oil into a small bowl and melt in the microwave for a minute.
6. Add your honey, yoghurt and melted coconut oil to the mixing bowl.
7. Take a wooden spoon and mix all the ingredients in your bowl together into a lumpy batter.
8. Pop your frozen blueberries in a small bowl and add a teaspoon of flour. Stir your frozen blueberries around until they’re all coated in flour.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: This is optional, I suppose, the flour just stops them turning everything blue.
9. Fold your floury frozen blueberries gently into the muffin batter. Be careful not to overmix!
10. Spoon your mix evenly between each muffin case (they should all be full to about the top) and pop your muffins in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes! Take them out when they’re risen and golden brown, and when a knife jabbed into the centre of one comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before tucking in!
And hey presto…
One batch of Healing Blueberry Muffins!
This recipe is based upon an American one that I found HERE on a wonderfully titled blog, Not Enough Cinnamon. Go check it out.
So, with brown sugar and honey instead of white sugar, yoghurt and coconut oil instead butter, wholewheat flour instead of white, 1 of your 5-a-day inside… there is NOTHING BAD about these muffins! Literally, there isn’t. And they taste so good! Really moist and wholesome and cakey. I’m more than happy with these muffins. Readers, these muffins are making me happy! They’re healing, I swear, and definitely a recipe I’ll be rolling out in the future.
Plus, this recipe has been an intro for me to the world of frozen blueberries. They’re well cheap! Frozen blueberries, readers, cost really lots less than refrigerated ones and you can store them for any amount of time. They taste just as good as fresh fruit would in your baking. Looks like a blueberry, taste like a blueberry, costs about the same as a raisin! Cue, a running blueberry theme to up and coming ChefBeHere blog posts. Sorry, not sorry!
Readers, whether you may be students, workers, astronauts, superheroes, movie stars, Antarctic explorers… if there’s any part of you that feels right now that you might benefit from a Healing Blueberry Muffin. Or your friends/family/flatmates are in need, maybe? Then GO BAKE. Do not hesitate or delay. Muffins today.

Jog safely,
Hayley

 
 
 

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